Social+Media

= = = **Social Media** = Ekaterina Katzarova media type="custom" key="18932192" align="center"

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition, Social media are “forms of electronic communication… through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content (as videos).”
 * Description and Uses of Technology **

Social media, indeed, is a way to talk and share knowledge; as such it uses a range of online tools. For this Social media topic I will be focusing on the video-sharing website YouTube, “where users can upload, view and share videos” (Hopkins, 2006, p. 1).

Many times students find five-minute YouTube clips to be “even more useful than their textbooks” (Bascaramurty, 2010, p. 1). From elementary school to the doctoral level, students experience the supplemental effect of YouTube and “have turned to the video-sharing site's collection of millions of instructional videos” (Bascaramurty, 2010, p. 1).

In addition, learners are using YouTube as a review source to refresh their knowledge before a quiz, or a test. YouTube also offers to the learning community an option to learn about subjects that their school does not have access to. Another asset of the video-sharing website is that it can serve different learning styles, for instance, many students are visual learners and by watching educational videos they are often more engaged than reading countless pages of their textbook regarding the concept in question (Bascaramurty, 2010, p. 1).

It is essential that educators be aware of how to recognize which videos are effective learning tools and which ones are ineffective before plunging into YouTube in class. Berk (2009) suggests a guideline for selecting appropriate videos for classroom usage. He writes that the educator should consider students’ characteristics, the offensiveness of the video, and the video structure (p. 7). With this in mind, instructors should be able to more effectively address the curriculum and engage their students while integrating videos in their everyday lessons.

As Edutopia Staff suggests, in order for a teacher to integrate technology such as YouTube across the curriculum it must support some key components of learning, such as: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Integration of technology is effective when it is routine and when it supports curricular goals. Thus, when the technology piece is successfully included into content areas, educators mature into “roles of adviser, content expert, and coach” (Edutopia Staff, 2008, p. 1). Therefore, when used this way YouTube helps to support the constructivist design of teaching and learning.

Some good concrete examples how teachers implement YouTube across the curriculum could be found in one literature class on Shakespeare and in some math classes for the Galena Park Schools. Christy Desmet, literature instructor at the University of Georgia, uses YouTube heavily throughout her Shakespeare course for different activities, such as comparing different performances, scenes, and studying plot and characters (Desmet, 2009, p. 68). Dollie Mayeux, a program director for mathematics for the Galena Park school district, shares the practice of the math teachers in the district by using YouTube as a remediation tool by recommending that struggling students watch a video at home which targets particular areas of mathematical difficulties (De Avila, 2008, p. 1).

YouTube can serve as an instructional aide in planning and delivering lessons. As Berk (2009) points out, video technology works well as a mode of instruction because it stimulates the emotional climate in the learning environment. Based on neuroscience and the “pluralistic view of the mind”, Berk (2009) explains that the usage of video affects different aspects of the “human brain’s core intelligences, such as verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial, musical/rhythmic, and emotional” (p. 3). Using all types of intelligences makes learning deeper since the brain learns by combining input in different modes. In this pluralistic context, YouTube plays a crucial role by serving and engaging different types of intelligence.
 * Important Findings on Student Outcomes **

Berk’s theory is confirmed by other researchers. YouTube is a valuable tool, even a “treasure” because it has in store a multitude of “resources from around the globe and nostalgic video from the past” and more importantly “such material has the ability to enhance learning by stimulating multiple senses and anchoring material to the prior knowledge of students” (Jones & Cuthrell, 2011, p. 81). Moreover, YouTube instructional usage could prove to be beneficial from the point of view of learners with particular needs. For example, according to Mayora, English Language Learners (ELLs) could leave direct feedback on the video content and thus be exposed to authentic writing after viewing YouTube educational videos (as cited in Jones & Cuthrell, 2011, p. 78).

Berk (2009) also compiles a detailed list on the learning values and outcomes of videos in the classroom. Among them can be distinguished outcomes that every teacher should be motivated to work toward, such as: grabs students’ attention, focuses students’ concentration, generates interest, creates a sense of anticipation, energizes or relaxes students, improves attitudes toward learning, builds a connection with classmates and instructor, increases memory and understanding of content, provides opportunity for expression, serves as a vehicle for collaboration and motivation, makes learning fun, and creates memorable visual images (p. 2).

By reviewing the research on using YouTube done so far, Jones & Cuthrell (2011, p. 76-78) and Berk (2009, p. 5) demonstrate that many of the researchers agree on the value of using YouTube videos in the classroom and education in general because it activates different types of intelligence and thus addresses different learning styles. As a result it makes teaching and learning more productive and even more pleasurable activities.

**Emerging Trends and Open Issues **
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">According to “YouTube Subtracts Racy and Raucous to Add a Teaching Tool” by Stephanie Strom, “educators are giving YouTube - long dismissed as a storehouse of whimsical, time wasting and occasionally distasteful videos - another look.” YouTube is gaining popularity in schools because of the free educational materials it contains. Due to the numerous distracting videos on the video-sharing web site, Google decided to initiate “YouTube for Schools, offering schools the ability to pluck only the videos they want… and linked only to other related educational videos.” This program provides schools with the ability to allow access to the YouTube EDU educational library, and to specific videos within its network—while blocking the general site (Strom, 2012, p. 14).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">YouTube for Schools has given teachers the opportunity to show popular educational videos in their classroom such as the “famous TED talks on population growth by Hans Rosling among Swedish data presentation expert … [etc]” (Strom, 2012, p. 14).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">One of the challenges to using YouTube in the classroom, according to Jones & Cuthrell (2011) is that many schools use firewalls to block social media, including YouTube (p. 82). In fact, as Strom (2012) argues, in some school districts those who are not so lucky to have the YouTube EDU source and have the main web site of YouTube blocked, resulting in the teachers having to go to immense lengths to show videos they believe enhance their lessons.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The teachers try their best at finding other ways to pass the YouTube block by using their own laptops or even opening the video on their cell phones in order to project the video to their students. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Mr. Connolly from Chicago explained that “the district had banned YouTube originally to ensure compliance with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Law, and to avoid jeopardizing federal financing for technology” (Strom, 2012, p. 14). When this occurs John Tarrant suggests finding other solutions such as searching for and downloading the video at home, then bringing the video to school on a flash drive. This can be simply done by downloading a video-grabbing tool to ones browser such as Total Video Converter. It is important to note that under YouTube’s terms of fair use, YouTube “only [allows] the use of streaming which is “watching the video live as it is delivered by YouTube” (Tarrant, 2008, p. 1). Thus, downloading for later viewing is not allowed but “it is possible to infer that this restriction is more for show purposes than for enforcement” (Tarrant, 2008, p. 1).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">There some critiques of the usage of YouTube in the classroom. Covili (2012), for example, argues that the excessive visual stimulation can lead to diminishing students attention span even more. On the other hand, it does not prevent Covili from admitting that as educators we all agree on the “issue of open access to YouTube for students” since “YouTube isn’t going away, and its impact will only get stronger” (p. 137).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Undoubtedly, YouTube has already paved its way to our classrooms. When used wisely, it could promote, and return an increase in understanding and in memorizing content. The usage of videos could make learning successful because it activates different types of intelligence and learning styles through different modes of representation. It gives teachers a valuable tool to support instruction and illustrate content across the curriculum. It could be used as a supplemental (if there is a scarcity of information) or a remediation tool (if there is a need to continue practicing content at home).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">It is a common truth that we, as human beings, learn more effectively when we have fun and like our learning environment. Thus, by using the YouTube as one of the social media tools, teaching and learning become more pleasurable and therefore more effective educational activities.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Bascaramurty, Dakshana. (2010, May 10). YouTube videos help stumped students. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from []
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 15.5pt;">References **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Berk, R.A. (2009). Multimedia teaching with video clips: TV, movies, YouTube, and mtvU in the college classroom. International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 5(1), 1-21. Retrieved from: []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Covili, Jared. (2012). YouTube. Going google: powerful tools for 21st century learning (137-153). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Publishers.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">De Avila, J. (2008, March 26). Teachers tap video-sharing in the classroom.Wall Street Journal, pp. D.1-D.1. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/399019830?accountid=2909

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Desmet, Christy. (2009). Teaching Shakespeare with YouTube. English Journal, 99 (1), 65-70. Retrieved from: []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Edutopia Staff. (2008, March 16). There's a place for tech in every classroom. [Supplemental Material] Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum? The Reasons Are Many. Retrieved from: []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Hopkins, Jim (2006, October 11). Surprise! There’s a third YouTube co-founder. USA Today. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Jones, T. & Cuthrell, K. (2011). YouTube: educational potentials and pitfalls. Computers in the Schools, 28 (1), 75-85. doi: 10.1080/07380569.2011.553149

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Strom, S. (2012, Mar 10). YouTube subtracts racy and raucous to add a teaching tool. New York Times, Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/927544442?accountid=2909

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Tarrant, Jon. (September 12, 2008). Geeks speak - flash and grab for free videos. The Times Educational Supplement, Retrieved from []

Reviewed By: (Kelsey Folkert, Peer Review Name 2)