History
The long-running technology boom accelerated after the millennium. As of 2018, 95% of US teenage students had access to a smartphone and 45% said they were online almost constantly. [3]
Social media in education is the use of social media to enhance the education. Social media is "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content". [1] Social media is only one facet of the technology revolution. While the near-infinite resources available on the internet have become an essential part of modern life, social media has remained controversial.
In a dissertation by Cardiff Metropolitan University student Abdulwahaab Alsaif, surveys focused on the impact of social media reported that 54.6% of students believed that social media affected their studies positively (38% agree, 16.6% strongly agree). About 40% disagreed, and 4.7% of students strongly disagreed. 53% of female students reported that social media negatively impacted their studies. Among male students, 40% agreed that social media had a negative impact on studies, while 59% disagreed. [2]
The long-running technology boom accelerated after the millennium. As of 2018, 95% of US teenage students had access to a smartphone and 45% said they were online almost constantly. [3]
As the use of technology and social media has become more prevalent, some educators and parents have argued that they distract students in the classroom. [4] This led many schools to block Internet access (including social media), or to ban phones in the classroom. [5] Students resisted these rules and many continued to use their phones in class.
Many schools adopted a "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) policy. [6] This policy allows students to bring internet-accessing devices, such as phones or tablets to class. This concept was initially introduced to reduce school technology costs, but some administrators and teachers noted additional benefits, such as increased student motivation and engagement. [7] However, the contents of personal devices were not regulated by the school, and allowed some students to put their attention on their phones than on class material.
Social media can have a positive effect through video calls, stories, feeds, and game playing. [8]
Social media offers students the opportunity to collaborate over a different medium. [9]
Social media opens new avenues to learning. To reach them, one study suggests splitting learning into informal and formal sessions. [9]
Social media can allow students to more easily connect with experts, e.g., on sites such as X.
It offers another communication channel between teachers and students that is private and confidential that is not available in the classroom.
On the academic side, a 2010 study reported that students were using social media more, and that this was positively impacting their communications. Studies by Maqableh, Quteshat, Masadeh, and Huda Karajeh in 2015 did not demonstrate negative impacts of social media on students, but on the ignorance of academics due to spending a lot of time on social media. [2]
Schools use social media to make announcements, updates, and communicate other important information home to parents and students. [10] As schools create an online presence, families can keep up with school events and calendar updates. An online channel of communication between the school and families could help facilitate a deeper level of community.
Looking at social media as a distinct language type, allows teachers to integrate social media into the classroom. [11]
Social media allows students to easily conduct polls to survey the opinions and knowledge of students and others.
Social media in classrooms can have a negative effect. A Yale University publication reported that students who used laptops in class for non-academic reasons had poorer performance. Students spent most of their time on social media, shopping, and other personal activities. [12]
One study considered students’ perspectives on learning with phones and social media in higher education and reported that devices and social media:
Frustrations included anti-technology instructors, device challenges, and devices as a distraction. [13]
Social media can allow students to participate in their field by working with organizations outside the classroom. [14] By offering easier access to peers outside the classroom, students can broaden their perspectives and find support resources. [15]
Social media aided learning outside of the classroom through collaboration and innovation. One specific study, "Exploring education-related use of social media," called this "audience connectors". Audience connectors bring students together while studying with WhatsApp and Facebook. This study reported that "60 percent [of students in the study] agreed that technology changes education for the better." While social media can promote a beneficial education platform, downsides exist. Students may become skilled at "lifting material from the internet" rather than enhancing their personal understanding. Another downside is student attention spans decline. A concern raised by the students of this study showed how many use spell-check as a crutch and will see a trend of points taken off when spell-check is not an option. [16]
Apps like X allowed teachers to make classroom accounts where students can learn about social media in a controlled context. Teachers can post assignments on the class account and students can practice commenting on, reposting, and liking posts. [17]
Some researchers report that social media applications such as blogging may help kids become creative. Some studies particularly refer to the convenience that social media offers for shy students and youngsters who are thus enabled to exchange and express views. [18]
College institutions are adapting social media into their educational systems to improve communication with students and the overall quality of student life. [19] It provides colleges with an easy and fast method of communication and provides another medium for giving and receiving feedback to/from students. Almost all college students use some form of social media. Studies reported that 99% of college students who use social media use Facebook and 35% use X. Other popular services include Instagram, Reddit, and Tumblr. [20] Many American classrooms created social media pages where teachers post assignments and interact with students. Schools have made rules for how students and faculty interact online. [21] A 2013 study reported that students and young adults are using newer social media platforms more than ever before. [22] They are using these platforms to connect with other students and to keep up with their school. Many schools adapted to using social media outlets by 2021. Outlets such asYouTube and Zoom can record classes and lectures and post them to allow students to watch them outside class and dedicate more class time to other activities. [23] Newer services include Zoom, Slack, Instagram, Google Classroom, Canva, and Canvas. [24]
Using Facebook in class allows for both asynchronous and synchronous speech via a familiar medium that supports multimodal content such as photographs, video, and links to other pages and sites. Further, it allows students to ask questions that they might not otherwise feel motivated to ask in person. [25] Students manage their own privacy settings. Facebook is an alternative means for students to be able to voice their thoughts in and outside the classroom. Students can organize their thoughts in writing before expressing them. [25] Further, the level of informality typical to Facebook can aid self-expression and encourage more frequent student-and-instructor and student-and-student interactions. Towner and Munoz note that such informality may not be comfortable for all educators and students.
Facebook may be less efficient than conventional course management systems, both because of its limitations in uploading assignments and due to resistance to its use in education. Specifically, some features of student-to-student collaboration may be conducted more efficiently on dedicated systems that support organization of posts in a nested/linked format. That said, several studies suggest that students post to discussion forums more frequently and are generally more active participants on Facebook posts versus conventional (WebCT, Blackboard). [26] [27] [28]
However, students with parents who have college experience are more likely to be active users than others. [29] The latter students may benefit from additional support in adapting to online activities. [30] [31]
X can be used to enhance communication building and critical thinking. A 2013 study utilized X in a graduate seminar, requiring students to post weekly to extend classroom discussions. Students reportedly used X to connect with content and other students. Students reported it "to be useful professionally and personally". [32] A 2011 study of 132 students examined the link between social media and student engagement and social media and grades. They divided the students into two groups in which one used X while the other group did not. X was used to discuss material, organize study groups, post class announcements, and connect with classmates. Students in the X group achieved higher GPAs and greater engagement scores. [33]
A 2012 review examined literature about X published between 2008 and 2011. They concluded that X allowed students to participate with each other in class (by creating an informal "back channel") and extend discussion outside of class time. They reported that students used X to get news and connect with professionals in their field. Students reported that X-style microblogging encouraged students to "participate at a higher level" and that because posts could not exceed 140 characters, students were required to communicate concisely. [34] Some students found microblogging to produce information overload. The research reported that many students did not participate in the discussions, limiting themselves to reading other participants' posts. [34]
YouTube is frequently used as a classroom tool. [35] Students can watch videos, comment, and discuss content. Students and teachers can also create videos. A 2011 study reported that YouTube increased participation, personalization (customization), and productivity. Students' digital skills improved and peer learning and problem-solving increased. [36] A 2012 study reported that videos kept students' attention, generated subject matter interest, and clarified course content. [37] Students reported that videos helped them recall information and visualize real-world applications.
In the early 2000s, Salman Khan began uploading short educational videos to YouTube. His videos grew popular, leading to the formation Khan Academy, which formalized and commercialized the project. [38] Another popular YouTube channel is TED that posts TED Talks, (videos of presentations and discussions). Professionals such as scientists, researchers, doctors, and others present concise lectures aimed at a general audience. [39] A 2021 study reported that YouTube caters to diverse learning styles. Videos on YouTube have proliferated to the extent that in-depth content is available on essentially every topic. [40]
Since the 2010s, debate has continued about whether phones and social media have a place in the classroom. Many parents and educators are concerned about the potential negative impact of social media use. Concerns include cyberbullying and other inappropriate content. [41] Cyberbullying can lead to legal consequences for the perpetrator and emotional and physical harm that can lead to fatal consequences. [42] Phones are banned in some classrooms and schools.
The Peel District School Board (PDSB) in Ontario accepted the use of social media in the classroom. In 2013, the PDSB introduced a "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) policy and unblocked many social media sites. That was later replaced by a policy that dealt specifically with social media. [43]
Social media has helped many educators mentor their students more effectively compared to previous teaching methods. [44] School administrators use social media to distribute school news to build connections or start fundraising projects. [44]
Some schools have embraced them, and are using them to further students' educations. [45] Schools have been encouraged to make social media a part of learning. [46]
Blackboard, Moodle, and Slack created platforms to enhance learning and monitor assignments. For instance, LMSs provide communication tools such as forums and chat rooms. Forums, in particular, create a space where students can share ideas, ask questions, and collaborate. However, these platforms are still distinct from social media platforms as their primary goal is to support learning and teaching rather than socializing. A 2018 Pew Research study reported that 95% of teenagers had a phone and used social media consistently. [47] A survey from Cambridge International [48] of nearly 20,000 teachers and students (ages 12–19) from 100 countries found that 48% of students use a desktop computer in class, 42% uses phones, 33% use interactive whiteboards and 20% use tablets. Desktop computers are more used than tablets. Teachers were abandoning the "no phones at school" rule. [49]
Teachers are at risk when using these platforms, because their use of social media outside of the classroom is not always protected by work rules. [50] Teachers use X to communicate with students, because posts and comments are public. For example, instructors in a 2010 study reported that online technologies (social media) can help students become comfortable having discussions outside the classroom better than traditional means. [51]
A 2013 study, reported that social media provided better linkage between family and friends and helps increase sociability. [2]
Weisberger hypothesized that social media can increase learning engagement levels (student-student, student-instructor, and student-content) and the development of learning skills, such as reflection, critical thinking, construction of knowledge and understanding of one's learning process. According to a 2014 study this was supported by Junco, Heiberger, and Loken (2011) and Blaschke, Porto, and Kurtz (2010). [52]
Teachers can utilize social media to communicate with their students beyond the classroom. [53] Social media can provide students with resources that they can utilize in essays, projects, and presentations. Social media offers a means of giving and receiving feedback. Students can easily access comments made by teachers and peers and offer feedback to teachers. [54] Social media provides an archive of ideas. It increases communication and has led to a deeper understanding of class material. [53] [55]
Social media can have negative impacts on society. [56] Critics express concern that social media access in class can distract students. [53] One study reported that overuse of social media can harm the expression of critical thought. [56] Social media use for education can be detrimental to students' mental health. One survey of teens and young adults reported that increased use of social media led to anxiety, depression, and lack of self-esteem, disrupting learning. [57] In higher education privacy concerns, anti-social interactions, and discriminatory behaviour have been observed. [58]
Personalized communication can be misconstrued. In some setting teachers are required to maintain professionalism in social media communication with students. [59]
Other challenges have been observed. Some students may be more proficient at using social media than their teachers. Education may become dependent on social media. [60] Teachers may have limited time to dedicate to mastering a new technology. [61]
Social media can have negative effects on individuals. Indiscreet posting can end careers or limit future options for students. [61] Some young people remove themselves from social media to reduce such risks.
Anxiety and depression in adolescents are rapidly increasing, which multiple studies attributed to growing social media usage by teens. Teenagers may lack the life experience to handle social media. Participating in social media puts people at risk of cyberbullying and cyberstalking. Communicating on social media may lack the social cues that moderate behavior during face-to-face communication. [62]
Despite backlash, Missouri passed a law that prohibited teachers from communicating privately with students over social media in 2011. [63] Supporters were concerned that online communication between underage students and faculty could lead to inappropriate relationships.
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via mail. Distance education is a technology-mediated modality and has evolved with the evolution of technologies such as video conferencing, TV, and the Internet. Today, it usually involves online education and the learning is usually mediated by some form of technology. A distance learning program can either be completely a remote learning, or a combination of both online learning and traditional offline classroom instruction. Other modalities include distance learning with complementary virtual environment or teaching in virtual environment (e-learning).
Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms, such as writing, audio, images, animations, or video, into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to traditional mass media, such as printed material or audio recordings, which feature little to no interaction between users. Popular examples of multimedia include video podcasts, audio slideshows, and animated videos. Multimedia also contains the principles and application of effective interactive communication, such as the building blocks of software, hardware, and other technologies. The five main building blocks of multimedia are text, image, audio, video, and animation. The first building block of multimedia is the image, which dates back 15,000 to 10,000 B.C. with concrete evidence found in the Lascaux caves in France. The second building block of multimedia is writing, which was first scribed in stone or on clay tablets and was mostly about three things. Property, conquest, and religion. Writing was soon abstracted from visual images into symbols that represented the sounds we make with our mouths. Thanks to the Egyptians, writing was evolved and transferred from stone to Papyrus. A cheaper but more fragile canvas derived from strips of the papyrus root grown on the Nile River.
Blended learning or hybrid learning, also known as technology-mediated instruction, web-enhanced instruction, or mixed-mode instruction, is an approach to education that combines online educational materials and opportunities for interaction online with physical place-based classroom methods.
Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications and computers, as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage and audiovisual, that enable users to access, store, transmit, understand and manipulate information.
M-learning, or mobile learning, is a form of distance education where learners use portable devices such as mobile phones to learn anywhere and anytime. The portability that mobile devices provide allows for learning anywhere, hence the term "mobile" in "mobile learning." M-learning devices include computers, MP3 players, mobile phones, and tablets. M-learning can be an important part of informal learning.
A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. The learning management system concept emerged directly from e-Learning. Learning management systems make up the largest segment of the learning system market. The first introduction of the LMS was in the late 1990s. Learning management systems have faced a massive growth in usage due to the emphasis on remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An online school teaches students entirely or primarily online or through the Internet. It has been defined as "education that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students. Online education exists all around the world and is used for all levels of education. This type of learning enables the individuals to earn transferable credits, take recognized examinations, and advance to the next level of education over the Internet.
Educational technology is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech," it often refers to the industry of companies that create educational technology. In EdTech Inc.: Selling, Automating and Globalizing Higher Education in the Digital Age, Tanner Mirrlees and Shahid Alvi (2019) argue "EdTech is no exception to industry ownership and market rules" and "define the EdTech industries as all the privately owned companies currently involved in the financing, production and distribution of commercial hardware, software, cultural goods, services and platforms for the educational market with the goal of turning a profit. Many of these companies are US-based and rapidly expanding into educational markets across North America, and increasingly growing all over the world."
A social networking service or SNS is a type of online social media platform which people use to build social networks or social relationships with other people who share similar personal or career content, interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections.
Technology integration is defined as the use of technology to enhance and support the educational environment. Technology integration in the classroom can also support classroom instruction by creating opportunities for students to complete assignments on the computer rather than with normal pencil and paper. In a larger sense, technology integration can also refer to the use of an integration platform and application programming interface (API) in the management of a school, to integrate disparate SaaS applications, databases, and programs used by an educational institution so that their data can be shared in real-time across all systems on campus, thus supporting students' education by improving data quality and access for faculty and staff.
"Curriculum integration with the use of technology involves the infusion of technology as a tool to enhance the learning in a content area or multidisciplinary setting... Effective technology integration is achieved when students can select technology tools to help them obtain information on time, analyze and synthesize it, and present it professionally to an authentic audience. Technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions—as accessible as all other classroom tools. The focus in each lesson or unit is the curriculum outcome, not the technology."
Media multitasking is the concurrent use of multiple digital media streams. Media multitasking has been associated with depressive symptoms and social anxiety by a study involving 318 participants. A 2018 review found that while the literature is sparse and inconclusive, people who do a heavy amount of media multitasking have worse performance in several cognitive domains. One of the authors commented that while the data does not "unambiguously show that media multitasking causes a change in attention and memory," media multitasking is an inefficient practice that requires "task switching" costs including "limitations in auditory and visual processing".
Digital literacy is an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and communicate information using typing or digital media platforms. It is a combination of both technical and cognitive abilities in using information and communication technologies to create, evaluate, and share information.
In the context of education, one-to-one computing refers to academic institutions, such as schools or colleges, that allow each enrolled student to use an electronic device in order to access the Internet, digital course materials, and digital textbooks. The concept has been actively explored and sporadically implemented since the late 1990s. One-to-one computing used to be contrasted with a policy of "bring your own device" (BYOD), which encourages or requires students to use their own laptops, smartphones or other electronic devices in class. The distinction between BYOD and school-issued devices became blurred when many schools started recommending devices for parents to buy. The term 1:1 computing in education is now redefined to a situation where students have access to a device per individual that is used in the teaching as a tool for learning. Historically, the programs have centered around the following devices:
An edublog is a blog created for educational purposes. Edublogs archive and support student and teacher learning by facilitating reflection, questioning by self and others, collaboration and by providing contexts for engaging in higher-order thinking. Edublogs proliferated when blogging architecture became more simplified and teachers perceived the instructional potential of blogs as an online resource. The use of blogs has become popular in education institutions including public schools and colleges. Blogs can be useful tools for sharing information and tips among co-workers, providing information for students, or keeping in contact with parents. Common examples include blogs written by or for teachers, blogs maintained for the purpose of classroom instruction, or blogs written about educational policy. Educators who blog are sometimes called edubloggers.
An educational video game is a video game that provides learning or training value to the player. Edutainment describes an intentional merger of video games and educational software into a single product. In the narrower sense used here, the term describes educational software which is primarily about entertainment, but tends to educate as well and sells itself partly under the educational umbrella. Normally software of this kind is not structured towards school curricula and does not involve educational advisors.
This National Conference is the biennial conference of the Australian Council for Computers in Education (ACCE). The conference opens to anyone who in interested in sharing their digital teaching experiences. The first conference took place in Melbourne, 1983. Between 1983 and 1996, the conference was held annually across Australia. After 1996, the conference became biennial. From 1994, a series of frameworks were launched in Australia to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into education. Western Australia's 2001 Competency framework for Teachers identified teachers as an important component in developing computer education. In 2010, Education Minister Julia Gillard, proposed an education agenda to provide Australia a better education system. Besides ACCE, there are many organizations and conferences supporting the development of computer education in Australia. Technology in education consists of two major approaches: Learning with technology and learning from technology. Technology in education learning and traditional classroom learning have different focuses and defining features. There are also four types of computer education: Bring your own device(BYOD), blended learning, online learning, and flipped learning.
Social learning tools are tools used for pedagogical and andragogical purposes that utilize social software and/or social media in order to facilitate learning through interactions between individuals and systems. The idea of setting up "social learning tools" is to make education more convenient and widespread. It also allows an interaction between users and/or the software which can bring a different aspect to learning. People can acquire knowledge by distance learning tools, for instance, Facebook, Twitter, Khan Academy and so on. Social learning tools may mediate in formal or informal learning environments to help create connections between learners, instructors and information. These connections form dynamic knowledge networks. Social learning tools are used in schools for teaching/learning and in businesses for training. Within a school environment, the use of social learning tools can affect not only the user (student) but his/her caretaker as well as his/her instructor. It brings a different approach to the traditional way of learning which affects the student and his/her support circle. Companies also use social learning tools. They used them to improve knowledge transfer within departments and across teams. Businesses use a variety of these tools to create a social learning environment. They are also used in company settings to help improve team work, problem solving, and performance in stressful situations.
Google Classroom is a free blended learning platform developed by Google for educational institutions that aims to simplify creating, distributing, and grading assignments. The primary purpose of Google Classroom is to streamline the process of sharing files between teachers and students. As of 2021, approximately 150 million users use Google Classroom.
The use of mobile phones in schools has become a controversial topic debated by students, parents, teachers and authorities.
Digital Media in education is measured by a person's ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and produce media content and communication in a variety of forms. These media may involve incorporating multiple digital softwares, devices, and platforms as a tool for learning. The use of digital media in education is growing rapidly in today's age, competing with books for the leading form of communication. This form of education is slowly combating the traditional forms of education that have been around for a long time. With the introduction of virtual education, there has been a need for more incorporation of new digital platforms in online classrooms.