The Use of Social Media Apps

to Engage Students
in the Classroom

Presented by Jean Nasser

In Partial Fulfillment of ED 6590
At Memorial University, NL
August 1, 2015

Contents
Research Question The Purpose
Social Media Definition
Traditional form of Learning and Teaching
Post 1990 The Internet Generation
Who is Using Social Media and What Apps?
Integration of Social Media in Classrooms

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The Use of Social Media Apps in the Classroom

ED6590 at Memorial University of Newfoundland

J. Nasser

Contents (Continue)
The Use of Social Media in the Classroom
Safety Factors for Using Social Media in Schools
Issues or Implications
Future of Social Media in the Classroom
Conclusion and Recommendations
Website and Contact Information
References
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Research Question The Purpose

Should Social Media (SM) apps be used in the classroom? This
paper investigated the pros and cons of using SM apps in the
classroom to engage students.
Further Investigation to sub research questions is required:
What are the SM tools and their effective usages?
How does SM usage help teachers and students in the classroom?

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Research Question The Purpose (continue)

Sub research questions continue:
What are the significant values of the integration of these tools?
What are the present usages of SM in the classroom?
What safety provisions are required for the implementation of SM
in the classroom?

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Social Media (SM) Definition

SM is simply a collection of websites and applications designed
to build and enhance online communities for networking and
sharing information (Osborne-Gowey, 2014, p. 55).
Social media is the latest evolution in the development of
communication pathways (Wylie, 2014, p. 502).

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J. Nasser

Social Media (SM) Definition (continue)

social media is a group of internet-based applications that build on
the ideological and technological foundations of web 2.0, and that
allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content (UGC)
(Kaplan, 2010, p. 61).
I believe SM is a collection of virtual places that uses mobile or webbased technology, where people meet based on common interests,
to express views, share information and socialize anytime/anywhere.

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Traditional Form of Learning and Teaching

The main method of traditional academic education was teacherlecturing / student-listening, a classroom setting with a professor
giving a lecture and students listening and writing notes(Shachar &
NewMann, 2013, p. 1).
Restrictive, had limited interaction with the instructor and no sharing
of information with anyone outside of the classroom.
less effective as students simply referred to textbooks and teaching
notes as the only materials

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J. Nasser

Post 1990 The Internet Generation

Internet opened a new vista of social networking that allowed
people to share information and ideas in virtual communities.
social media (SM) uses mobile and web-based technologies
to create highly interactive platforms to enable people to
communicate, share, collaborate and modify user-generated
content, thereby providing a platform for real time virtual
interactions (Power, 2014, p. 1).

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Who is Using Social Media and What Apps?

Skiba (2014) interviewed 777 students and found:
96% of students text during class
68% check email during class
66% connect to social networks
Other statistics by Skiba show:
87 percent of adults use the Internet
73 percent of adults use social networking sites, Facebook being the most prevalent
90 percent of adults have cell phones with 78 percent having smartphones
42 percent of adults use other SM platforms such as Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
64 percent of SM users log in at least once a day with almost 50 percent using
smartphones to log into their social networks.
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Who is Using Social Media and What Apps? (continue)

A survey by Pew Research Center shows the % of all teens 13 to 17 who
using SM: Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat
are the top SM platforms for teens
92% of teens go online daily,
24 % are online almost constantly
91 % of teens go online from mobile devices
71% of all teens use Facebook
71% of teens use more than one SM tool

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Integration of Social Media in Classrooms

Is it really worth using the social media in the classroom?
Integrating these applications into learning and teaching
practices has the potential to trigger significant educational
innovations as they enable new forms of interactive and
collaborative learning (Shroeder, Shailey & Schneider, 2010,
p. 169).

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Integration of Social Media in Classrooms (continue)

Ape and Jordan (2013) explain how the use of SM in the
classroom can encourages students to network, share and
collaborate with one another and this may increase
engagement and awareness to the course material.
students use SM to connect with classmates, to work on
assignments and, to some extent, to connect with faculty
(Hrastinski and Aghaee, 2011, p. 452).
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The Use of Social Media in the Classroom

Students are using SM in and out of the classrooms to communicate
among each other and share information (Abe & Jordan, 2013).
Students are spending 13.5 minutes using SM out of every one hour
spent on the internet (Gaytan, 2013).
SM tools are here to stay and their usages by academic institutions
are for various purposes such as interviews, networking, communication
and sharing of information (Wylie, 2014).

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J. Nasser

Safety Factors for Using SM in Schools

Ramig (2009) Focused on students safety by training them and providing
them with information on:
No sharing of personal information and be aware of the consequences
Help the kids to set up privacy setting
Make them understand Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA).

Examples of safety threats that become a reality online are

cyberbullying, sexual harassment by predators, identity theft

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Issues or Implications
Gonzales and Young (2015) suggested guidelines and tips for
teachers and students to minimize the implications of using SM
in the classrooms:
Make sure that students understand the purpose of using SM
and have the answer to why it is used.
Select the right SM tool to match the learning outcomes for
students to avoid drop outs and keep them focused.

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Issues or Implications (Continue)

Help students to be alert and focused when using SM
Make sure students understand the safety and privacy required
online to avoid cyberbullying
Confirm training for teachers so they can provide the support
Ensure policies are in place and communicated well
Ensure availability of hardware, internet access and a variety of
platforms so that students would easily navigate across.

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The Use of Social Media Apps in the Classroom

ED6590 at Memorial University of Newfoundland

Future of Social Media in the Classroom

Horvath (2014) suggested that the possibilities of using
social media is unlimited and we are only limited by our
imaginations (p. 34).
Phillips, Baird and Fogg (2010) recommended applying the
advanced technologies used in our daily personal and
professional lives such as SM tools to our entire education
system to improve student learning (p. 3).

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Conclusion and Recommendations

The past, present and future of SM were discussed
As technology keeps advancing, the future of SM has limitless
potential of development and improvement.
Issues discussed include privacy, cyberbullying, and the
availability of hardware, internet access and support of different
platforms
Statistically, most people are already involved in using some type
of social networking (Skiba research study).

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Conclusion and Recommendations (continue)

Integration of SM websites and tools into the education system
should be a simple process
Minimum implication may occur
Minimum training to students and teachers may required
Implementing SM policies and strategies required continuous
development and that contribute to students academic success
Teachers can connect, teach online and engage students using
SM tools without time restrictions
The Use of Social Media Apps in the Classroom

ED6590 at Memorial University of Newfoundland

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J. Nasser

Website and Contact Information

The website address is:
http://exitpaper.weebly.com

For further details or inquiries about the research paper

Please email me at: Jean.Nasser@Hotmail.com

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References
Abe, P., & Jordan, N. A. (2013). Integrating social media into the classroom curriculum. About Campus, 18(1),
16-20. doi:10.1002/abc.21107
Blankenship, M. (2011). How social media can and should impact higher education. Education
Digest, 76(7), 39.
Davis, M. R. (2014). Teachers found to avoid social media in classroom. Education Week,

33(18), 4.

Gaytan, J. (2013). Integrating social media into the learning environment of the classroom: Following social
constructivism principles. Journal of Applied Research for Business Instruction, 11(1), 1.
Gonzales, L., & Young, C. (2015). Can social media impact learning? Tech & Learning, 35(8), 36.
Osborne-Gowey, J. (2014). What is social media, Fisheries, 39(2), 55-55 doi:10.1080/03632415.2014.876883
Hagler, B. E. (2013). Value of social media in todays classroom. The Journal of Research in Business
Education, 55(1), 14.

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References (continue)
HERI. (2007). College freshmen and online social networking sites. HERI survey, Retrieved
July 10, 2015 from http://www.heri.ucla.edu/PDFs/pubs/briefs/brief-091107-SocialNetworking.pdf
Higgins, L., Wolf, M. M., & Torres, A. M. (2013). Opening the doors to a global classroom: An
international social media collaboration. NACTA Journal, 57(3A), 40.
Holzer, A., Govaerts, S., Vozniuk, A., Kocher, B., & Gillet, D. (2014). Speakup in the classroom: Anonymous
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Horvath, S. (2013). The past, present, and future of social media at USGS. The Public Manager,
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Hrastinski, S., Aghaee, N. M., Skolan fr datavetenskap och kommunikation (CSC), KTH, & Medieteknik och
interaktionsdesign, M. (2012). How are campus students using social media to support their studies? an
explorative interview study. Education and Information Technologies, 17(4), 451-464. doi:10.1007/s10639011-9169-5

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References (continue)
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite: The challenges and
opportunities of social media. Greenwich: Elsevier. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
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References (continue)
PDSB, (2013). Bring your own device (BYOD). Retrieved July 12, 2015
from http://schools.peelschools.org/sec/centralpeel/Pages/default.aspx
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References (continue)
Shachar, M. (2003). Difference between traditional and distance education academic performance -Vol
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Skiba, D. J. (2014). The connected age: Mobile apps and consumer engagement. Nursing Education
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from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/social-media
Wylie, L. (2014). The social media revolution. British Journal of Midwifery, 22(7), 502-506.

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The Use of Social Media Apps in the Classroom

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