Collaboration and Engagement: A revolution through Social Media!

In my lifetime, I have seen a huge leap forward in teaching and learning.  The ways in which I learned were invaluable to me but barely resonate with the students in classrooms today.  As our course syllabus outlines, lecturing was originally simply a means of the lecturer reading content to students and while this still occurs in parts of the world, in our classroom environments it doesn’t seem plausible any more.  Making a move to student-centered teaching and collaborative learning in groups and through conversations, shifted the classroom dynamic further beyond what most people probably expected.  The students not only have a large part in their own learning, they have started to determine and in many ways control the outcomes of what happens in classrooms.   There are a number of collaborative learning theories and approaches to learning in the classroom and now mobile technology is allowing for collaborative learning to take on a whole new level using social media tools.  If collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally social act in which participants talk amongst themselves and learn through those conversations (Gerlach, 1994), then why should learning be limited to in-person conversations. Clearly, we have seen the number and variety of conversations taking place online through social media tools so what’s to stop us from using social media to promote and engage students in collaborative learning.  Not only is this a way they are familiar with but they are actively and voluntarily taking part in these conversations.  So the question is how can we influence students to use these social media technologies to promote collaborative learning?  One simple method is a blog, similar to this one and the others being created by colleagues or twitter feeds and exchanges.  Not only does this help students engage but ultimately it connects to the “real world” that many students miss and feel disconnected from when they are in the classroom.  This might be a long stretch but perhaps, we won’t hear as many comments about what they’re learning not being relevant to their lives.  Not only that, but learning then takes place outside of the classroom as much as does within the four walls of a typical classroom.  Furthermore, learners of all learning styles engage at their own pace and comfort level which ultimately enhances learning and interactions rather than hindering them.  In a classroom setting, a more introverted student may choose never to make conversation with a more extroverted student whereas online those barriers don’t exist at the same level.   Essentially maximising connections students can make with each other.  There are definitely challenges of distractions and quality of conversations with online collaboration but with the appropriate work, guidance and damage control in place, it could be a great way to invite students to converse, collaborate, and engage in the social atmospheres of the future! IT's become a revolution. Take a look at the following video that outlines exactly how much of a revolution it has become and where the trend might be headed when it comes to classroom interactions and collaborative learning!

THE SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION:

Reference: Using Social Media to promote Collaboration: http://www.westernu.edu/bin/ime/FacDev_11_SocialMedia.pdf

Submitted by: Safia Dakri