Blog Post#8: PLN and Education

WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS ARE BENEFICIAL IN EDUCATION?

With the emergence of social media, there has been a huge emergence of social media platforms that are heavily used in educational settings. Some examples include Edmodo, Google Classroom, Schoology, TedEd, WordPress, Blogger, and YouTube (Chesser, 2022). These social media platforms facilitate collaboration, creativity, engagement, discussions, and more. While each social media platform may have slightly different main features or purposes, they all serve as great tools to connect students and educators who may be located thousands of miles apart.

According to Veletsianos (2016) in the academic paper ‘Emergence and Innovation in digital learning,’ several academic experiments have demonstrated strong tendencies toward collaboration, sharing, and openness in classroom activities and professional collaborations. Participants in these experiments identified themselves as part of a larger phenomenon known as “the open movement.”

In the EDCI338 course, students use WordPress and Mattermost as the main modes of communication, collaboration, and engagement!

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN EDUCATION?

Social media plays a significant role in education by providing useful information, facilitating connections, and enhancing learning methods. Social media platforms offer a wide range of benefits, including:

1. Accessible educational content: Online tutorials and courses help students gain knowledge in various fields of interest.
2. The ability to identify experts in different fields: Students can expand their knowledge, enhance their skills, or find new interests by connecting with experts.
3. Broadening perspectives: Students are exposed to broader perspectives as social media facilitates engagement with experts and enables communication between colleges and students.
4. Video content: Inspiring students and supporting their course subjects through engaging multimedia content.
5. Monitoring tools and surveys: Social media platforms provide valuable data for research and content creation through the use of monitoring tools and surveys (The Role of Social Media in Education – JBCN International School, n.d.).

PROBLEMS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

While social media communications in an educational setting offer a great range of benefits, several drawbacks lead educators, researchers, and parents to reconsider the usage of social media in educational settings. Some of the drawbacks are:

1. Social Media can be a Distraction: It diverts students’ attention away from what is happening in class and ultimately disrupt the whole learning process. I personally experienced this during my academic years. Students in the first row were consistently on their social media, even though the intention of the social media usage was to do some research on certain notable figures. This behaviour was very disruptive to students sitting behind them.
2. Discouraging Face-to-Face Communication: Many students lack important real-life social skills due to their heavy reliance on social media communications. This deficiency can put them at a disadvantage when it comes to college admissions or job interviews, where they need to capture attention and communicate clearly. Additionally, in social gatherings and personal relationships, students often feel uncomfortable expressing themselves effectively and forming meaningful connections with others.
3. Social media is flooded with vast amounts of information. Online information is often inaccurate or biased, making it challenging for students to distinguish accurate and trustworthy content from misleading or false information. 
4. Cyberbullying: One of the worst weaknesses of social media is its anonymity and distance. These features create a space for cyberbullying, harassment, and negative interactions among students.

VULNERABLE SECTOR – HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA FIT INTO PROFESSIONALISM AND REGULATIONS

Social media should be used carefully to ensure professionalism and compliance with regulations when working with the vulnerable sector. Here are some considerations and precautions you should take! 

1. Confidentiality and Privacy: Engage in respectful communications across all media platforms. Assume that all content you post on social media is public and widely accessible, regardless of privacy settings (Social Media and the Code of Ethics and Professionalism – the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba, n.d.). Even if a post is deleted, it can resurface through screenshots taken by another user. You never know which posts will resurface after 1, 5, or 10 years.

2. Boundaries and Relationships: Professionals need to exercise caution when establishing trusted relationships with clients or individuals in their sector. Connecting with clients on personal social media accounts can potentially blur professional boundaries and should be carefully evaluated before doing so. 
3. Ethical Considerations: The use of social media should align with professional codes of ethics and regulations. It is crucial for professionals to have a comprehensive understanding of the code of conduct and the potential consequences if regulations are not adhered to.

References

Benefits of Using YouTube For Your Online Education. (n.d.). Arizona State University. https://web.asu.edu/newblog/benefits-using-youtube-your-online-education#:~:text=You%20can%20also%20encourage%20your,improve%20listening%20and%20punctuation%20skills

Chesser, L. (2022, April 6). 25 Awesome social media tools for Education | InformED. InformED. https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/social-media-tools-for-education/

Cumberland, S. (2023, June 20). 5 pros and cons of social media in the classroom | SIE. School Is Easy Tutoring. https://www.schooliseasy.com/tutor/tutor-blog/social-media-in-the-classroom/

ETHRWorld & www.ETHRWorld.com. (2021, June 9). Setting up a personal learning network in an organisation. ETHRWorld.com. https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/workplace-4-0/learning-and-development/setting-up-a-personal-learning-network-in-an-organisation/83359981

Pros and Cons of social media in the classroom — Campus technology. (2012, January 19). Campus Technology. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/19/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-the-classroom.aspx

Social Media and the Code of Ethics and Professionalism – The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba. (n.d.). http://www.cpsm.mb.ca/news/social-media-and-the-code-of-ethics-and-professionalism#:~:text=Assume%20all%20content%20you%20post,patient%20images%20to%20social%20media.

The Role Of Social Media In Education – JBCN International School. (n.d.). JBCN International School. https://www.jbcnschool.edu.in/blog/social-media-in-education/#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20social%20media,opportunities%20to%20improve%20learning%20methods.

Veletsianos, G. (2016). Emergence and Innovation in Digital Learning: Foundations and applications. In Athabasca University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771991490.01