13 Enlightening Case Studies of Social Media in the Classroom
Social media is the thing right now. It provides a way to connect people of similar (or dissimilar) interests from around the world. Social media also provides networking tools for professionals and even for job hunters. And it offers a platform for friends and family to keep up with each other.
But social media isn’t just for professionals, computer geeks and families who prefer not to send email; increasingly, social media is becoming a part of the classroom. It is possible to use social media in such a way as to enhance the learning environment, and to provide an education. Here are 13 case studies that show that social media does have a place in the classroom:
1. City University of New York: Newsgathering with Social Media
It isn’t surprising that social media is used in newsgathering. Indeed, it’s fairly clear that many journalists are finding use in social networks when it comes to locating sources, finding supplemental information and learning about items of interest. As a result, Jeff Jarvis, a professor at the City University of New York, is teaching a class on using social media for newsgathering.
This is a graduate level class in the Graduate School of Journalism that teaches students that they can use real-time searches to find breaking news — and to find comments on that breaking news. Examples of social media search used in the class include Twitter, FriendFeed, Scoopler and SearchMerge, a service that allows you to search, in real time, a number of sites. Practical, in-class demonstrations are helping the next generation of journalists learn how to make use of all the tools at their disposal.
2. Stanford University: Showcasing Faculty and Student Work on Facebook
Many universities are interested in sharing projects with the world — not to mention educating others in the school. To that end, Stanford University is providing access to faculty and student projects on its Facebook page. Students looking for inspiration for projects can see videos, pictures and other previously done projects.
Also, gathering this information into one place makes it a little bit easier to search for news and research being done at Stanford. The university has multiple pages, making it easy to locate information on the Green Library, hospital and a number of the colleges and departments. Stanford University also offers Facebook office hours, at which time faculty is available to answer questions on Facebook.
3. Vestavia Hills High Schol in Birmingham, Alabama: Twittering Lesson Plans
Chris Copeland is all about using Twitter to help his students. He has a Twitter profile (@ccopeland), and we Twitters lesson plans and notes, as well as answers questions. He teaches language arts in Birmingham, Alabama, helping students learn more about literature and how to love it. His tweets make it easier to keep up with what’s going on.
Additionally, Copeland points out that using Twitter to share lesson plans can help other teachers get good idea for their own lessons. And, it helps teachers keep things straight. It can also serve as a record of what has been happening in the classroom, which means that absent students can get an idea of what they are missing, and prepare for lessons when they return.
4. Northwestern University: “NewsMixer”
In a class with a practical application, students at the Medill School of Journalism created the “NewsMixer.” The idea was to pull local, national and global news from a variety of sources. There are places for users to connect, integration with Facebook, the opportunity to write letters and share quips. It is basically a social network created by the students. The Web site is pretty much dead right now, but the practical application of creating one’s own social network, right in the classroom, is definitely an inspiration.
Encouraging students to explore using technology, and use their own creativity to create their own social network, is a great, hands-on activity that can translate into the “real world,” teaching technology skills, and providing valuable marketing knowledge and offering insight into how social media works.
5. Stockholm University: Streaming Seminars
Sometimes, students can’t make it to seminars and other events. Broadcasting these events is a good way to help them reach a wider student audience. Stockholm University in Sweden provided a live streaming video of an environmental seminar that allowed students to watch remotely, or save and watch later. The university also used this technique for a seminar on file sharing.
It is easy to see that such a use has immense application in the classroom. It would be possible to watch presentations from other schools, and to “attend” lectures remotely. Additionally, it would be useful to students to be able to replay seminars and lectures to look for information they might have missed the first time around.
6. Orono Middle School, Long Lake, Minnesota: Tech Wiki
Orono Middle School has a great tech wiki that can be used by students and teachers alike. The tech wiki is a great place to ask questions, and find answers. It includes interactive tutorials on a number of subjects, as well as provides information for students.
Caitlin Cahill (@CCahillMN), one of the technology folks at Orono Middle School, suggested that it is possible to use Twitter in the classroom to help students learn about a certain subject. Students compete to find resources, and be the first to post to Twitter. It’s like a kind of scavenger hunt, and it teaches students research skills.
7. Duke University: Mobile Web Client
If you are looking to register for classes, check email or even access class notes posted up from professors, it is possible to do so with a mobile Web client. Duke University (as well as Georgia Tech and several other schools) is making it easier to complete a number of tasks using a cell phone. Enhanced learning from anywhere can take place using social media networks and Web clients.
8. Birmingham City University, Great Britain: Degree in Social Networking
If you want to be able to teach social networking like a pro, there is now a place you can turn to. Birmingham City University is offering a year-long Master’s degree in social networking. As you might imagine, course offerings include Facebook and Twitter, as well as other social networks such as Bebo. The idea is to help people learn how to use social media in a number of ways to benefit them, whether it is study skills or marketing skills.
9. Cardiff University, Wales: Tweprints
Looking for help finding peer-reviewed information for a science paper or project? Tweprints can help. Robert J. Simpson, a Ph.D. student at Cardiff University, began a project that puts twitter information about scientific papers in one place. It even includes the arXiv ID number, so it is easy to track down the papers themselves online. It is even possible to narrow your search by category (astrophysics, maths, condensed matter, etc.) This is a useful tool that students can use for a number of purposes.
10. University Laboratory High School, Illinois: Twittering Dante
Want to learn more about a great piece of literature? Steve Rayburn, a teacher at the University Laboratory High School, had his students consider Dante’s Divine Comedy. Students used Twitter to post updates from Dante to Beatrice for inside each of the nine circles of Hell. Not only did it require students to read the assignments, but it also got them excited about it — and thinking about what they would post.
11. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: YouTube
You can put up your own YouTube channel, creating videos and providing ingormation. The University of North Carolina offers a number of helpful videos for students and faculty alike on its YouTube channel. Videos relating to health and medicine, business and information technology can supplement student learning, and be used as teaching aids in thse classroom.
12. Georgia Southern University: Blog for a Social Media Course
Barbara Nixon teaches a course titled “Making Connections: Facebook & Beyond,” which aims to teach communication and networking skills. Not only does the course teach one how to use social media, but it teaches the value of communication with others through online assignments using Twitter and Facebook, as well as other social media Web sites. Students are required to start a blog, and Nixon herself keeps a blog on the class assignments and answers questions through here Twitter account (@barbaranixon)
13. University of Wisconsin, Madison: CoveritLive
In order to facilitate more students listening to a lecture on journalism ethics at the University of Wisconsin, Katy Culver encouraged her students to use CoveritLive. This is a social media tool that can be embedded into a blog or Web site and then used to comment on proceedings, link to appropriate content, and even ask questions. This is a great way to provide distance learning for those who may not be physically present, and offer them a way to ask questions and get answers.
source: http://www.yourversion.com/index.php?p=viewpage&share_id=3674&kz=7ebf22b983946c9ed1b38344bf5c5998f8323207
Social Media Guide for Politicians
Social Media is an evolutionary development that has transformed the way that individuals, organizations and political campaigns are able to communicate. The 2008 US elections were a defining moment for the use of social media in politics. As opposed to previous decades where the primary methods of human contact included in-person dialogue, phone calls, and (in recent years) email, individuals are now able to connect with one another in a viral way. untitled1The world has seen a U.S. President underdog nominee overtake the competition and ultimately win the Presidency by utilizing these new media channels, and now everybody wants to learn how to use social media to boost the success of their campaign.
What must be remembered, however, is that candidates need platforms, personalities, financing, timing, and hard work to pull off a successful run, and in the end, a campaign is a campaign, and new media tools are just that – tools. Tools that if used properly, can provide a candidate with a formidable weapon in their arsenal, but if used incorrectly, they can create a crisis for a candidate’s campaign within minutes of posting.
Fail or succeed, the choice belongs to the campaign teams who are devising their candidate’s strategy. With proper planning & education, social media can be one of the most powerful campaign tools a candidate has. What will your choice be?
If you would like our free guide to integrating social media into your political campaign, please click the icon below.
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The Top 10 Reasons to Monitor Your Brand in Social Media
The Top 10 Reasons to Monitor Your Brand in Social Media - provided by Radian6.
1. The Compliment
Compliments can come in many forms. They can be congratulations messages about a recent award. Or a customer raving about the experience they just had with your product or with customer service. Social media compliments are the online equivalent of references or testimonials, and they deserve your attention. Create a Delicious account or use another social bookmarking utility to save all of these compliments. Include them on your website or your collateral. Potential clients looking for reassurance on a purchase decision will love to see what others think of your company and products.
2. The Complaint
Watch for posts complaining about your products or services, company, and staff. Catching something early means getting a chance to respond and demonstrate your problem solving abilities. A posted complaint may also draw out other similar customer experiences, which provides an opportunity to reach out to them as well. And who knows, impressing customer with great customer service may generate some positive posts about how you resolved the problems.
3. The Expressed Need
The best way to watch for expressed needs is to look for keywords often used to describe those needs. People make known what they are doing and often ask the general public for advice when they are about to make a purchase. Both of these situations provide an opportunity to reach out with an offer of assistance, information, or even a free demo. A
social media poster often appreciates that a company representative is listening and does not mind an offer of assistance expecially if it’s done in a helpful, friendly way.
4. The Competitor
If you are watching your industry and relevant keywords, you will probably be the first to know when a new competitor appears on the scene or when their name is mentioned. This kind of intellgence can highlight opportunities to reach out to potential customers who are trying out a competitor or dissatisfied with a competitor’s product or service. You may also discover which industry players are advocates for competitive brands, giving you the opportunity to reach out and gauge their interest in your capabilities. Competitors will also often talk about subjects they are strategically interested in. Being able to stay on top of those discussions allows you to anticipate future moves.
5. The Crowd
Topics will often pop up online that draw huge crowds. There is a lot to be learned from these discussions, especially when they have the potential to affect your brand. Following the swarms can give you a better understanding of current sentiment about a certain topic, and uncover topics that you may need to keep tabs on. Tracking a topic’s viral nature and
how long it generates buzz can give you an idea of its relative importance, and opportunities to join the conversation at its peak.
6. The Influencer
Influencers within a space can carry a lot of weight. They gain their power from how frequently they post on a topic, the number of people who link to their posts, the number of people gathering to comment and how engaged visitors to their posts become. An influencer’s audience helps spread opinions on a brand faster, and those opinions can have greater
impact. Often an influencer’s post appears prominently in a topic’s Google search results where even more potential customers will see it. Knowing who these influencers are and understanding their opinions of your brands can help you connect with them as advocates, or to understand why they currently hold a negative view.
7. The ROI
There has been a lot of buzz lately on how to successful measure online marketing and outreach campaigns. Much of the focus has centered around the topic of engagement. While a universal engagement metric has yet to be agreed upon there are still a number of effective ways to measure engagement and ROI in general. Track the mentions of a brand in user-generated content before, during and after a campaign. Isolate positive words associated with a particular brand and gauge the number of times they were used over a period of time. Alternatively, you could sort all posts mentioning a particular brand or topic by number of comments or views to uncover the top 50 discussions where engagement was the highest.
8. The Crisis
Discussions happening in social media can serve as an early warning system. By using advanced tools, you can observe new words - especially negative ones - appearing more frequently around your brands, and guide you to the posts where they appear. Tracking these “crisis”words over time can also help gauge the effectiveness of any outreach campaigns
designed to address the underlying issues.
9. The Audit
A brand is the sum of all conversations and is no longer completely controlled by the company. By analyzing social media, a corporation or agency can score a brand’s overall user sentiment, determine which words are commonly associated with it, understand which competitors rank closest in buzz or online mentions, uncover brand advocates, and rank which social media channels contain the most active discussion. By isolating which sites are discussing your brand or a competitor’s brand, an audit can also help pinpoint possible ad placement opportunities for reaching the most valuable and engaged audiences.
10. The Thread
With so many social media channels, conversations often become splintered. A discussion can start on one site and quick leap into another making it rather difficult to follow. Following discussions using associated keywords can help bridge the thread across all types of social media, connecting the conversation for easy analysis. Your customers, prospects and peers are discussing your brand, your industry and your competitors right now in social media: with or without you. Listen, pinpoint the buzz and participate in the conversation.
Social Learning Isn’t Just for Kids: Learning in Public at Conferences and Workshops
Here is a fantastic article from Beth’s Blog: How Non Profits Can Use Social Media, on how social media is shifting the way we all learn…
Social Learning Isn’t Just for Kids: Learning in Public at Conferences and Workshops
This past week was a busy one for leading workshops. I was in Washington, DC where I did a session on social media strategy for a convening of Packard Grantees.
My participation included:
- An interactive presentation on best practices for using social media for external communications
- Peer discussion on use of online tools for collaboration for bounded networks, exploring some of the concepts in Digital Habits (each participant got a copy)
- Half-Day Session: Social Media Strategy Game which included small group work for participants to come up with a strategy for both external communications and an internal learning network to share best practices.
I also lead a workshop on social media strategy for communications professionals who work with networks, nonprofits, and foundations. My reflections are here.
My reflections have mostly that has been around the subject matter of how nonprofits and foundations are thinking about and using social media. But, I’m also interested in improving my skills as a trainer - especially facilitating social learning or learning in public.
I’ve heard that phrase “learning in public” a few times this week and I’m also seeing how social media accelerates this - especially at conferences and other places where we have typically gone for our professional development and opportunities for adult learning.
What is Social Learning or Learning in Public?
Learning in private is what most of us did in school. You wrote your essay, studied your spelling words, took tests (without looking at anyone else’s answers). Learning was an individual, often solitary activity. for many of us, that learning style carried over to our work culture where we are rewarded for our expertise and to keep private what we don’t know.
Many people call me an expert in social media - and when you’ve been given that label there is a certain pressure about having to know everything. It may also happen when you have the word “scholar” in your title too. But, I think that social media is unleashing a new opportunity for social learning or learning in public for adults. (Thanks to Jeris to sending me the link)
And that can be fun too! Certainly less exhausting than having to know everything.
Creating an environment for learning in public means that it is okay to say “I don’t know” about an issue or problem and to ask others what they think. When professionals acknowledge not knowing and reach out to a colleague, it not only opens us to learning, but it signals to others that they can acknowledge that there are things they don’t know - it begins to change the culture - whether that be the training room or within an organization or at a conference. I find myself doing this on Twitter more and more. Retweeting is boring. I want to know what you think.
We are also learning in public when we engage in in-depth conversation whether it is offline or online, for example in the comments of a blog post or asking questions on Twitter. Conversation is a “learning in public” tool – maybe one of the best. Social media is a conversation engine.
Using social media and social networks successfully requires a culture shift away from learning in private to learning public or what Nancy White has called “Over the Shoulder Learning.” How do you do this? How do create an environment where it is okay to learn in public? This environment can be a training workshop or it can be in an organization. The answer comes from Eugene Eric Kim in a recent presentation he did about networks, “Be the Change You Want To See” - it’s about modeling.
Putting It Into Practice As a Facilitator
As social media becomes more and more present at conferences as way to capture, document and share what is happening at conferences, presenters will need to become more comfortable with public learning and integrate a social strategy. Jeremiah Owyang has a terrific post with some advice on how to do this. He suggests:
- Prepare More Than Ever
- Know Your Audience’s Social Technology Adoption.
- Monitor the Backchannel While Speaking
- Develop Backup Resources to Monitor
- Interact with the Audience
- Practice Two-Fisted Speaking
I’ve thought about this pretty deeply for the past few years - how can you make your presentation as responsive and interactive with the audience. During the panel I organized at SXSW last year, I incorporated audience interaction without having to do the two-fisted speaking which is distracting for me. Here’s what I did:
- Created a unique #hashtag for the session and encouraged the audience to use it
- Designated back channel moderators in the room to answer questions, throw links in the discussion while it was happening. Also, I introduced the back channel moderators to the audience at the beginning and at appropriate times ask them to verbalize what they were reading in the Twitter stream and we addressed.
For the preparation piece, I spend more time researching the audience than anything else. If follow their social media ant trails and screen capture examples that show up in my presentations. I even ask them to twitter their answers or provide more insights for the audience via the back channel. I tell the audience up front that they might be part of the presentation.
Illustration by Carl Haggerty via David Wilcox, Social Reporter
See larger illustration here
Offline/Online Interaction
Many conferences have an intentional, overall social strategy to raise the profile of the conference or document the learning. Next week the Communications Network Conference will unleash a Gorilla Capture Team who live twitter, use FLIP cameras, digital cameras, and blogs to cover the conference. They’ve set up some fabulous training materials and guidelines for the capture team.
- Overview of Launch Meeting
- Deployment Packet
- Twitter Training Notes and Audio File
- Flip Cam Training Training Video, and Audio File
- Agenda with Twitter IDs
I love the way they’ve made fun for the capture team to document the conference and their evaluation questionnaire. What I wonder about is the next step of engaging people or sharing the learning with people who are not in the room?
I know as part of my social strategy for presenting, I’m live tweeting to people who aren’t in the room but could add to the conversation.
David Wilcox shared the above diagram from Carl Haggerty that illustrates this point.
- Are you learning public?
- Is your organization engaging in social learning?
- Why or why not?
The power to define and control a brand is shifting from corporations and institutions to individuals and communities.
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