It's possible to use social media in the classroom. One approach is to have students curate a list of favorite posts, tweets, and social media accounts as part of an individual or group project. This is especially helpful for updating a business case assignment, or doing a business plan assignment. Twitter is a good platform for this, as students could create a new account specifically for the class if they don't want to use their personal social media account. 

I think that social media CAN be used effectively for classroom learning tasks, but be careful to check institutional policy.

In the United States, our strict "FERPA" privacy law does not allow schools to reveal who is registered in a given class.  It is not just privacy of grades, of privacy of the content of assignments, but actually privacy about who is taking the class.

Therefore, if you use social media in a way that the general public can see who is a member of a Facebook group, etc, you would be in violation of federal law in the US.

I'd like to toss in a follow-up question for anyone reading who has expertise in working with students with special needs.

When I worked in high schools, some special education resource teachers recommended that students diagnosed with ADHD benefited from "multi-tasking" - by keeping busy even during class discussions. I even had a student who concentrated effectively while drawing AND having music via 1 ear-bud, which allowed him to fully participate in large-group discussions (very counter-intuitive). I found this - not a good source though: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/3967-2.html)

I had 1 colleague who was similar once - he could fully participate in a meeting while having ear buds on AND texting AND having a newspaper in front of him. 

I realize this is not the case for all, but I'm wondering if, for SOME, having multiple things going on (including social media during class) helps to focus?  

It's possible to use social media in the classroom. One approach is to have students curate a list of favorite posts, tweets, and social media accounts as part of an individual or group project. This is especially helpful for updating a business case assignment, or doing a business plan assignment. Twitter is a good platform for this, as students could create a new account specifically for the class if they don't want to use their personal social media account. 

Yes you can use social media effectively without distractions. Please see my attached conference paper on how it can be used to help students improve their English writing skills for taking their exams that are written in English.

Best regards,

Debra

Conference Paper Social Media in Education: Bringing Your Classroom to Life -...

I agree that social media can be very useful.  In English Literature lessons, I have asked students to use their 3G phones to research the particular texts or writers on whom they are responsible for presenting information to the class.  This seems to enhance their independent learning skills.  But I do have to be vigilant about the 'work' that they are doing on on their devices: a general warning about losing the privilege if it is abused seems to be effective!

Here are some tried ideas and thoughts going forward for both higher and elementary ed: http://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/9/tweeting-in-higher-education-best-practices;  http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/twitter-best-practices/.

Great responses - thank you!

@Michael – Wow.  That is an imposing law.  So essential even if social media could be used, it really can’t – well at least tools that require identification which is most tools.  It also encourage fee-based tools I would suppose, that restrict access.  How about outside of class? Is that allowed?  What’s your experience with distractions when using more restricted tools?  Maybe this kind of “private” tool discourages distraction because they are not tools that are used outside the classroom.

@Laura – REALLY interesting idea – I think that distraction might actually aid focus and learning at times.  I know that I can’t work non-stop and that when I work at home, I do need mental breaks and that can come in the form of various computer distractions.  This would be a really interesting study and somewhat counter-intuitive.

@William – All good ideas.  Do you find, though, that students will drift to something personal “at times” – Or are they too focused on the task – maybe that is the key?  Or maybe the odd distraction is not a significant impediment

@Debra – Thanks for the paper – Interesting facts there.  BUT I still wonder about the extent to which distraction can impede learning.  So yes, there is a positive effect in terms of engagement, collaboration – but maybe other areas suffer like focus or deeper learning?  I really don’t know the answer and I haven’t found much research on this other some of the work I have come across with respect to laptop use and distraction.

@Simon – So they are using the web to search?  Do they use actually social media tools spontaneously to search?  I wonder if they even consider social media as a source of academic information. How many lose privileges (smile)?  

@Ulana – Many thanks for these 2 resources – I don’t see much advice in the first link for reducing distraction. The main tenet is to require students to use Twitter (by force of grades I presume) which reminds me of asynchronous discussion.  Then again, I wonder if forced use might lead to a bit of an epiphany.  The second link is more of a non-academic piece – not sure it addresses the distraction issue either.

Dear Robin,

I use the social media to teaching learning.  My experiences appoint that learning using social media Facebook could be contributed by environments for enriched dialogues, improved engagement, and broad connections between students and teachers. It is noteworthy, however, the need for planning and choice of problem-solving educational materials and constant monitoring for a successful experience.

I have used different social media platforms with my students for the past few years. I find using social media works best for my students for out-of-class learning. On Twitter, some sample activities I would get them to do: follow certain brands, follow certain industry experts, read a journal article(s) and post interesting facts/quotes that resonated, create a Vine relevant to the module topic and post the link, post relevant details from a guest lecture, comment on a topic discussed in class. All tweets would use the class hashtag specific to that module so all students and I could participate.

On other platforms like LinkedIn, Google+, blogging sites, live streaming apps, we use different tasks to try to engage the students and promote improved, deeper learning.

Student drift can be an issue. I suggest presenting the project to students as building an online portfolio or a curated feed, and helping the students build a corresponding list of keywords and hashtags. 

I like the debate above about the pros and cons of distraction and guided use; we can all cite examples of both. On this issue, what about how Periscope is being used - here's some input :http://midcareer.gse.upenn.edu/periscopeedu

@Claudia - Do you use social media in class or outside of class?  And how old are you students because age, maturity and experience could influence distractions. As Colin indicates, outside use might be a promising solution and more realistic  Students will sue the tool when they need to for academic or social/personal reasons and they can make that decision on their own.  As Claudia, preparation may be the key here, although I am not clear n the details.

@William - I assume you are talking about Twitter.  Do you think presentation as a project helps reduce drift or distraction?

 Social media could be effectively used inside the classroom. My students are between the ages of 14 to 16 years old. Sometimes,  I let them use their cell phones using facebook and twitter in class to find new words and define them using their own words in addition as it relates to math, and connect the ideas to their friends in other classes within the school. I teach both special and general education students Algebra-1, 9 grade. They become engaged as they use it because they like using social media in class, so why not use it as part of learning in class. I think the use of social media inside the class can make students become interested especially in math where most of them lack interest.

Hello Robin!

I use the facebook more in outside than in class. I have classes in graduate courses and my students has age between 18 and 23 years old.

In class I use the social media as challenges, for example , I ask a question about the any content, if the majority fails to respond appropriately , has 2 minutes to find an answer in the internet or books, and post the enclosed discipline group. Then answer one by one.

Outside I use for research repository, discussion forum , simulation environment etc.

@Samuel - I don't doubt there are MANY uses of social media in the classroom - I can think of a number of meaningful uses.  The example you cite is not a social media example   though,  It is a web search example. My questions is :Do distraction get in the way?  Do they actually impede learning?

@Claudia - Sounds good but I have 2 questions - How do you use Facebook?  The other example seem to be non- social media examples.  And maybe outside the class is more effective because of control and choice, so this is a possible moderating variable.  Thanks

Hello

Please see some of my papers. You may find some interesting findings that answer your questions.

Kind regards

NP

Social-networking tools are exceptional for fooling around. However, the evolving world of Internet communications -- blogs, podcasts, tags, file swapping -- offers students and teachers radically new ways to research, create, and learn collaboratively. The keyword for a fruitful learning experience with social media is careful planning.

@Evangelos - I like your idea of careful planning BUT what specifically do you mean? 

@Nikolaos There are quite a few papers here - which ones specifically do you think are most relevant.  I don't see any on social media specifically, but one that might be relevant on the use of Second Life and self-regulation?

@Robin I mean well structured activities, with simple goals and straightforward procedures that stimulate independent learning.  

I agree that what I described earlier is web searching - probably the most common use of new technology in classrooms?  

We are also trialling Google Classroom as a chat-room-type of resource: cautiously optimistic so far, but of course it is controlled by teachers and thus not democratic in the way that other platforms are.

Some classes have spontaneously formed Facebook groups to support their study.  This operates outside the classroom, not in it, but does respond to what happens in lessons.  Similar to what @Colin describes above? I like the idea of out-of-class research and project work using the social media with which students are already familiar.

While social media platforms are a great source for information and for learning and research purposes, I do agree that the temptation to browse otherwise is very strong.

One possible option would be to pre-assign exercises to the participants so they come prepared with offline data,images and their own inferences , as may be applicable. 

This way, they would not be required to stay online through out the session and would be occupied in presenting the  preparatory work that they have done outside the classroom. The remaining participants can be asked to share their observations as  one or the other group completes its presentation, as their interpretations and inferences would be somewhere different and unique from the rest. By doing this, maximum number of participants would be actively engaged and distraction can be limited. 

Best Wishes,

Bijal

Thanks Bijal - I think you may be on to something - The idea of keeping students focusses and occupied, particularity on an engaging tasks.  Distraction might occurs for several reasons  including being bored or overwhelmed.  Minimizing these factors would probably help. 

I agree we can use the social networking for education in the class room But It also distracting If we mention the time for the social networking in the class for discussing or debating then it is not distracting if we use the social network for whole class time then It is distracting ..................

Good add Allauddin - So structure is another variable that needs to be considered.  Perhaps a better question, base don the helpful answers provided is "How can social media be used in the classroom in a way that minimizes distraction?"

In our conditions, I think when we are interacting face to face inside a classroom, students wants to listen more to a teacher than other things. However, I want to add my personal experience here when we got a chance to work on a project on social networking in higher education. An elgg and a facebook platforms were used for the interactions. In this whole process, it was found that students prefered to interact with their fellow students rather than teachers. However, when I shared a post based on syllabus (Subject Specific Content) , I was surprised to know the statistical data that every student have accessed and gone through that material on facebook page as well on elgg platform. So, they do accept academic engagement up to an extent. 

@ Mool - Now what do you mean "In our conditions" - What setting are you working in? 

As per my view, use of social media for academic purpose is not distractive, if the use of it is properly planned by  teachers. The teacher can make a group on Whatsapp and Facebook page for students. All the information related to academics can be shared on this. The teacher can also organise a discussion or debate through social media. It helps the students in constructing their own knowledge. The whole process should be conducted under the supervision of teacher otherwise it may lead to distraction.

This is a topic that will always have something new to add to the discussion on education.   It can be distracting if the teacher/lecturer does not manage things well. It is an incredible tool to use in the classroom; when used effectively social media can do wonders for education but it can prove to be quite a distraction if not handled well. I actually did a presentation on this at a conference in Jamaica in 2014.   It is located here https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259802532_ConferencePPT

Conference Paper ConferencePPT

@Archana - Good planning is important for sure, but how do you know the students are not distracted.  From personal experience or do you know of some research in this area?

@Mardene - Thanks for your conference paper - In your experience, what steps reduce the distractions and maximize the effectiveness?

Harshvardhan - Thank you - great add on articles.  I will add that education the way it is traditionally delivered in higher education (e.g., PowerPoint lectures)  almost invites distraction, so I am not surprised student drift in and out.  I wonder if they were required to be active and integrate the tech tools into their learning in class, whether they would be as distracted.  In essence, the students are voting with their devices in class.  They are saying that what is being taught and the way it is being taught is not interesting, not engaging, not good enough.  So to a certain extent, the pedagogy needs to improve.  I have noticed my colleagues act the same way in conference and meetings.

@ Kay, with "our conditions", I Mean to say 'teaching and learning conditions followed in our institutions'. Its a kind of blended system of imparting instructions to the learners, in which learners are required to attend classes and use of social media is not for direct teaching but as a supportive system of disseminating information and even interacting if required.

I guess we need to think mainly of students. Are they mature enough to participate. I had a question on Facebook regarding attendance and I read many worth reading comments about such behavior. This means that students need a strong motivation to stay in class (I mean mentally)... The major task is to motivate student to stay in class, this is where social media would be a tool more than a distraction

@Emad - Nicely and concisely said.  Maturity level at using social media is probably a very important predictor -  I wonder if it develop over time?  And of course motivation and engagement could certainly temper distraction.  Perhaps distraction is like the proverbial "canary in the mine" .  It might the instructor whether what is being pursued is engaging

It is a powerful tool for E-Learning purposes. Obviously, its use must start with Awareness Program of the prospected users to at least be well educated about the possible distractions that can emerge as the side effects of using Social Media - an alien technology than the social environment. The use must be supported by a constant measurement of how far Social Media is distracting the learners and updating the students on their progress thereupon. 

Here are some perspectives from recent African research: http://cogentoa.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2015.1128134?__scoop_post=605b53d0-b6d7-11e5-fe72-001018304b75&__scoop_topic=2712536

I have given a great deal of thought and research to how we are altering (must alter) our teaching for 21st century learners. This topic question is vast and I feel certain you will agree that it is difficult to move beyond generalities. Yet I feel it is not our role to 'entertain ' our students or to provide information (in a less traditional form) too readily available without us. It all comes down to arresting students' attention for deeper learning. It seems that we must become the 'provocateurs' to the information out there and provide the lenses needed to direct focus in and surrounding the particulars. If employing social media in some form helps to accomplish this, it is worthy endeavour.  

@Allah -I think education is a good start BUT I do wonder if experience is needed to fully understand the pull of social media toward distraction AND strategies to overcome this pull.  That said, talking about it first is a great idea, especially for younger students

@Ulana - Thank you for the resource.  It seems only tangentially related to the use of social media by students - the digital competencies of teachers being the main focus.  Are you saying teacher need to be educated first?

@Gloria - Quite right - I could not agree with you more.  Let pedagogy guide the use.  I was just worried about the distractions as a side effect even if the use is pedagogically sound.

Robin,

It won't be a distraction if its focus is clear ( for you and for the students) and it is studied, unpacked, questioned, deepened rather than shown, used and then discarded. This is our task as educators to find and make use of some example that helps illuminate our focus. Our students are often media saturated. Clearly research into multi-tasking from Harvard (multitasking study) and Stanford's media multitasking  indicate its ease in being undertaken yet the depth of the tasks undertaken are minimal. Less is likely to be better. So I am advocating less by directing attention rather than distracting attention.

Yes, Robin, I included these findings for a reason. In order to build a student research community using social media in a classroom setting requires the teacher to be on the same page, otherwise what kind of guidance can they effectively provide? What's more, the value of the teacher's mentorship and example lie in their digital competency, as well.  When it comes to learning, we are all in it together.

@ Gloria - I'm not quite sure it is that simple.  Well good instruction never is really.  BUT I keep thinking of Larry Rosen's iDisorder book and a number of other books indicating the seductive qualities of social media.  I can feel the pull myself at times.  So while, for example, I happily engage in meaningful and fruitful focused discussion on ResearchGate, I find myself drifting at times to other social media which are semi-productive but also distracting at times.  It is partially because the same tools are used for communicating, entertainment and academics, so the lines are blurred at times.  We see this effect repeatedly in higher education research on Laptop Use in the classroom.  Students are more focused than distracted, but distractions play a role, even when there is a clear focus, direction and structure.

I don't feel it's simple at all Robin and I didn't mean to imply that it was. Yet I feel it's our responsibility to try. Everyone knows education must change yet fundamentally, lecturers still lecture about things that can be gathered online, standardised tests are still used to  measure people's worth ( with one correct answer) and what counts for university lecturers continues to be less on teaching and more on the number and source of publications and one's research grants. I believe researching one's own teaching is fundamental while seldom funded. We will not be able to build better tools so yes, the lines are blurred. 

There are certainly no answers to social media use but there are possibilities. There have always been distractions when teaching (students look at you nodding, smiling  presuming interest while thinking:

 I wish I had eaten breakfast, I'm in love, did I lock the back door? I hope her temperature goes down, how will I pay for university...?

Yes, there are more visible distractions at a click now than ever before but the way to  help focus is to arrest their attention with something you and the students care deeply about ( but don't know the answer to because there is no answer) and some thing that will take them away from the myriad distractions beckoning if only for a short time.

A propos my most recent response, I would like to echo the words of Jesse Stommel: “For education to work, there can be no divide between teachers and students.” To this end, here is a Storify of his about the focused use of Twitter: https://storify.com/Jessifer/teaching-w-twitter-twitter-fishbowl-and-twitter-es

@Gloria - Nicely said.  It is clear that you are dedicated to teaching.  I understand completely and its sounds like you "get it" for sure.  I suppose I have the advantage of researching my own teaching, because I am in faculty of education.  But just collecting formative feedback on a regular basis would go along way.  I'm not sure how it is at the University of Sydney and it may vary by department, but is teaching is far lower on the priority list that research?  Finally, finding and focusing on what is deeply relevant and important goes a long way to reducing anyone's distraction meter.

@Ulan - That's a nice quote AND I love the resource - thanks so much.  SO much to read and so little time

Ah, yes, I agree...but thankfully, the effort is always well worth it - always something to be gleaned.

I definitely think there is a place for effective use of social media in the classroom. Similar to any learning tool, a clear set of guidelines for students to follow, and procedures that result if these rules are broken should be provided prior to the use in class. However, since social media is something commonly thought of as used only outside of the classroom, the method of introduction and actual purpose need to be explicit to ensure that the students understand why it will benefit them and how it relates to their learning environment. As it relates to them checking their own non-educational sites, small breaks can be given where students are allowed to explore those to inhibit the urge to do so while it is being used for learning purposes. When used properly, I believe social media tools can be very effective and engaging as a classroom tool.

Ulan,

I have several concerns with the resource you provided. I do feel getting students to condense their writing is an important skill to learn yet reducing it down to Twitter size seems an impossible task to measure any understanding.

As well, my concern is with the language register used and abbreviated language used in Twitter. It is essential that as future professionals who will be writing formal papers, reports, evaluations... that they practise academic writing for a known audience beyond the lecturer.

A claim made is that the distinction between lecturer and student is blurred in this type of interaction. To me, as long as the lecturer is the assessor, this distinction will remain crystal clear in the minds of the students. I am pleased, however, that students are witness to their teacher being a learner.

I would welcome debate about these issues as they are central to how social media can be used wisely and productively.

Gloria, I most certainly agree that student writing (and thinking!) cannot be allowed to become simplistic and reductionist, since composition at a higher level, as you rightly note, requires sophistication and finesse. Rather, I understand from the author's blog a view of SNS as supplementary mechanisms, venues for additional food for thought, spontaneous reactions and interactions, and alternative self-expression. Perhaps when viewed as such, media like Twitter can be used more effectively, and with less potential to detract from learner literacy.

Hello, please take a look on my publications.

Kind regards

NP

@Nikolaos - Nice set of publications.  which one do you think are relevant to this discussion topic?  I don't see any at first glance of the titles?

Something more to add to this discussion:

http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/28507

Just a thought?!

The balance between control and freedom.. what does that mean, if we turn the classroom to a free zone, would you guarantee that all students are mature enough to adhere to ethical and professional behavior and respect such freedom. Some of my students mentioned that forcing them on attendance made them study, understand, benefit more... Such control might be good 

@Emad That's an important point and of course the degree of and desire for control can vary - Some students can handle it, others cannot.  Some need external constraints and others are able to self-control.  So when you bring in a tool that can distract, how do you scaffold in such a way as to maximize learning and minimize distractions.  And can and should we monitor that?  How do student learn self-control which is ultimately one of the goals of education, I would say. 

Yes it's interesting to see that how we can handle the social media in the education system. I agree with @Emad that there should be a balance between control and freedom. We have to take all the positive things available. I have gone through the web and found few articles and this one I found  good: http://mashable.com/2013/08/18/social-media-teachers/#nHVtnD4hOZqI

I have a simple experience on using Facebook chat room, where culture was a problem especially when you force such interaction on all students and base evaluation on grades and interaction intensity. Few females did not respond and visited me in office to negotiate another scheme for grades as they are not willing to interact with males on social media. Still, some Jordanians don't have extensive use of social media!!!

@Emad Very interesting about the possible barrier of gender.  I am wondering about that outside of class and perhaps the need to create new accounts, without personal information displayed.  It's a different question form the one I asked, but and important one.  Privacy is something we should consider when using social media

@Ahmad - Thanks for the link.  Of course, being an educational researcher, I wonder if the tips provided actually work.  I have no reason to believe they don't of course - they seem reasonable.  Just wish there was a little more research.

All new digital gadgets have side effects or repercussions unless arrangements are properly made to counter those negative effects. For example, If a technology is familiar to the students, then they will positively attend to using it for the purpose in hand instead of exploring the gadget used for entering social media circles.

@Allah - Newness does have an appeal, especially with hardware.  BUT social media has an inherent distraction because it is or can be used by student for both social and academic purposes.  And keep in mind social media is not new to students, so that line of thinking probably won't account for too much variability in level of distraction.

I used it effectively for my advertising copywriting class. Each week students would share a collection of ads from around the world. When they uploaded them, they would answer some very vitals question in the description- point form and that would encourage discussion among not only their class members but other Facebook users from the same university and sometimes with their friends who gave different interpretations.

How effective it is I would say largely depends on what kind of information is shared/used on the FB Page/ Group you use, the form of moderation etc. I got students to manage it- gave them ownership instead of the teacher moderating. So they ensured that all content was in line with the assignment/tasks given and served to bring back to topic if it went astray. At the end of the day, I think if ground rules are set, it is easier to manage. So yes, very possible to use it in class but perhaps not during class.

Hi Cheryl,

I completely agree with you on the use of social media in class. The way you described the students use of social media in your class was excellent. I believe the students enjoyed it, especially given them ownership in the usage. Very interesting. Nice response.

Thank you,

Sam.

No problem. It largely depends on the kind of students you have and what kind of person you are as a lecturer that determines their level of participation and discipline. But no two situations are alike, that's the thing about  technology and people, the variables often change.

Wow! I never thought this was possible!