Chen, B.,

From Digital Culture & Society

[edit] Investigating Instructional Strategies for Using Social Media in Formal and Informal Learning

Social media is extremely important tool that is used socially, however in education is it not as common. The idea behind social media is typically known for a unformal situations. Social media is typically known to be used for entertainment. But without acknowledging the possibilities of the platforms industries are missing out on some good opportunities to excel. Social media is being used outside the classroom every day. It is very popular for personal use, but very low percentage of students and instructors use it for an educational tool. The study looks at the use of social media within an education facility. They use telephone interviews to collect their data and looking for the perception of using social media for teaching and learning. The hope is that the instructors will use the form of unformal learning through social media along with the typical formal learning in the classroom. Using social media to integrate a new learning environment for the students. The empirical data provides solid strategies for bringing social media into the classroom. Using technologies like blogs, wikis, media, sharing tools, networking platforms, and virtual worlds. These technologies give interest to how these technologies connect to groups and students through the Internet. Using social media as a tool for educators and how the platforms connect formal and informal learning into new ways to educate. Integrating these strategies will help technologies connect to the platforms. Distinguishing solid research on how social media can be integrated into social media is very important. One of the principles for this is through social learning theories.

Creating a classroom environment that uses both traditional and non-traditional strategies so that the students get the most out of their learning experience. The study suggests that a collaboration from these learning strategies help provide to be more effective for the students in an age where social learning is integrated into the classroom. There are some course management systems which are put into the classroom for formal learning environments. But sites like Blackboard, Sakai, and Moodle are used, but they have very limited in terms of the freedom for online communities for the learners. What limits these is that they often cannot be spanned passed one course, one semester, or one institution. These can give tools for both the instructor and the students to connect into the classroom across the course. It is extremely limited on the freedom of what they can do in a formal learning environment, but it does integrate social media platforms into the classroom.

There are third party tools which are important because platforms like LinkedIn and WordPress integrate members outside the class. The environment of having a more engaging classroom. The way social media can involve students and providing them with tools to connect into educational platforms. Having a balance between connecting educational tools and social media platforms provides a blend between informal and formal learning techniques. The goal of this study is to provide input on how educators can make this change happen. There are some limitations to this study as it is a qualitative research method. One of these is the bias that an individual might have on the topic. When they have a bias, it would influence how the individual would perceive social media in the classroom. Only those who volunteered information participated in the study, but it could still have a bias of having the classrooms integrating social media.

However, the study provides strategies to integrate these technologies into formal and informal education systems. Having the line blurred is beneficial because it allows for the classroom to encourage social and active learning into the classroom. Having an open classroom provides a beneficial learning environment for students and they can use social media practices to help develop skills inside and outside the classroom. Social media can facilitate informal discussions and promote collaborations within the classroom. When a faculty member integrates social media into the classroom it provides opportunities who are looking to integrate the social world into the educational system. Providing important skills like protecting personal information as well as giving alternate assignments online can strengthen some of the skills an individual might need for the future. (Jennifer R)

Chen, B., & Bryer, T. (2012). Investigating instructional strategies for using social media in formal and informal learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(1), 87-104.