SINCE social media began popping up everywhere, there has been talk of using it to benefit the academic field. Popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr are taking over and our modes of communication are changing. Social media helps information become readily available to nearly everyone. Before social media, and the Internet in general, research (particularly from educational sources) wasn't as easy to come by, but now social media can provide a new way to learn and share knowledge. Conventional learning techniques consist of the instructor talking and students taking notes, which is very one-sided and can get tedious and boring, and the most successful teachers are ones that can get students to participate. Many educators have turned to social media to enhance their classrooms. Teachers are using websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to communicate and keep in touch with their students, and are incorporating social media in their lessons. Social media have the potential to completely transform the way we learn and are already an important part of most young students' lives, so why not incorporate it into their academic lives as well? Social media help students learn because the appeal of the interactivity and personalization of social networking sites (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr) entice students. Many social networks can help students learn by encouraging them to engage in discussions, and by increasing their interest and enjoyment of the class. They provide ways to learn that are not always available the conventional way, can change the way students grasp information and their educational surroundings, and inspire students to be more involved in the learning process and to participate. Social media are a less intimidating way for students to communicate and discuss. It seems that students would rather discuss class assignments through social media because they're less formal and threatening. A case study done at a university had students making Twitter accounts in order to experiment with social media in the classroom. The Twitter feed for the class hashtag was shown at the front of the class and students would tweet their questions and comments along with the hashtag. The teacher answered and discussed the questions, and students that weren't usually called on or that were too shy to express themselves were given the opportunity to participate actively. The discussions were even continued outside of class. With the use of social media, students were able to take ownership of the course, you might think this could lead to chaos but it was quite the opposite, and students enjoyed the course more. Many professors from universities such as Pennsylvania State University and University of California, Berkeley use social media not only to improve their courses and lectures but also to communicate with their students outside the classroom. Twitter is commonly used to supplement in-class discussions, ask questions and discuss outside the classroom, share links and extra material, give out assignments, remind students of deadlines, and to network. Over 80% of US university faculty use social media to teach and communicate with their students. There are even new social media sites, such as Edmodo, made just for educational purposes. Technology is changing our daily lives, and will continue to affect us whether we like it or not. We cannot maintain our conventional way of learning by just ignoring social media and its impact; rather, we should find ways to positively incorporate it into our academic lives. As Bill Gates once said, “[he's] a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms they're interested in.”
