Week 13 Blog

What did you learn from your experience using social media and other open source tools? Should they be used for teaching and learning? Tell the story of what you learned.

I learned valuable experience using social media and other open source tools. I have learned that social media can play an effective role in enhancing learning outside of classroom. These tools create a flexible environment to learn in learner’s own pace and flexible time. It is an effective communicant channel between learner-teacher and learner-learner. Had I not been experienced on my own learning method I would have misconception about the benefits of these tools in learning and teaching. This is the first time I have used Twitter and have found it as an effective tool to engage with teacher and peers to enhance learning experience. Greenhow and Gleason (2012) explore the use of Twitter as a new literacy practice and suggested that it may lead to increased engagement and better interaction between students and teachers. The similar view is also shared by Fusch (2011), who argues that “the tools of the trade are as important as the learning objectives, and that tools are needed which promote social presence, create a more interactive learning environment and foster collaborative study.”

YouTube video is useful for learning. I learn many things just from your tube videos of varieties subjects about academic and also daily life’s problem solving instructional videos. One of the important educational platforms is Khan Academy video-based learning and teaching which I found very useful. YouTube plays a big role in freelance journalism and perhaps more authentic and acceptable media.

Speaking about Facebook I have reservation about its educational use. I personally think it is a big distraction and a means of wasting time. I think it is useful where other educational tools are not available. Facebook may cause some privacy issues if the users are not skilled to use it properly.

Social media provides opportunity for instructors to further engage learners in the online environment which helps learners to reflect and learn cognitive/meta-cognitive skills and critical thinking. Blaschke (2012) calls it a heutagogy-the study of self-determined learning where learners take own responsibility, and learner is “the major agent in their own learning” (Hase & Kenyon, 2007, p. 112). The combination of adult-learning focus and social media makes the heutagogy relevant to distance education. According to Pew Research Center (2014) use of different social media are increasing in all age groups.

A heutagogical educational approach emphasizes learner-centeredness and capabilities development which include knowing how to learn, working in a team, empathy, critical thinking, active learning, self-efficacy, self-confidence, active citizenship, and deliberative dialogue (Gardner, Hase, Dunn, and Carryer, 2008). We can empower or learners to find new ways of acquiring knowledge and equip them with skills for adapting to changing and complex environment like we were given the opportunity to learn these social media tools. Most of us did not use before and I believe we all enjoy learning these social media use in acquiring knowledge and skills.

From my experience and research findings I can summarize that social media can increase student motivation and engagement with course material; increase learner to learner interaction; removes barriers to self-expression and contribution; and increase levels of satisfaction.

Fusch, D. (2011) Social Media and Student Learning: Moving the needle on engagement in Academic Impressions, pp. 1

Greenhow, C and Gleason B. (2012) Twitteracy: Tweeting as a New Literacy Practice in The Educational Forum , (76). pp, 463-477