Social Media vs. Education [Infographic]
With data spewing around the web about visitors, time spent and return rates for social networking behemoths such as Facebook and Twitter, it is difficult to see where they are going wrong sometimes. OnlineEducation.net have dug deeper than most, gathering and researching data to determine the effects that social media has on student grade performance.
The idea is not to negate the way in which social networking has entered the students’ lives, but to point them in a positive direction. One does not have to close the doors on your online persona just to get ahead at college, they can be used, for example, to pin point your extra-curricular interests instead. The culmination of said research is the infographic below. I attempted a more wordy education infographic in a recent article about Skype being used in the classroom.
Even after addressing some of the key questions about social media the results are mixed. Hopefully after reading this as a student you will be able to see the pros and cons of spending your hours using social media.
Source: onlineeducation.net
Great post, Charlie. I also enjoyed what you wrote about Skype in the classroom, and I applaud the merits of Skype and other such technologies to aid student learning, especially since I am a virtual school teacher. ;) In regards to students spending time on Facebook, Twitter, etc. after school, I think it really depends on parenting style, extracurricular activities, and the child's motivation to perform in school. Having been a teacher in both the traditional and virtual environments, I can attest that social media is an incredible enhancement to the classroom *if used carefully,* especially at middle school level, where social connections are key to their development. My students retained exponentially more efficiently because they were more engaged, they were able to gain information by interacting with their peers, and they acquired new skills that are relevant for this generation. However, as with any tool, social media can only be valuable if used properly.
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