This document discusses various social media tools that can be used for educational purposes. It begins by outlining why social media is useful, such as helping to extend dialogue and make any space an educational one. It then discusses personal learning networks and different types of literacy that social media can reinforce. The document provides information on selecting platforms based on factors like usage and cultural relevance. Specific platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter are examined in terms of their functionality and educational applications. Other tools that can be used to curate and share information like Evernote, Feedly, and Vialogues are also overviewed. The document encourages keeping an open dialogue on effectively using social media for learning.

1. Social Media Tools You Can Use:
Community, Communication, and
Literacy
Dr. Ann Gagné
COMMAlive
June 25, 2015

2. Social Media-Why?
• Help extend and foster dialogue in educational spaces
• Ability to make any space an educational space
• Helps reinforce community
• Personal Learning Networks

3. Personal Learning Networks (PLN)
• PLNs are the basis of our learning experiences and are important both
in educational environment but also in the workplace
• Connections, Curation, Network Spread

4. Literacies
• Types of literacy are important in our curriculum and in the workplace
• Each social media tool reinforces specific literacies

5. How Do I Select a Platform?
• Need platform traction & cultural currency (trends)-> keep your goal
in mind!
• Data(from the Pew Research Centre 2014 numbers)
• Facebook has 1.4 billion accounts (90% connected to family, 50% connected
to work colleagues or connections)
• LinkedIn 347 million accounts (oldest demographic, college graduates more
than 50%)
• Instagram 300 million accounts (main user demographic under 25)
• Twitter 288 million accounts (same amount of advertising investment as
LinkedIn)
• Tumblr 230 million accounts

6. LinkedIn
• Excellent for finding and vetting potential employees/employers
• For modules that speak to preparing documents for employment this is something
that you HAVE to cover
• Elements: Picture, Information, Education, Experience…Badges (Skills)

7. Instagram
• Visual literacy is an important point
• But what is the larger communicative piece here?
• Your Instagram is my art
• Need to make these teachable moments in social media usage
(privacy, ethical literacy)

8. Twitter
• Because it increases knowledge mobilization
• Because it gives you access to scholars from around the world
• Because digital literacy and information literacy are a necessity
• Because it provides alternative pedagogical models and tools to use in
the classroom

9. Setting Up Your Twitter
• Pick a handle that is easy to
remember & type (eg.
@bestSenecabusinesssclass is
too long) (15 character limit)
• Don’t be an egg (create visual
connection)
• Make your “About” clear &
interesting- communicate!
• Might want to add the URL to
blog if you have one (again
linking communication)

10. Using Tweets as Communicative Practice
• Remember only have 140 characters so emphasizes need to be
creative
• Also there needs to be room for hashtags where pertinent and
necessary
• Add a voice!! Don’t be a ReTweet Queen or King (This is the value
added piece, a space for critical thinking and analysis)

11. Twitter Options in the Classroom
• Class hashtag for announcements and info
• Twitter assignments
• Have the students use the tools on the websites in order to embed
and disseminate info

12. Tools that Connect to Twitter
• Bitly (link shortener)
https://bitly.com/
• Hootsuite (manages Twitter)
https://hootsuite.com/plans/free

13. Evernote
• Curate & annotate
articles
• Works on mobile &
directly from browser
• Makes annotated
bibliographies fun &
easy
• Find resources & put
them in a shared
notebook

14. Evernote
WebClipper

15. Feedly
• A place to curate all your RSS feeds in one place
• Can be managed through Gmail (or other emails)
• Many companies send out briefings, reports, or press releases through RSS
so it can be disseminated quickly to many parties (really simple syndication)

16. Vialogues
• A way to annotate video easily
and effectively to the second.
• Can increase communication
across many types of media
• High use of many types of core
literacies
• Seneca Library video example

17. Tumblr
• Strengths: Combination of visual and text means information can be
contextualized
• Nice way to curate and elaborate on visual components
• http://academicarchitecture.tumblr.com/
• Weakness: Tracing source becomes excessively difficult which
reinforces poor citational practices

18. Questions?

19. Contact me!
Let’s keep this dialogue going!
ann.gagne@senecacollege.ca
Twitter: @AnnGagne