Hot Topics in HPT: Social Media Learning

Jeannette Novakovich The purpose of this paper is to explore, summarize, and present current social media learning research and trends. I searched the following databases: ERIC, PROQUEST, and ACADEMIC SEARCH COMPLETE. Keywords: social media, learning, theory, social learning theory, higher education, informal learning, social network spaces, web 2.0, twitter, collaboration, social learning networks, information and communication technologies, connectivism, MOOC, blogs, wikis, Beginning the search I began my search using the keywords of my general topic: social media learning. After I culled through the rather extensive results, I chose ten to twenty articles to peruse. Next, I returned to the library databases and narrowed my search by adding additional keywords that I found listed at the end of the abstracts of relevant articles. For this project, I selected the most recent research for the purpose of entertaining or enlightening students at the Cracker Barrel presentation. I also looked for research that pertained to social media tools that I currently use or could possibly use in my classes to enhance both formal and informal learning. My ultimate goal is to integrate social media learning more effectively into my course designs. After considering hundreds of articles in the library databases, I selected close to 100 articles to download and sifted through them for about two months, narrowing my results to 25 articles. I tried to select reputable journals; however, I was willing to look at some of the more off-beat online creative commons licensed journals like the International Review of Research in Open Distance Learning. The journal is polished, but the articles lack, for the most part, empirical evidence. Finding the keepers I went through each of the 24 articles, searching for a statement of purpose and research questions. Not finding this information was a red flag and caused me to drop the article. After I wrote an abstract for seven of the articles, I returned to the library databases to follow up on information that I discovered in the articles. One focus was to look for the effect that social media learning has on the instructor in a decentralized active learning environment. In addition to changing roles, I discovered that assessment was also becoming a hot topic. And, finally, I wanted to find out if there is anything to the connectivist learning theory that kept cropping up in the literature reviews and connectivist massive open online courses

Novakovich/Hot Topics

(MOOCs). I felt that this information might spark interest during the cracker barrel; I wanted to make sure that I was informed as to its relevance and credibility. Tying research to professional interests I have a strong interest in microblogging. My students are employing it in my professional writing class, and I have observed a number of spontaneous uses for Twitter. For example, one student, when giving a presentation recently, tweeted out the URL of a website that she wanted the students to examine. We all clicked on the link and arrived about the same time without hassles; this was possible because our open course website contains a twitter feed with a number of useful hash tags. As a result, when culling through the research, I was curious about what other instructors were doing and what barriers to performance they were encountering. Main results of my library database searches:

Novakovich/Hot Topics
Database ERIC ERIC Academic Search Complete Academic Search Complete Academic Search Complete Proquest Proquest Proquest Education ERIC Proquest Education Proquest Education ERIC Proquest Education Academic search complete Proquest Education Keywords Social media, learning Social media, informal learning Social media learning, informal Social media, network learning and higher education Social media, informal learning, and social learning Social media learning Social learning theory connectivism connectivism MOOC twitter, social media learning Twitter, social media learning web 2.0, social media learning, and collaboration Twitter, social media learning Blogs, assessment, and audience Number of articles found 3 394 88 14 984 132 3 123 435 2 883 45 16 4 886 13 2778 3 (all terrible) 503

* This table is not complete. A number of searches were made prior to the posting of the assignment sheet.

Novakovich/Hot Topics

Allen, M., Naughton, J., & Ellis, R. (2011). Social Learning. T+D, 65 (8), 5055. The purpose of this article was to present the updated ASTD competency model, a model which integrates social learning and it effects on professional development and training in the workplace. The authors asked the following three questions: What is social learning? How can you use social media in the work place in terms of tools and technology? What do learning professionals need to know to be successful integrating technology?

The literature review covered the key points in current ASTD literature, and reviewed recent ASTD business surveys. The results showed that 80% of the respondents believed that social media should be used more frequently, and 83% of the respondents felt informal learning enhances employee and organizational learning Methodology The ASTD commissioned the ASTD Competency Model update study, a mixed methods study that combined focus groups with leaders in the field and surveys of ASTD members. Results and Discussion Social learning occurs informally when professional development or training takes place on social media networks. Social media can be used for collaboration in terms of exchanging information and as a communication channel. Learning professionals need to develop a high level of fluency in terms of the use of social media tools. Resistance to social media occurs because it contains the term social, which translates to managers as being wasted time and resources. Other concerns are security and privacy issues and organizational culture. Social learning is now a key component of ASTD Competency Model and shares a spot with managing organizational knowledge. Suggested future research would involve testing instructional designs that facilitate informal learning through social media to determine what the most effective industry practices.

Novakovich/Hot Topics
Chen, Liwen (2012). Trainees perceptions on using microblog to support formative evaluation: a q-methodology study. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 4 (3) 235-246. The purpose of the study was to collect and analyze the subjective opinions of trainees after using Twitter as a formative evaluation tool. The researcher answered the following two questions:

What are the perceptions of trainees after using Twitter for formative course evaluation? What factors represent shared patterns of perceptions among trainees?

The literature review was extremely brief and argued that while a number of studies have reported on the use of Web 2.0 technologies for teaching and learning, very few of them have reported on the trainees opinions of its use. Thus, this author designed a study to follow up a previous research study that focused on the experience of both trainees and instructors. Methodology The participants consisted of 39 adults from 26 to 50 years of age that worked full time who were enrolled in a continuing education course that utilized Twitter as a tool for formative evaluation. Afterwards, participants were asked to rank statements about its use. The study utilized a Q-methodology that quantified subjective data collected during interviews by sorting them along a continuum of the participant preferences. After the data was sorted, factor analysis identified patterns of belief of the participants. Results and Discussion The results identified two groups or patterns of belief: the first group was identified as being full-range adopters and group two was identified as being Twittercritical adopters. The first group embraced the use of Twitter and were self motivated to use it frequently and for many purposes. The second group could see a wide range of used for Twitter but were highly concerned about privacy.

Novakovich/Hot Topics

Costello, Lisa (2011) The new art of revision? Research papers, blogs, and the first-year composition classroom. TETYC 12 p. 151-167. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that blogs can be used for more than just journal writing and prewriting activities. The author speculated that if blogs were used for late-stage writing, it would lead to deeper revision activities. The researcher answered the following questions: Can students outside writing be brought into the classroom? Will an effectively designed portfolio project lead to deep revision? The review of literature focused on revision studies involving electronic portfolios and the role of the university instructor to invent the university (David Bartholomae qtd Costello 2011). Methodology The research methodology was extremely weak and involved the write up of a few examples of student writing. There was no attempt at randomization of selection. Results and Discussion The author felt a degree of success was achieved in the sense that she managed to successful integrate a traditional academic essay into the informal blogging platform and increase levels of revision during the after writing stage as the author terms it. (This is an example of entertaining research that for the most part lacks any type of internal or external research validity.)

Novakovich/Hot Topics

Couros, Alec (2009) Open, connected, socialimplications for educational design. Campus-Wide Information Systems 26 (3) 232-239. The purpose of this study was to show the development and inner workings of implementing an open classroom in order to address new learning theories and pedagogical approaches to classroom teaching. The study was qualitative in nature and sought to solve a problem or define a situation rather than answer specific research questions. The review of literature was rather extensive and began with a discussion of social learning theories and its basis in behaviorist and cognitivist learning theories. However, the author is most concerned about connectivism as a learning theory, a relatively new theory, and its roots in social constructivism. Connectivists posit that learning takes place on the network and not inside the individuals head. (I am leaving out names and references. I am concerned with how this project could quickly turn into a major research project). Methodology The research consisted of a case study of a graduate level education course that was opened up to outside learners who were not enrolled. The course entailed the development of an electronic portfolio, a collaborative wiki, a digital project and synchronous activities, which included hands on learning and open classes to the greater educational technology community. Results and Discussion The results indicated that student feedback was rather positive; however it was difficult to track online conversations on blogs, wikis, podcasts and other digital forms of communication. The researcher emphasized the availability of fee and open tools and social networks for instructional design. While the research is insightful and similar to my own course practices; Im not convinced regarding its validity or affordance beyond the enthusiasm of this one course instructor and myself.

Novakovich/Hot Topics
Dabbagh, Nada & Kitsantas, Anastasia (2011) Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning, The Internet and Higher Education, 15 (2) 3-8. 1 Doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.06.002.

The purpose of the study was to explore the development of personal learning environments or PLEs as a means of integrating informal and formal learning with the use of social media to foster self-efficacy. The researchers asked the following questions: What does the literature say on this topic? What are the connections among PLEs, social media and self-regulated learning? What social media instructional design framework would best promote learning?

The literature review examines the use of social media in higher education and found that it has a number of purposes with the main ones being, communication, collaboration, and creative expression. The next goal of thel literature review was to define the use of PLEs, or social media networks used to organize, create and share content on externally hosted web networks, and the review tied the development of these shared yet personal spaces to self-regulated learning. Within these spaces a combination of formal and informal learning takes place. The literature review was comprised of a broad body of literature that traced the use of social media in higher education and identified the purpose and type of learning that took place. The article did not include a research study. It was critical in nature and developed a theory and paradigm for integrating social media into course design. The paradigm was comprised of three stages:

Personal information management-create the space Social interaction and collaboration-interact on the space Information aggregation and management-expand the space

Social media can be utilized to teach students how to self-regulate learning, formally and informally, through the structure of the course design. The paradigm needs to be tested to evaluate its usefulness and the claims made by practitioners that it does foster learning. The authors recommended that the paradigm be tested through a formal study.

Novakovich/Hot Topics

Heibergert & E. Loken (2011). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 27, 119132. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00387.x The purpose of the study was to determine if the use of Twitter to meet educational goals impacted learning outcomes in the form of grades and measures of engagement. The research answered the following questions: Does Twitter have an impact on student engagement? What impact does Twitter have on grades?

The review of literature began with a broad sweep of social medias use to create active learners in the classroom and its incorporation into the classroom. The authors then moved to learning theories of engagement. While a number of studies indicate that technology use increases engagement, very few have researched the effect of social media and its impact on student engagement. However, the authors, in a previous study, did found a positive correlation with the use of social media and an increase in college student engagement (Heiberger and Haper 2008). Methodology The study incorporated a large nonrandomized sample of 7 sections of a one-credit hour yearlong course. Sections were randomly assigned to a control group, no Twitter, and an experimental group, Twitter incorporated into the course outline. Students were provided a pre and posttest; in addition, data from Twitter was also collected. None of the students were familiar with Twitter and the experimental group received one hour of training. Results and Discussion The authors ran ANOVA factorial tests and found that Twitter positively impacted student engagement and grades. Twitter increased interactions between student and faculty, improved cooperation among students, promoted active learning and provided prompt feedback. The results were positive; however, the authors questioned if the results had more to do with the technology itself rather than the course design and its integration of technology.

Novakovich/Hot Topics
Lampe, C., Wohn, D. Y., Vitak, J., Ellison, N. B., & Wash, R. (2011). Student use of facebook for organizing collaborative classroom activities. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6(3), 329-347. doi:10.1007/s11412-011-9115-y The purpose of this study was to determine if a social network site, Facebook, in particular, was an effective tool to increase classroom engagement when performing collaborative learning activities. The study addressed the following questions:

10

How can Facebook be used as an informal learning tool help students engage in collaborative learning activities? What are the factors, in terms of organizational and motivational behaviors, that might predict its successful use? What types of collaborative activities occur on Facebook?

The review of literature first discussed the burgeoning use of information and communication technologies or ICTs in the classroom and moved to a more specific description of using social network sites (SNSs) to encourage informal communication. The authors believed that the research suggests that social network sites could be used effectively to encourage informal collaborative learning for the goal of making sense and not task completion. Methodology The researchers conducted a random survey of students enrolled at a Midwestern college to determine if intense prior use of Facebook, high self esteem and satisfaction with life would lead to a higher likelihood that a student would use Facebook for classroom collaboration. The second study consisted of a survey with a convenience sample of 265 students. Results and Discussion The researchers found that students did use Facebook informally to collaborate, sharing assignments and information about the course. It is not clear if the outcomes were positive in terms of outcome or grades and how to generate this type of outcome. The authors suggest that Facebook activity will continue to evolve over time and should be studied further.

Novakovich/Hot Topics
Manion, Christopher E.; Selfe, Richard Dickie (2012). Sharing an Assessment Ecology: Digital Media, Wikis, and the Social Work of Knowledge. Technical Communication Quarterly. , 21 (1) 25-45. DOI: 10.1080/ 10572252.2012.626756

11

The purpose of this study was to determine how a decentralized learning environment affects the instructors role in the classroom and authority. Selfe and Dickie (2012) asked the following questions: What were the behaviors that instructors expected to observe from student learners? How did the instructional design of the course prepare students to learn in a decentralized environment? Did instructors perceive any unexpected events as taking place on the wikis? What kinds of adjustments did instructors make along the way? How well did students create independent study habits and how was this assessed? How were students involved with assessment and how were records kept? (p. 43)

The review of the literature showed, for the most part, how wikis failed to meet expectations, interfered with collaboration and sometimes even distorted the relationship between teacher and student. The researchers concluded that based on the review of literature, wiki use should require a decentralized approach that reflect the social dynamics of the situation, and this decentralized direction is the current focus of research in the field. Methodology The research consisted of a qualitative study involving three case studies of instructors, assessing student projects and the influence of inside and outside stakeholders. Results and Discussions The researchers found that even though the instructors decentralized their authority in the course in order to put students in charge of learning, they still maintained their role as experts. Allowing students their own space to discover learning benefited their growth by allowing them to be responsible for learning.

Novakovich/Hot Topics

12

Mattox, John (2012) Measuring the effectiveness of informal learning methodologies, T + D, 66 (2) p 48-54. The purpose of this professional publication is to determine ways to evaluate informal learning methods. The author first defined formal, informal, and nonformal learning. The trainers set the objectives for formal learning. Informal learning is self determined and objectives are set by the learners. Nonformal learning is set by a member of the organization that is not a part of the trainees normal chain of command. Evaluations for informal learning consist of web analytics, surveys, polls, interviews and focus groups. Web analytics can be collected at any point of need. The researchers answered the following questions: How do you define formal, informal, and nonformal learning? How do you evaluate informal learning? In order to convey how to evaluate informal learning, the authors needed to define its practices. The author broke the types of informal learning into the following groups: Communities of practice Virtual knowledge Performance support systems and job aids. Methodology The author presented a corporate case study, involving Jet Blue and a four-month certification program for assessment, measurement and evaluation or AME. Results and Discussion The Jet Blue case study demonstrated that frequent surveys provided a necessary complexity of information to allow for a clear analysis of the use and benefits of specific informal learning practices. The feedback allowed Jet Blue to refine the program and save costs. The depth of the evaluation depends on the practice. If learners are visiting communities of practice, online survey measures should be brief to reflect the depth of the visit. What will ultimately determine the evaluation is the learning platform that the learner is utilizing and the amount of time that they use it.

Novakovich/Hot Topics
Ramirez, Artemio and Zhang, Shuangyue (2007) When online meets offline: the effect of modality switching on relational communiation. Communication Monographs 74 (3) 287-310.

13

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of switching modalities from computer-mediated communication to face-to-face interactions. While this research is focused on relational material, it does have value in terms of organizational design and potential barriers to performance. The researchers answered the following question: Does a sustained online relationship lead to a higher positive outcome after modalities are switched? The research was based on social presence theory (Short, Williams & Christie 1976) that contends that early computer-mediated communications are information deficient. Methodology The study consisted of a large sample (864) of university students from a Midwestern university who were given a chance to participate in a nine week study for extra credit. Students were paired with students that they had never met and modalities were switched early, midway and late during the nine-week term. Results and Discussion The researchers found that optimal relationships were formed through computermediated communications rather than through face-to-face communications. If modalities were switched, the next best relationships were formed if the switching occurred right away since heightened expectations, in terms of idealization were not in place. The longer the wait between modality switching, the worse or more negative the outcome. The researchers speculated that visual anonymity is best since the average persons look is rather average.

Novakovich/Hot Topics
Wodzicki, Katrin, Schwammlein, Eva, Moskaliuk, Johannes (2012). Actually, I wanted to learn: study-related knowledge exchange on social networking sites. Internet and Higher Education 14 9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc. 2011.05.008

14

The purpose of the research was to determine how teenagers and young adults use social media or social networking sites for informal learning in order to improve the design of educational technologies. The researchers asked the following questions:

Do students communicate about social issues as well as study-related content? Do students who are primarily interested in social communication also have more interest in knowledge communication? Do students create informal collaborative groups for knowledge exchange and what types of study-related activities do they do? What types of social learning groups exist and how do they differ?

The review of literature began with the use of social media and the potential to design online environments to foster learning. Early research focused on identity management and how college students use social media primarily to integrate socially and secondarily for informal learning. Methodology The researchers conducted three studies focused on German college students use of StudiVZ, a popular social network. The first study consisted of a survey of a convenience sample of nearly 800 users. The second study asked the same participants to participate in an online study of StudiVZ groups and consisted of a survey; one hundred and forty students agreed to participate. The third study was based on actual data gathered from the StudiVZ online site. Results and Discussion The results of the first study showed that people connected online via StudiVZ in order to become socially integrated on campus. The students who were intensive in terms of time spent, were interested in exchanging information about knowledge. The results of both study two and three demonstrated that one half of the students formed social groups and half of them were study related.

Novakovich/Hot Topics

15

References Allen, M., Naughton, J., & Ellis, R. (2011) Social Learning. T+D, 65(8), 50-55. Chen, Liwen (2012). Trainees perceptions on using microblog to support formative evaluation: a q-methodology study. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 4 (3) 235-246. Costello, Lisa (2011) The new art of revision? Research papers, blogs, and the firstyear composition classroom. TETYC 12 p. 151-167. Couros, Alec (2009) Open, connected, socialimplications for educational design. Campus-Wide Information Systems 26 (3) 232-239. Dabbagh, Nada & Kitsantas, Anastasia (2011) Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning, The Internet and Higher Education, 15 (2) 3-8. 1 Doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.06.002. Heiberger G. & Harper R. (2008) Have you Facebooked Astin lately? Using technology to increase student involvement. In Using Emerging Technologies to Enhance Student Engagement. New Directions for Student Services Issue#124 (eds R. Junco&D.M. Timm), pp. 1935. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. Heibergert & E. Loken (2011) The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 27, 119-132. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00387.x Lampe, C., Wohn, D. Y., Vitak, J., Ellison, N. B., & Wash, R. (2011) Student use of facebook for organizing collaborative classroom activities. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6(3), 329-347. doi:10.1007/s11412-011-9115-y

Novakovich/Hot Topics
Manion, Christopher E.; Selfe, Richard Dickie (2012) Sharing an Assessment

16

Ecology: Digital Media, Wikis, and the Social Work of Knowledge. Technical Communication Quarterly. , 21 (1) 25-45. DOI: 10.1080/10572252.2012.626756 Mattox, John (2012), Measuring the effectiveness of informal learning methodologies, T + D, 66 (2) p 48-54. Ramirez, Artemio and Zhang, Shuangyue (2007) When online meets offline: the effect of modality switching on relational communiation. Communication Monographs 74 (3) 287-310. Short, J., Williams, E., & Christie, B. (1976). The social psychology of telecommunications . London: Wiley. Wodzicki, Katrin, Schwammlein, Eva, Moskaliuk, Johannes (2012) Actually, I wanted to learn: study-related knowledge exchange on social networking sites. Internet and Higher Education 14 9-14. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.05.008