Greenhow, C. (2011). Youth, learning and social media. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 45(2),139-146.
As a springboard to deeper exploration in the topic of the possibilities and appropriateness of using social media for educational purposes, Greenhow presents a variety of aspects and applications which serve as an overview of the topic in a remarkably readable voice. This article is enveloping and unfolding with a progression of new technologies and research to share, though it does not report independent research on the topic. Today’s learners are actively participating in social media using a variety of platforms and developing communication expertise which could be utilized in the classroom for demonstrating conversant knowledge of subject matter. Greenhow mentions the use of social media to demonstrate constructivist theory of knowledge, such as wikis and blogs which are personally-authored information resources, as well as collaborative discussion forums for engagement. These are analogous the affinity spaces as described by James Paul Gee in a February 2018 article in Phi Delta Kappan. Greenhow also underscores that, while prevalence and access of social media to teen learner is well established, the impact and dynamics of their practices are not.
Greenhow’s investigation of a variety of effective applications of social media uses in learning begins with a study by Beach and Doerr-Stevens on the nature of social media dialogue for building argumentation skills and “fostering civic engagement” (Greenhow, 2011, p. 142). Next, she explores the work of Lin, Lee, and Robertson looking at text and video information presented in conjunction with one another, which addresses the use of platforms like YouTube as social media. Additional explorations look at the application of social media learning opportunities for low-income students and suggest some positive associations. However, a later article by Hickey, McWilliams, and Honeyford (2011) indicates that traditional assessments are problematic in a culture of collaboration, not unlike the challenge of asking specific, factual question about a text which could be simply answered by use of Cliff’s Notes or similar resources, but do not actually assure an understanding of or interaction with the text. This challenge remains open-ended in Greenhow’s article.
As a person cautious of social media, especially with secondary-level students, I appreciated Greenhow’s demonstration of the potential of this method for engaging students and the discussion of some themes of research. From the standpoint of my own developing area of interest in the feedback methods for the classroom, the responses of peers could be beneficial and immediate, with the supervision of a teacher. Honestly, open social media platforms are not something that I would encourage in my middle school classes and would still be extremely cautious with high school learners. Though it was not addressed by Greenhow, except superficially in her introduction, there are far more options for social media learning applications for undergraduates and graduates, who happen to be in the peak demographics for FaceBook usage in the United States. Using a venue with which learners are already accustomed would be likely to improve the level and depth of interaction in discussions. Given that some learning management system (LMS) options do not provide discussion forums or they may include architectural constraints which don’t fit the needs of a course, FaceBook could be a viable option.
Teacher Takeaways
For a variety of reasons, social media can provide teachers with additional options for guiding students in responsive classroom-related dialogue using mobile resources.
EmpowerED 