“Serious social media: On the use of social media for improving students’ adjustment to college” an article, published in June 2011, describes the results of a social media intervention developed with the intention of “increasing students’ perception of social support prior to their arrival on campus” (DeAndrea, Ellison, Larose, Steinfield, & Fiore, 2012). This experiment involved the design and implementation of an institutional specific social networking website called “Spartan Connect” which was to “facilitate connections for incoming students – enabling them to ask questions of one another and their residence hall mentors” (DeAndrea, Ellison, Larose, Steinfield, & Fiore, 2012). The site also allowed students to create personal profiles where they could include information such as their program of study, hometown and assigned residence hall. Designated site administrators had the ability to create groups for each residence hall so that students could connect with other students in their residence via “Spartan Connect”. Administrators posted relevant information for each group that included resources and information about planned events and activities. The main purpose of this study sought to determine whether facilitated connections amongst new students prior to their arrival on campus changed or influenced their perception of their ability to succeed and or influenced their expectations of the institution overall once they physically arrived on campus. The outcomes of the study suggests that while there was no “direct relationship between use of the website and academic self-efficacy” (DeAndrea, Ellison, Larose, Steinfield, & Fiore, 2012) however, one’s perception of one’s ability to be successful does appear to be influen... ... middle of paper ... ...to them. As Educators, we must continue to look for ways in which to bridge the social, geographical, cultural and learning gaps that exist so that all students have increased opportunities for success. Works Cited DeAndrea, D. C., Ellison, N. B., Larose, R., Steinfield, c., & Fiore, A. (2012). Serious social media: On the use of social media for improving students' adjustment to college. Internet and Higher Education , 15-23. Hung, H.-T., & Yuen, S. C.-Y. (2010). Educational use of social networking technology in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education , 703-714. Jin, L., Wen, Z., & Gough, N. (2010). Social virtual worlds for technology-enhanced learning on an augmented learning platform. Learning Media and Technology , 139-153. Tinto, V. (2000). Taking Student Retention Seriously: Rethinking the First Year of College. NACADA Journel , 19(2), 5-10.
Students entering college for the first time become concerned with their college life. The students are on their own once they enter college. There are no parents or guardians telling them when to do homework, when to go to bed, or how to eat healthy. These students are now responsible for how they are going to succeed in school and meet their own needs. From the beginning, these students wonder what their experience is going to be like and are they going to handle the demands of college?
First Generation students, being the pioneers to join the university from their families deprives them the services of a role model. Their parents have no information about life in the university and, therefore, cannot offer guidance to their children in preparing for college or what to expect (Jehangir, 2010). The students also come from families of low economic status and survive college through hardships (Prospero, 2007). They lack sufficient funds for upkeep and cannot live the flashy lifestyles their counterparts maintain.
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Shoup, Rick. Kinzie, Julian. “Unmasking the Effects of Student Engagement on First-Year College Grades and Persistence.” Journal of Higher Education. Sep/Oct2008, Vol. 79 Issue 5, p540-563. Web. 29 April 2014.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson. Berger, J. B., & Milem, J. F. (1999). The role of student involvement and perceptions of integration in a casual model of student persistence. Research in Higher Education, 40, 641-664. Light, J. R. (2001).
Individuals should understand that the use or nonuse of social media has negative and positive effects on their lives whether they recognize them or not. Students who excessively use social networking applications can be negatively affected because they are spending too much time on these applications rather than paying attention in class, completing homework, studying, s...
Sponcil, M., & Gitimu, P. (n.d.). Use of social media by college students: Relationship to communication and self-concept. Retrieved from http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/121214.pdf
The web is no longer a read only product, it now has the ability to be interactive and particpatory. Users are able to interact over the internet with each other with instant messaging and emails and use social networks to share news, videos, and photos with others, bringing people with common interest, opinions, and experiences together and closer. Some of the most popular social networks include Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Currently social networks are mostly used to keep in touch with friends, colleagues, peers and family, there are far more benefits, that the social media platform can provide. This paper explores the topic of social media in modern education. There are benefits and disadvantages to social media being used in the classroom setting, and they are discussed in detail through the paper.
Exposing students to the power of social media in the classroom is an important part of preparing them to be active and positive digital citizens in a 21st century world. In the last two years, my own students have rapidly been drawn to Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and many other social networking platforms. They upload, share, and connect with others often without any regard to how their digital footprints may reflect them as individuals. Having continuous conversations with students about the choices that they make can lead to positive results. Students don't realize how powerful social media platforms can be in terms of networking, researching, and engaging in academic conversations. It makes me laugh every time I hear them whisper about my colleague Heather's or my Twitter feed. First of all kids, I can hear you. Second of all, yes, social media can be an amazing way to give and exchanged knowledge.
Social Media has become a very essential tool in the society; in addition, it has a huge impact on communication and learning process. Social media is defined as websites and applications used for social networking. “As of September 2013, seventy-one percent of online adult use Facebook, eighteen percent use Twitter and seventeen percent use Instagram, twenty-two percent use PInterest, and another twenty-two percent use LinkedIn. (PewReasearch, 2013). In addition, "Between February 2005 and August 2006, the use of social networking sites among young adult internet user ages eighteen and twenty-nine jumped from nine percent to forty-nine percent. The usage of social media had grown drastically.” On social media sites like these, users may develop biographical profiles, communicate with friends and strangers, do research, and share thoughts, photos, music, links, and more” (Socialnetworking.procon,2012). Social media has impacted everyone in several different ways. In this present time, majority of college student use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media has a bold impact college student's grades, social interactions, and the teaching and learning process.
Social media has the ability to serve as a life coach, fashion consultant, and personal trainer, but could it also serve as our therapy? Social media is commonly used for communicating, interacting, and informing. However, some people view social media as a virtual escape away from the tension of their everyday lives (O’Keefe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). My research will investigate the effects of social media on student stress. This topic is relevant because surveys have found that stress effects over 80 percent of college students (Adaa, 2010). Empirical research could analyze whether social media serves as a coping mechanism for stress.
Supporters of social networking sites say that the online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family; offer teachers, librarians, and students valuable access to educational support and materials. Social networks are now widespread in our world with existing social networks expanding, social networking sites are being created for educators, medical professionals all accessible 24 hours a day via computer, tablet, smart phone, and Internet-enabled devices. Challengers of social networking say that the sites prevent face-to-face communication, waste time on frivolous activity and spread false and potentially dangerous information.
The popularity of social media is rapidly increasing in the last few decades. This may be due to the students of colleges and universities as well as youth is widely used for global access. Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have become a craze for everyone nowadays. In these cases, some students are more concerned about social media or social networks than on teaching by lecturers and will cause affected their academic performance.
In the age that we live in, social media has intergraded with college student’s daily lives and how much time is spent on social media. Social media is neither inherently bad nor good it all depends on how it is being used. “Social media are increasingly mobile, smartphones and tablets give users instant and around the clock access to social media and other web functions.” (Martinez-Aleman) When college students access sites on social media like Twitter or Facebook and get side tracked then social media is bad because it effects their education. However, when it is being used to communicate with their peers or professors then social media is a tool of good. Some researchers believe that the social media helps college
Wise, L. Z., Jason Skues, and Benedict Williams. "Facebook in Higher Education Promotes Social but not Academic Engagement." Changing Demands, Changing Directions. Proceedings Ascilite Hobart 2011 (2011): 1333-1342. Ascilite with Full Text. 9 Feb. 2014.