A 5th Wall In The Classroom (1).doc Best

A 5th Wall In The Classroom 1

A 5th Wall In the Classroom

Christopher Baker, Jenna Buthman, Clarke EavesQueens University of Charlotte

December 4th, 2012


Abstract

When speaking to Communications students at Queens University of Charlotte, we noticed a melting pot of opinions regarding the requirements of social networks in classes. We were shocked to learn that some students were not only required by professors but threatened with a decrease in their grades if they refused to join these networks. This information prompted us to explore the world of social media requirements in the classroom in a more in depth setting. Due to our intense intrigue on the topic, a research question was configured. During the course of our research we attempted to discover the effects that the requirement of social media within the classroom had on students. Information we obtained through extensive investigation allowed us to find a diverse collection of viewpoints on the topic. Some sources indicated that the usage of social media prevented student’s involvement in the class; while others found it to be a positive way for students to interact during and outside of the classroom. By generating questions and conducting focus groups, we were able to uncover our own findings of how students view the requirement of social media in a classroom setting. We performed six focus groups comprised of five to seven students who had been required to create social media accounts for their classes. Our hour-long sessions with these students generated a wide range of feedback and opinions regarding the topic. Our investigation provided us with answers that will hopefully allow professors and students in the future to find a balance between the standard classroom and a social media driven environment.

Introduction

As new avenues of technology are created every day, one cannot help but notice the slow

emergence of technology in a once pen and paper driven location. The classroom, a place of

knowledge and exploration has, over the past ten years, become a building ground for

technological advancements. Would you have ever imagined that social networking sites such as

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, four-square and others would become a main driving force behind

education? This is the case in Universities around the world. Primarily found within the

Communications field of study, research has shown that communications Professors have begun

to require social media accounts. The purpose for these accounts, claim to be the continued


connection with students outside of the classroom, a means for students to access course

information, and have immediate interaction with others in the course. With mixed opinions

concerning the topic, the question has risen, what are Communication students’ perceptions of

social media being required in the classroom?

Literature Review

Social Media Rules Limit Student-Teacher Contact

Overview/Guidelines

New York Public Schools Education Department has released guidelines limiting the

connection that students and teachers may have over the Internet. The guidelines feature

limitations on “personal pages on Web sites like Facebook and Twitter”. Teachers will be able to

access their students on sites set up by the school but other than that there may not be any online

interaction between students and teachers.

Cellphones

Apparently, the guidelines that have been enacted do not take into consideration the

cellular contact between teachers and students. “Cellphones and text messaging between teachers

and students, which, according to a review by The New York Times of dozens of Education

Department investigations in the past five years, have been more widespread and problematic”.

Instances of cellphone abuse by teachers and students have been seen numerous times. In most

cases, the intentions of the calls or texts have not been strictly academic. “A gym teacher at

Middle School 137 in Queens, Gerard Cassidy, called a female student 553 times in three and a

half months, and sent 383 text messages to her iPhone -- which he had bought for her, according

to Mr. Condon's office. The girl's father said Mr. Cassidy was in a relationship with the girl,

though the girl and her mother denied it. Mr. Cassidy was fired, according to the department”.


Reason for Guidelines

It may seem unlikely to some, but the motivation to found these guidelines come due to

an increase in inappropriate behaviors between students and teachers. “At least seven school

employees have been arrested in the past few months in relation to sexual offenses involving

students, and the schools chancellor, Dennis M. Walcott, is pushing to fire several teachers

accused of such offenses”. Investigators have found that the majority of inappropriate

interactions or beginnings of relationships begin on social media sites such as Facebook and

twitter. “In 2009, for instance, there were 14 such accusations involving Facebook; in the first 11

months of 2011, there were 69”. Under the Freedom of Information request, many teachers in

New York have been subject to investigation regarding their media communication with their

students outside of class. “In one example, Soliber Martinez, a teacher at the Pablo Neruda

Academy, a high school in the Bronx, exchanged 1,824 text messages in three weeks with a male

student, according to investigators in Mr. Condon's office. The boy's mother told investigators

that Ms. Martinez had professed her love for him, which she denied. According to the city, Ms.

Martinez, who did not have tenure, was let go”. In this instance and others like it, it is clear to see

that there has been a violation of the teacher/student boundary, but New York is adamant in not

prohibiting all forms of media communication. “’The last thing we want to do is prohibit

communication and prevent a teacher from helping a student in distress, even if that means

making a phone call,'' a spokesman, Matthew Mittenthal, said”.

Limiting Speech

Teachers in this region are now being told that their professional social media accounts

must reflect the same appropriate interaction that takes place with students in class and with co-

workers in the workplace. One concern now becomes, who will in fact be monitoring the social


media sites and if adding this extra burden with have a negative effect on their prior workload.

Along with this is the fact that monitoring the sites could affect the teachers negatively if they

feel that they are not to be trusted. “Michael Mulgrew, president of the teachers' union, the

United Federation of Teachers, said that he was ''taken aback'' by the tone of the guidelines,

which he worried would discourage teachers from using social media tools”. Mulgrew, speaks

about how the Department of Education seems to be persecuting those who have attempted to

make education in class a more interactive and interesting experience for students. One teacher, a

Mr. Ruiz, had a letter placed in his personal file after it was discovered that many of his students

were friends with him on Myspace, yet within a short time, Ruiz was promoted to assistant

principal of a different school. Ruiz today uses more up to date social media networks such as

Twitter. “Going by the name Rusword and identifying himself as an ''assistant principal'' without

naming the school, he repeatedly wrote racy posts in response to sexual remarks from other

Twitter users, and some suggestive photos he has remarked on have wound up on his Twitter

page, though he said he had not intended to capture them”. Due to the potential for an employer,

student or parent of a student stumbling upon his page, Ruiz has since shut it down. Once again,

limiting the ability for teachers to speak freely via social media due to the fear of persecution.

Facebook: Learning Tool or Distraction?

Overview

This article explores how a “selected sample” of secondary school students in Ontario,

Canada have been exposed to using Facebook in the classrooms and whether or not the use of

social media “supports the learning agenda” in the classroom. Due to the increasing demand and

popularity of social media websites like Facebook the Waterloo Regional District School Board

(WRDSB) have encouraged the use of using social media in the classroom. The WRDSB


mentions that by expanding any possible opportunity for student is a positive choice and will

“support the learning agenda” in classrooms. These opportunities include online discussions and

online extra help; which are easily accessible to all of the students through the use of the internet.

Increase of Facebook in the Class

The researchers gathered both quantitative and qualitative

information from 63 students via a questionnaire through Facebook.

Questions included, “was Facebook of use in a classroom” and “have you

used Facebook in a learning environment before.” Results stated that “73%

of respondents reported having used Facebook for educational purposes.”

However 77% of students said that they do not believe that their Facebook

accounts should be unblocked for teacher to view their private profiles.

The results show that Facebook’s popularity is increasing in use within the classroom;

however the use of this “informal teaching tool” has to be better utilized, to achieve the positive

effects . The researchers asked the following questions: “1. How have a selected sample of

secondary school students in Ontario been using Facebook since it has become accessible to

students? 2. Is there congruency between the vision for the use of social media in the classroom

and how students have actually been using it? “ Understanding how students use Facebook

during class time, can help benefit the teachers by implementing better strategies to support more

effective learning ideas in the classroom.

Another challenge, which faces the educators, “involves the distinction between

entertainment and true intellectual engagement (American Psychological Association,

2009, p. 456)”. Making sure that the students distinguish between work and socializing is the key

for Facebook becoming a beneficial tool in the classroom. With such an interactive application


where so many live updates are being streamed onto the website, “satisfaction may be mistaken

for achievement.”

The researchers selected a sample of both male and female students (58% were female

and 42% were male), from the secondary school in Ontario, who used Facebook frequently and

were over 16 years old. The researchers of the investigation calculated that approximately

“700,000 students attend 850 publicly funded secondary schools in Ontario (Ontario Ministry of

Education, 2011).” From the results is was clear to say that respondents main uses of Facebook

outside of school included “checking friends’ status updates and checking messages”,

educational purposes and applications were ranked as the lowest uses for Facebook. The majority

of the results showed that “52% of students said they never access Facebook during class time”,

while 7% said that they used Facebook seven times or more during class.

Students Response

When the students were asked if Facebook should be used for an educational purpose,

“52.8% were in favor and 47.2% were against the idea.” The students who thought Facebook

would be beneficial for educational purposes mentioned that it would be quick and easy to

communicate with classmates outside the classroom, and a good application to use for group

discussions. Students who did not favor using Facebook in the classroom stated that they would

find it “distracting and un-educational”. Students also went on to mention that despite the

distractibility, older generations of teachers may not understand the benefits of using Facebook

in an educational way, and also the “inability for teachers to monitor students actions fully.”

One of the most important aspects of using Facebook in the classroom is understanding how

students will actually use social media to benefit their learning experience. By gaining this

knowledge the teachers will be able to “implement strategies that use social media to support the


learning agendas. Facebook has been seen to have positive effects in the classroom”. These

include collaboration participation, and communication. To date it is clear that there are positive

effects of using Facebook as an application for the classroom, however using it without proper

implementations leads to insufficient learning experience within the classroom.

Back to the “wall”: How to use Facebook in the College Classroom

This article discusses how new methods of obtaining research are

taking off in the classroom. With things such as social media, podcast, and

blogs an issue arises when you try to integrate these methods in a standard

class room. It sounds like a wonderful way to become more involved and

active in the classroom but factors such as having existing accounts come

into play. The article weighs the advantages and disadvantages of having a

pre existing account and how these sites will be used for educational

purposes. If most students are already involved in social media you are going

to have to set specific boundaries and guidelines when it comes to using it in

the classroom. You wouldn’t post intimate or personal information on your

classes facebook page as you would with your. This creates discipline within

the student and makes them more aware of what type of content they put

online.

It seems that the article wants to take the old learning environment

and put it in a new direction. Students learn better if you take something

they like or something that they use often and put it in one of their class

subjects. The researchers have carefully weighed the cost and the benefits of

implementing this into their education system. You can put it in and improve


the learning environment or you can have the risk of putting it in and none of

the students use the social media sites wisely. This can really raise different

challenges for the researchers and for the classroom. If social media

websites such as Facebook is put into the curriculum then you open up new

avenues of easier communication, excellent participation, easy access, and a

fun learning environment for the students to become more informed through

a digital standpoint. The downsides of implementing this in the curriculum

include distractions, incorrect usage, and simplified responses that may not

be at a college level. Social media can pose as a huge distraction because

the student will have to be able to separate their personal lives from their

education. Using sites like Facebook you are able to create groups that can

be used only for your class. Having these private groups will only be open to

the individuals in the course and to the teacher, this way interaction from

other peers is limited and the group is for only educational purposes.

In order to have a working learning environment that involves social media strict

regulations will be required. These guidelines will be applied to the students as well as the

professors. The results will vary depending on what avenue the researcher or the professor takes,

either way social media will be the driving force of the class. “It is concluded that SNS, such

as Facebook, can be appropriately and effectively used in an academic setting if proper

guidelines are established and implemented,” (Munoz 2011). If this is used in an effective

manner than having social media in the classroom should not be a problem.


Methodology

Focus Group Objective

With the focus groups, we attempted to understand the positive and negative aspects of

students using social media in a classroom. We argued that the requirement of social media in

classrooms has a negative effect on the productivity and privacy rights of the students. Through

the study we were able to hear the opinions of our peers and see how they truly felt when faced

with the requirement of social media in the classroom.

Participants

In order for us to measure the effect of social media students, we were selective in

choosing only Queens University of Charlotte Communication Majors between the ages of 18-

24. These students are more likely to have used or been forced to use social media in the

classroom because of the relevance of media literacy within the field of Communications. These

individuals, upon acceptance to the study (See Appendix A for Consent Form), became a

member of one of our 6 focus groups.

Questions

Participants were asked to answer as truthfully as possible and to be open to sharing their

ideas and viewpoints on the topic of social media in the classroom. A total of nine un-leading

questions were created that allowed the proctor and transcriber to accurately assess the many

different opinions that our participants may have on the subject. Our questions where submitted

to the IRB and approved. (See Appendix B for Sample of Focus Group Questions)

Analysis

The data we gathered was compared and contrasted based on the answers given by our

participants. When analyzing, we were able to determine many themes that occurred within each


focus group. These themes were then divided and each response was placed within a specific

theme. Our next step was to review our results and compare them to the themes found within our

sources. Through discussion within our research team and follow-up interviews with some of our

focus group participants, we were able to come to a conclusion concerning our original

hypothesis.

Hypothesis

Communications Majors, at Queens University of Charlotte, find that required social

media is not necessary within the classroom setting.

Results

Overview

As we conducted our focus groups we came out with an even balance for all groups. We

decided to section the results into positive and negative groups to have a better understanding as

to why some of the groups felt the way they did. Focus groups 2, 4 and 6 were in favor of having

a social media driven classroom because of the benefits that it could bring to future classes and

careers in their chosen fields. With Focus groups 1, 3, and 5 in favor of limiting social media in

the classroom as a learning tool. The predominant responses from the group members were that

social media provides a distraction, does not enhance their knowledge of the subject nor is it

beneficial to their future classes or careers. The eclectic amount of responses was shocking and

interesting. Most of the members who participated in the focus groups are users of social media

but they want to keep that separate from the classroom. On the other hand the group members

that ruled in favor of using social media in the classroom felt as though they were able to

separate their personal life’s on their social media accounts from the classroom, or they just

created numerous accounts to ensure their privacy from their professors and other students.


Our focus groups tended to lean a certain way depending on how the first few members

of the group responded to the first question. It is not uncommon in focus groups for members to

side one way over another based on the opinions of the majority of the group. As researchers, we

took an objective view towards the information gathered from our six focus groups and

processed the information into themes, as well as numerical calculations.

Pre-existing Accounts

In Figure 1, members of the focus groups were asked to share the common social

networking sites that are required for class and what accounts they had before class. Facebook

ranked number one in the graph as the most used social media, then twitter as a second most and

Tumblr. Myspace and Pinterest shared an equal amount of accounts that were pre-activated. On a

site such as Facebook, the members of the focus group shared that their professors would create

groups, and chat sections for them on a private group dedicated to the class. That way the

students could interact with one another and with the professor. Twitter, a micro-blogging social


networking site, was found to also be a requirement for the classroom. Those who used Twitter

for class were told to “tweet” certain types of messages to obtain homework or inform other

members of the classroom what they have learned in their particular class. Members of the focus

group who have had these accounts previously shared that they were only used for fun but once

they became a requirement for the classroom they would either: stop using the account, create

multiple accounts, or even delete them. The group members did not feel the need to use sites that

they had not previously had accounts for, as they expressed that there was no longer a purpose to

have them once the course had ended.

Privacy Rights

Overall, our participants did not have many reservations about their accounts being seen

by classmates and Professors. The only real concern by the participants was that their voice

would now be filtered due to the knowledge of who was now viewing their profiles and feeds.

This in turn would limit the students’ freedom of speech, as well as push the boundaries of what

the school should have access and control of. Should a post on Facebook have to ability to alter a

student’s academic career or even worse, strip him of his scholarship?

Professors and Social Media

Regardless of their final decision on the matter, all of our focus groups had similar

answers as to why Professors seem to be increasing the usage of social media in the classroom.

The leading reason was that Professors are trying to “Keep up with the times” (Focus group 1,

Participant 4). Another participant claimed that, “It helps with current events, enhances our

learning and engages students” (Focus group 4, participant 18). Many of the members found that

the Professors had positive and educational purposes to the enhancement of technology in the

classroom, but there were a few who had differing opinions. In focus group 3, participant 13 said


that she believed her Professors use of social media was so that he was alleviated from the stress

of having to ‘teach’ the class. Participants also mentioned the integration of Moodle into the

Queens academic method of teaching and commented on how it allowed Professors to limit their

explanations of assignments in class, causing a decrease in face-to-face explanations. In focus

group 2, members were in agreement that Facebook and Twitter are used by students so

frequently that Professors believe it to be an easy way of connecting with students.

Time in Class

With Figure 2, we compiled the data that was given to us from the seven focus groups.

The graph is a depiction of what percentage of class time should be dedicated to the usage of

social media and what should be a standard lecture. As you can see most of the members of the

focus group decided that the majority of the time should be a regular class setting without any

usage of social media. With a standard lecture setting the members of the focus group said that

more work can be accomplished and that distractions would be limited. Those who did approve


of social media in the classroom had two viewpoints on the subject. There first response was that

only a small portion of the class should be dedicated to social media and that the social media

usage should take place either in the beginning or towards the end of the class. If used at the

beginning of class, students could connect with their peers about the material for the day or with

Professors and check the outline for the day. If allowed during the end of the lecture one member

of the focus group (Focus group 2, Participant 6) expressed that it would help him wrap up the

class if small amounts of information could be re-iterated online. This would allow a running list

of key topics to be accessible on the social media sites and would give the Professor a way of

visually seeing whether or not the class had paid attention throughout the lecture. The alternative

to this usage of social media was to have an entirely media driven class. Another member of our

research (Focus group 6, Participant 26) said, “It should be all or nothing”, when discussing the

amount of time that social media should have during a course.

Analysis

As we complied all of our data, research, focus groups and literature reviews we found

that most people do rule in favor of our hypothesis, that social media usage in the classroom

poses a negative effect on the learning process. When we were first beginning the research

process we all had some encounter with social media in the classroom, where we were forced to

create accounts to keep our grades high in the class and obtain homework from our professors,

we never thought that so many people would have an issue with it. Some of the students that we

had in our focus groups said that the idea was stupid and that it turned them away from using

social media for pleasure once it was required for class; while others said that if it is going to be

used in the classroom it needs to be used effectively in class and not pose a distraction.


Getting feedback like this was wonderful for our research but as a researcher it is always

good to have both equal responses from both parties. Those who did rule in favor of having it in

the classroom said that it could serve as a benefactor when you use the social media sites for

professional use, and having social media in the classroom should not be a problem if you know

how to separate your personal life with education. Information from our sources indicated that as

long as the sites are regulated and inappropriate interactions between students and teachers are

prohibited, then the connection via an online medium could result in a positive educational

experience. It was good to have arguments that conflicted one another because it makes the

research more in depth and it gave us more options to weigh.

Since we had obtained so many different opinions in our research we decided it was best

to plug in that information into a sample of graphs. These graphs determined what kind of social

media was required for the classroom and how much time should be dedicated to social media in

the classroom. Once the data was put in the graphs, nothing was too outrageous and the results

did not fluctuate as we thought they would. For time dedication of social media in the classroom,

we decided to use a pie chart that showed how many students wanted social media in the

classroom and what percentage of time should be devoted to it. Most of them said only a few

minutes should be dedicated to social media in class and it was rare that anyone said the entire

class should be dedicated to social media because that would leave more room for distractions

and non participations from the students. In our bar graph the most required social media or

already existing account was Facebook. When we conducted our focus groups most of the

participants said they already had facebook accounts. They proceeded to say that groups were

created on Facebook to have communication with only the members of the class and the

professor, no outside students would be permitted to join because they would pose as distractions


and the group is strictly used for educational use. This statement alone, addresses the main

concern found within our sources. Distraction in the classroom is likely to be heightened if

students are on a social media network. Regardless of their assignment, the temptation for any 18

to 24 year old to chat with friends and view the latest Tweets from their favorite celebrities will

be too overwhelming. Our focus groups clearly showed that distractions would occur without a

doubt; leaving Professors with a class full of students with their eyes glued to the fifth wall in the

classroom.

Conclusion

The study of how Communication students’ perceive social media as a requirement in the

classroom is fundamental to the enhancement of education. If results show that a student is more

inclined to participate or perform at a higher level with social media interaction, then the entire

educational system could be headed towards global change. This educational revolution could

change the face of learning but could also create the question of whether or not we, as humans,

rely to heavily on electronically communication.

Fortunately, for the educational community, a definite answer has not been discovered.

Our results and analysis showed that our hypothesis concerning the study was correct but this in

no way places a completion stamp on the topic. Through our analysis, one is able to see that

there is not one answer that presides over the others. Some people enjoy social media in the

classroom while others see it as a distraction or as an invasion of the students’ personal life.

Limitations

When conducting any type of research study, one will always be faced with limitations.

In the case of the study known as “A 5th Wall In The Classroom”, we the researchers have

identified five major limitations that hindered our investigation. The first limitation was the

amount of time given to the study. In order to accurately study anything one must devote time to


that subject. For this specific study, a span of only a few weeks was granted in order for the

research question, findings and analysis to be compiled. Time also comes into play when

addressing any new research regarding social media. As a newly formed venue for

communication, scholars in the department are just now identifying theories, themes and patterns

that reflect the medium. Our attempt to uncover an answer to our research question, in regards to

a mode of communication that is in its infancy, could be seen as futile. But the attempt was made

and with the time available was a valiant effort. The second limitation faced was the participation

of classmates. While most students at Queens University of Charlotte are willing to help out a

fellow peers, gathering the number required for a focus group at the same time proved to be a

challenge. It was only through perseverance and bribery of food that we were able to complete

the necessary six focus groups. The issue faced was scheduling and finding a time where all

focus group members could meet. The third limitation faced was that while many

communications majors at Queens University have been required to use social media in the

classroom, we found that depending on the focus of the student, this demand for media literacy

was greatly reduced. If we had focused our study primarily on students who were on the media

or journalism tracks we could have improved our data. The fourth limitation is the sample size.

Queens University is very small and selective. While we were able to collect data from

approximately thirty students, at a larger campus, the diversity of the participants would have

been enhanced, allowing for even more eclectic viewpoints on the topic. The final limitation

would have to be us the researchers. As newcomers to the field of Communications Research we

used the knowledge granted to us through one semester of studies in order to undertake a

question that is truly only worthy of professionals.

Suggestions


In the future, the research question, “What are Communication

students’ perceptions of social media being required in the classroom?”

should be performed over a longer period of time with a larger selection of

participants. These two alterations would allow for a more thorough

investigation and would yield greater and more accurate results to both

researchers as well as to Professors who are now facing the difficult question

of whether or not to integrate social media into their lesson plans.

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