Social media learning revolution

Continuous improvement and innovations in information communication technologies and growth of online communities have redefined social connections and opened up huge opportunities to revolutionise teaching-learning processes. Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest have enabled people to connect, share information, collaborate and develop scholastic relationships like never before. According to a recent study (www.jeffbullas.com), 72 percent of all internet users and a staggering 89 percent of youth in the 18-29 age group are active on social media. Another global trends study by the US-based comScore indicates that the time spent by youth using social media tools has increased by more than 62 percent in one year (2011-12). This means use of the traditional web fell by more than 500 million hours during the same year. A Tata Consultancy Services Gen-Y survey (2012-13) also reveals that youth aided by affordable bandwidth and smart devices are actively collaborating through social networking tools and building virtual communities. About 75 percent of India™s youth prefer social media over phone calls to communicate, with a rising number of students using the net for school-related tasks. The contribution potential of the internet and social media to education can be easily gauged if we take the following factors into account: Several research studies estimate that 75 percent of students trust advice from online friends. This is three times the number who trust traditional media. One in every three internet users refers to user-generated content to make education decisions. It has become very easy to collect, collaborate, interact and share valuable information. Although there™s a massive volume of education information available online, the missing factor is two-way communication. With the rapid multiplication of professional social networking sites, this lacuna has been filled. Such information is trusted as it emanates from independent sources and not from education institutions with enrolment objectives. All this indicates that active web and social media users could greatly benefit from learning through social networking. Even conservative academic dons are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of social networking in higher education in particular. The USP (unique sales proposition) of learning through social networks is two-way interactive communication which engages users, an advantage which e-learning platforms seldom offer. Learning through social media can be course centric as well as informal, without a pre-defined leader or curriculum. Subjects and topics originate organically from learners themselves. For instance, a group of students may get together to study for a test or merely to learn something new and interesting. They can collaborate and get their queries answered by well-informed subject experts ” students, professors as well as working professionals. Many websites and apps offering pre-defined filtering tools eliminate non-credible and non-valuable information and sources from which they originate. Recently, a large number of social learning portals with a single focus ” to satisfy the learning hunger of youth and facilitate knowledge swapping among the like-minded ” have mushroomed. These portals operate on the premise that ˜everyone is a teacher™ and should share their knowledge…