Table of Contents
Table of Contents
“Dr. Joosten’s insight about social media frees us from our traditional silos and provides a terrific foundational text for social media in higher education.”—Eric Stoller, blogger, Student Affairs and Technology, InsideHigherEd.com
“Social Media for Educators is a needed bridge between the ambiguity and popularity of social media and the rigors of academic pedagogy. Joosten’s immersion in the social media strengthens her insights and establishes a clear pathway to effective use of social media in higher education for those sufficiently brave and willingly eager to innovate.”—Stephen diFilipo, vice president and chief information officer, Cecil College
“Teaching faculty the mechanics of social media isn’t difficult. The challenge lies in articulating the pedagogical framework for successful deployment in the classroom and at the institution. Joosten accomplishes both these tasks in a fashion that is accessible to anyone regardless of technical expertise. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professor or a provost. If you want to understand how to use social media effectively at your institution, then you’re going to want to read this book.”—Robert H. Soulliere, Jr., director, Distance, Instruction and Educational Technologies, University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, Indiana
“By telling us why and showing us how, this book provides detailed information to guide educators through the steps of implementing social media in both their lives and their classrooms.”—Shannon Ritter, social media coordinator, School of Theatre, Pennsylvania State University
“At last, a book that explains social media as well as how to use it effectively in an educational setting! Tanya Joosten provides a straightforward discussion of the pedagogical reasons to use social media, and explains how to effectively use the tools to enhance learning experiences. A practical must-have!”—Rita-Marie Conrad, instructional strategist and technologist, Duke University School of Nursing, and coauthor, Engaging the Online Learner and The Online Teaching Survival Guide
“If you’ve thought about using social media in your online courses but don’t know where to begin, there’s no need to ask this question again. Tanya Joosten’s comprehensive hands-on book answers it by describing step-by-step how social media can add richness to your course content and have a positive impact on student outcomes. Social Media for Educators spans the spectrum of understanding and selecting social media, integrating them into course design, and evaluating their use. Filled with practical examples of social media use, descriptive tables, how-to graphics, and—a valuable plus—a guide for your institution in developing policies, support, and cost considerations, Social Media for Educators is a must-have!”—Rosemary Lehman and Simone Conceição, eInterface, and coauthors, Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching and Managing Online Instructor Workload
“An insightful and in-depth exploration of social media, Social Media for Educators effectively makes a case for embracing the best characteristics of social media to communicate with students, foster deeper learning experiences, promote collaboration, and provide timely feedback to students. This book, replete with images and case studies, is a can’t-miss for educators.”—Amy M. Collier, Ph.D., associate director for technology and teaching, Center for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University
“Many higher education faculty are hesitant to incorporate social media into their teaching for fear that it will be a distraction or too time consuming. Tanya Joosten has done a remarkable job outlining the benefits—and considerations—of doing so. Faculty who read this book will be able to make informed, educated decisions about the best approach to take.”—John Dolan, director of digital media and pedagogy, College of the Liberal Arts, Penn State University
Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Joosten, Tanya, 1974–
Social media for educators : strategies and best practices / Tanya Joosten. – First edition.
pages cm. – (The Jossey-Bass higher and adult education series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-118-11828-3 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-11822458-8 (ebk)
ISBN 978-1-11823786-1 (ebk)
ISBN 978-1-11826267-2 (ebk)
1. Internet in education. 2. Social media. I. Title.
LB1044.87.J667 2012
371.33'44–dc23
2012003360
LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, AND EXHIBITS
. What Is Social Media #edusocmedia Tweets
. Popular Hashtags
. Pedagogical Needs
. Social Media Features and Characteristics to Increase Communication and Encourage Contact
. Potential Social Media Tools to Increase Communication and Encourage Contact
. Benefits of Social Media for Course Updates
. Social Media Features and Characteristics for Providing Richer Learning
. Potential Social Media Tools to Engage with Rich and Current Content
. Benefits of Social Media for Content Aggregation and Development
. Social Media Features and Characteristics for Enhancing Feedback, Dialogue, and Cooperation
. Potential Social Media Tools Build for Enhancing Feedback, Dialogue, and Cooperation
. Procedure for Using Social Media to Facilitate CATs in the Classroom
. Procedure for Using Social Media to Facilitate Peer Instruction
. Benefits of Social Media for Feedback, Dialogue, and Cooperation
. Potential Variables
. Social Media Wordle from Crowdsourced Responses
. Web 2.0, Social Media, and Social Network Sites
. #sachat Live Session
. Building Networks Through the Conference Twitter Hashtag
. Building Networks Through the Conference Flickr Tag
. Sample Twitter Bio
. Sample LinkedIn Bio
. Building Networks on Your Own Campus Via Facebook Fans
. Building Networks on Your Own Campus’s Twitter Accounts and Hashtags
. Building Networks on Your Own Campus’s Twitter Mentions
. Social Information Processing Model
. Course Facebook Fan Page
. Student Facebook Wall
. Course Twitter Account and Mobile Updates
. Example of Course Twitter Updates
. Student Support
. Encouraging Students
. Facebook Fan Page Profile Image Examples
. Digital Content Delivery Decision Rubric
. Sample Playlist
. Using Embed Code in Course Management System
. Sharing YouTube Videos on Facebook Course Fan Page Wall
. Sample Flickr Tag Search
. Social Bookmarking Browser Plug-In
. Sample Social Bookmarking Tag
. Student Sharing of YouTube Video on Facebook
. Digital Archive of Twitter in Class
. Digital Archive of Tweets
: Sample Social Bookmarking Assignment
: Sample Survey Items
To my daughters and every young woman for inspiring me to lead and to all of my mentors for showing me the way.
PREFACE
Social media tools, such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, are changing the way that people across the globe communicate, share ideas, and build networks. Social media include web-based internet sites that facilitate social interaction in many ways, including social networking; social bookmarking; microblogging; video, image, and audio sharing; virtual worlds; and much more. There are several reasons why social media are gaining popularity in education: social media sites continue to see growth and popularity; they are being used by our students and throughout our societies; they offer media characteristics not offered by other learning technologies; and they are further transforming our values and how we think about student learning.
Interest in social media has surged over the last few years, as illustrated at professional conferences and reports from the field. Professional conferences are often where the most prevalent and emerging technology trends are showcased. In late 2009, conversations about the use of social media for teaching and learning first surfaced at education conferences throughout the United States and across the globe. By early 2011, discussions of the educational use of social media at these conferences were peppered throughout the schedule of conference events. For example, at the first EDUCAUSE social networking discussion in Denver in November 2009 the standing-room-only crowd evidenced the overwhelming popularity of the topic. However, participants reported there was a lack of planned implementations or data supporting social media use in the classroom. These initial discussions were an indicator of the unrefined nature of the solution. Educators could see the value in implementing social media in the classroom, but very few models had been developed. As is the case with many other technologies, the educational community is looking to harness the potential of these technologies to overcome challenges in the classroom and on campus.
In the first quarter of 2010, not only was there additional evidence of the popularity of social media at conferences, but notable publications were also reporting such interest. From mainstream media to higher education sources, social media interest was developing further. For instance, Google lost its position as the most visited site on the Web, a position it had held for several years, to the social media phenomenon Facebook (see Worthen, 2010). More individuals were visiting Facebook on the Web than any other site. Also, social media experiences and considerations were shared and discussed at professional conferences (e.g., EDUCAUSE, Sloan-C Emerging Technology, Sloan-C International Conference for Online Learning, New Media Consortium). Also in 2010, leading publications in the fields of higher education and technology were paying attention to the interest and began highlighting social media in education (see Horizon Report, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Ed Tech Magazine, eCampus News, and EDUCAUSE Quarterly). As this suggests, social media are becoming the most popular sites on the Internet and the educational community is taking notice.
By 2011, there was evidence that social media were changing the way we communicated in our professional lives, both within our institutions and with colleagues worldwide. More specifically, these tools were transforming our pedagogy, our higher education communication strategies, and our perception of instruction-based technologies such as course management systems. For instance, the EDUCAUSE social media constituent group meeting at the 2011 Midwest Regional conference in Chicago had well over 50 people. This attendance level is amazing for a regional constituent group meeting, which is usually about half that figure. Also, events that in the recent past had seen little to no social media use among participants (i.e., Twitter) or presentations on social media research, like the Sloan-C Blended conference, were experiencing a change. Attendees were actively participating in backchannel conversations (see #blend11), conducting social media preconference workshops, and presenting on the use of social media for teaching, learning, and student support. Further, in the plenary address social media was mentioned as transforming educators’ view of how students learn, what is needed for effective teaching, and how we view other learning technologies (e.g., course management systems). The popularity of and interest in social media are evident at professional conferences and in notable mainstream and higher education publications, and although educators are beginning to integrate social media into their professional lives and into the curricula, sound pedagogical best practices and research supporting effective uses of social media are lacking.
An implementation is never effective unless users know why they are using the technology. This book emphasizes the importance in identifying one’s pedagogical need or reason for using social media. Due to the limitations of social media research and practice in teaching and learning, the book will contribute a theoretical foundation (e.g., Short, Williams, & Christie, 1976; Daft & Lengel, 1986; Fulk, Steinfield, Schmitz, & Power, 1987) for identifying media characteristics and making decisions about social media use. In examining the media characteristics needed in order to provide a solution, several potential social media will be highlighted. Specifically, while outlining the requirements of instructors (e.g., increasing instructor-student contact or providing twenty-first-century literacy skills), I will discuss how select social media can meet these needs by providing a vehicle for broadcast communication, content delivery, backchannel communication, content development, and more. Further, this book will contribute models of use, benefits, and considerations, including experiences from several ongoing social media pilot projects at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as well as a nationwide phenomenon we started last fall (#edusocmedia) documenting educational uses of social media internationally through microblogging (Twitter) and video cases (YouTube).
In addition to addressing an array of social media solutions, this book will discuss other considerations in professional development, in the classroom, and throughout the educational institution. This book provides practical tips for how instructors can become familiar with social media, manage students’ expectations and support their students in using social media, locate resources to support instructor use of social media, and guide their institutions’ facilitation of social media use. Also, a practical guide on planning the evaluation of social media is shared. Although this book is primarily for steering experiences in teaching using social media in higher education by providing the knowledge needed to implement social media in the classroom in pedagogically sound ways, it will provide practices and considerations of interest for other organizations (e.g., K–12, corporate, nonprofit) and other individuals on campuses (e.g., administration, student services, research). By effectively exploiting the power and popularity of social media, educators can offer students an enhanced learning experience.
Part One of this book will serve as the foundation for social media. In this section, I will unpack the concept of social media and investigate the affordances of these tools that are attractive to educators by highlighting common characteristics of these tools focusing on interacting, sharing, building relationships, and learning. This section also offers practical tips focusing on how educators can use social media to develop a professional network for sharing pertinent information and best practices, identifying important news, gathering opinions and input, and building quality networks across time and space. This section will help educators to enhance their general knowledge of social media and become active social media users, thus increasing their effectiveness and improving their professional development opportunities and networks as they prepare to use social media in the classroom.
Part Two of this book outlines specific pedagogical practices of use for teaching and learning. Built on a continuum of tasks that can be facilitated through social media, this section will provide specific case examples and details of implementing social media. Several levels of pedagogical tasks are identified and how they can be effectively achieved through the use of social media, including increasing communication and encouraging contact, developing a richer learning experience and enhancing twenty-first-century literacy skills, and encouraging feedback, dialogue, and cooperation in the classroom. This continuum is based on the type of learning facilitated by social media.
Specifically, Part Two can be used to design learning activities within a course taking advantage of the affordances of social media in order to better meet educators’ pedagogical needs and increase the course effectiveness by impacting several process and outcome variables (e.g., communication, learning). This section of the book focuses on the practical, how-to uses of social media and has the broadest application as it (1) identifies these uses of social media in the classroom, (2) provides a justification for using social media based on the pedagogical need, (3) explores the different characteristics of social media to meet the specified need of the classroom, and (4) highlights the benefits and considerations of the proposed method. Details about each of the cases that are shared in this chapter will enable readers to implement these strategies. For example, one chapter will include instructions for increasing communication of course information through the “push down” mechanisms afforded by social media. This simple process has been shown to have an impact on student learning. This section is designed to assist educators who are planning to implement social media into their classes in the near future or expand their use of social media in the classroom.
The final section of this book, Part Three, discusses other considerations for educators in using social media. This section focuses on an array of issues, including institutional policies, administrative support, potential costs, and support for faculty and students. Social media policy is a topic that consistently arises as a concern for administrators, IT, and educators. The openness of social media, and that fact that it is not a university-owned system, leads to concerns for privacy, student conduct, and campus technology use. Although social media are often free to students and educators, there are other cost considerations including access, infrastructure, and third-party applications. I will discuss the financial and human costs associated with the implementation of social media. Expanding on the costs, I will specifically delve into the importance of student and faculty support to ensure a successful implementation of social media.
As with any technological implementation in the classroom and on campus, support will need to be harnessed for educators and for students, and support mechanisms will need to be developed. Last but not least, I will discuss not only the importance of evaluating the impact of social media on teaching and learning, but also provide a variety of considerations, practices, and tools to be utilized in evaluating social media’s impact. These considerations are from a more macro perspective but encourage educators to get involved in influencing social media on their campuses.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was informed by my experiences as a teacher, the experiences of many other faculty members at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), and educators across the globe who were savvy enough to identify the potential benefits of social media and daring enough to implement it into their classes and across their campuses. I am deeply grateful to all of the pilot project instructors at UWM with whom I have worked for improving our students’ experiences and for sharing their passion for teaching. Without you all, none of this would be possible. Further, I wish to acknowledge the contribution of all of my tweeps out there who shared their ideas, encouraged me, and distracted me when needed.;) A special thanks goes to @micala for inspiring my use of Twitter; you are so lovely.
As with any new initiative, it can be a challenge to achieve success without the support from our campus administration. Thanks to the University of Wisconsin System Administration and the UWM Office of the Provost for their support of our projects and for helping us provide students with exceptional learning opportunities.
Years ago, I had not realized my potential or passion. I found it through the inspiration of my teachers and mentors. I would like to thank Renee Meyers, Nancy Burrell, Mike Allen, Ed Mabry, and Clark Olson for providing that inspiration.
As in any new venture, there are always those who support you and make the sacrifice so you can succeed. An extraordinary thanks to all of my family and friends for making my life work during the writing of this book, to those that brought me happiness and reminded me of the light at the end of the tunnel, and to the others who reminded me what a cool of accomplishment this was. I am very lucky. Also, I would like to thank the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Learning Technology Center (LTC) staff for their day-to-day support. In particular, I would like to thank Sharon Stoerger for her invaluable time and effort time in reviewing this book. Thank you all; you’re awesome!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanya Joosten is the interim director at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s (UWM) Learning Technology Center (LTC). She has been teaching and researching in the area of social media for over a decade. She comes from the field of communication, where she enjoys exploring what is traditionally called communication technology. She manages numerous campus emerging technology projects, including social media, virtual worlds, mobile learning, clickers, and more. Her work and expertise has been highlighted by the Chronicle of Higher Education, Ed Tech Magazine, eCampus News, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, and Student Affairs Live.
In addition to her emerging technology projects, Joosten is helping develop plans for the future of education as a member of the UWM Digital Future Steering Committee, the State of Wisconsin Superintendent’s Digital Learning Advisory Council, EDUCAUSE Evolving Technologies Steering Committee, and Sage Publications Digital Media Advisory Board. Also, she serves on the review committees for the EDUCAUSE Quarterly Review and the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks.