Lee Dunn social media benefits and challenges in learning

Critical assessment of social media tools

The Benefits and the Challenges

Lee Dunn

Programme Leader Education and Technology

[email protected] | @leeandrewdunn

Twitter Conversation #CLL1314 and #CLLSocial | www.leedunn.co.uk

HousekeepingTechnologies – where are we now?Objectives

• New technologies and emerging pedagogy

• What does the literature tell us?

• What do our practitioner studies tell us?

• Benefits and Challenges

Source: http://www.cite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Social_Media_Categories.jpg

HousekeepingTechnologies – where are we now?It’s about people… not just the technology!

1994 20142012

HousekeepingTechnologies – where are we now?First Year Student Use of Technology (mobile devices)

95% access email

94% access the web

86% share photos / images

67% microblog (tweet)

62% make video calls

Source: Honeychurch, S., and McCluckie, B. (2013) via www.gla.ac.uk/studentvoice

http://www.softwarepays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Mobile-Web-Vs-Mobile-App.jpg

HousekeepingTechnologies – where are we now?What do we use this data for?

Decision making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to

learn and the meaning of incoming information is a skill required

by the 21st century learner (Roblyer et al. 2010).

HousekeepingTechnologies – where are we now?New technologies and emerging pedagogy

Modelling good practice and teaching methodology (ITE);

eLearning and virtual learning environments;

Developing professional attributes and affordances of

technology e.g. strategic priorities for learning and teaching;

Bring Your Own Device - learning with technology verses

teaching with technology (Dunn, 2012).

HousekeepingTechnologies – where are we now?Taking managed risks to enhance learning

What social media do my students use?

How do my students use social media? (purpose)

How do they want to use social media (in their studies)?

Overview of data

Source: Dunn, L. (2013) Teaching in higher education: can social media enhance the learning experience?

In: 6th Annual University of Glasgow Learning and Teaching Conference, 19th Apr 2013, Glasgow, UK.

92% (n=239) of my students use social media;

Which social media do you use?

Facebook 86%

Twitter 41%

Google+ 24%

LinkedIn / Other 24%

Overview of data



What do you use it for?

Personal Use 81%

Professional Networking 34%

Research and Teaching 24%

What is your desired use within your studies?

Interact with staff 41%

Labs and tutorials 21%

Seminars 19%

Lectures 17%

This snapshot is not unique within the HE landscape



Graham Pate

The University of Glasgow (Twitter @agpate)

Mark Feltham

Liverpool John Moores University (Twitter @MarkFeltham666)

Chris Evans

Brunel University (Twitter @chris_evans)

Twitter – career long professional learning

Twitter as a node of learning and

grounded in the theories of

Connectivism? (Downes, 2005) e.g.

are we seeing new epistemologies

emerge alongside new pedagogies

where control is shifting from the tutor

to an increasingly more autonomous

learner;

Some evidence that it provides a new

construct for learning and for literacy

(Greenhow & Gleason, 2012);

Was prominent during the Arab

Spring (Dunn, 2011);

Twitter – professional networking

Facebook – an example

Expect the unexpected!?

“Working with social media can be like

working with children and animals…

expect the unexpected and anticipate

what might go wrong. It probably will!”

Expect the unexpected!?

#MyNYPD goes wrong…

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27126041

#MyNYPD goes wrong…

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27126041

Some of the concerns…

Source: Dunn, L. (2013) Using social media to enhance learning and teaching. In: Social Media 2013: 18th International

Conference on Education and Technology, 1-3 Aug 2013, Hong Kong, China.

Privacy (also in Zaidieh, 2012);

Professional conduct;

Time and resources;

Misunderstanding and miscommunication (also in Zaidieh, 2012);

Knowledge and expertise;

Personal disposition (of staff and students)

Not everyone uses the same social media (also in Fusch, 2011).

Some of the benefits… also seen in the literature

Increased motivation and engagement with course material;

Increasing student-to-student collaboration;

Enhanced interaction between the student and the teacher;

Accelerated data and information sharing;

Removes barriers to self-expression and contribution;

Provides students with 21st Century employability skills and an

increased level of satisfaction.

Source: Dunn, L. (2013) Using social media to enhance learning and teaching. In: Social Media 2013: 18th International

Conference on Education and Technology, 1-3 Aug 2013, Hong Kong, China.

HousekeepingTechnologies – where are we now?References

Downes, S. (2005) An introduction to connective knowledge. Stephen’s Web.

Dunn, A. (2011) Unplugging a nation: State media strategy during Egypt’s January 25 uprising in Fletcher Forum on World

Affairs 35(2): pp. 129-136.

Dunn, L. (2012) Why it’s time to start BOYD in your school in Edudemic. http://www.edudemic.com/2012/12/why-its-time-to-

start-byod-in-your-school. (last accessed 10/07/2013).

Dunn, L. (2013) Teaching in higher education: can social media enhance the learning experience? In: 6th Annual University of

Glasgow Learning and Teaching Conference, 19th Apr 2013, Glasgow, UK.

Dunn, L. (2013) Using social media to enhance learning and teaching. In: Social Media 2013: 18th International Conference

on Education and Technology, 1-3 Aug 2013, Hong Kong, China.

Evans, C. (2013) Twitter for Teaching: Can social media be used to enhance the process of learning? British Journal of

Education Technology.

Fulsh, D. (2011) Social Media and Student Learning: Moving the needle on engagement in Academic Impressions, pp. 15.

Greenhow, C and Gleason B. (2012) Twitteracy: Tweeting as a New Literacy Practice in The Educational Forum, (76). pp,

463-477.

Roblyer, M.D, McDaniel, M, Webb, M, Herman, J and Witty, J. (2010) Findings on Facebook in higher education: A

comparison of college faculty and student uses and perceptions of social networking sites in Internet and Higher Education,

Elesvier.

Zaidieh, A. (2012) The Use of Social Networking in Education: Challenges and Opportunities in World of Computer Science

and Information Technology Journal 2(1): pp 18-21.

HousekeepingTechnologies – where are we now?Reflection and Questions

Critical assessment of social media tools: the benefits and challenges

Lee Dunn

Programme Leader Education and Technology

School of Education | College of Social Sciences | University of Glasgow

[email protected]

twitter @leeandrewdunn