This document discusses using technology and social media to engage students and support learning. It notes that students spend over 27 hours per week online, including 5 hours on social media. Technology can support different learning styles and needs, as well as innovation in teaching. Popular platforms discussed include YouTube, Twitter, blogs, and learning management systems. Examples provided of using YouTube for documentaries, SlideShare for sharing slides, and SurveyMonkey for scheduling meetings. The conclusion advocates integrating tools to supplement teaching while considering students' preferences and the relevance, accessibility, and efficiency of each platform.

1. Using Technology and Social
Media in Engaging Students and
Supporting Their Learning
Urban Jaksa, PhD student (Politics)
The YLTA Learning and Teaching Symposium
10th and 11th March 2016

2. Contents
1. Introduction
2. Why do we need technology and social
media in class?
3. Overview and critical assessment of different
technology and SM available
4. Examples from practice
5. Conclusions

3. Introduction: why do we need technology and
SM in class?
 The importance of Web 2.0 and SN in the life of students
 Young people in UK aged between 16 and 24 spend more than 27 hours a week on the
internet, about 20% (more than 5 hours) of this is spent on SN (Ofcom’s Media Use and
Attitudes 2015 report)
 Supporting different learning needs and styles
 Some people who are reluctant to speak in class find it easier to communicate in an
indirect way, through an online platform. Some students feel insecure when asked
questions in class, some just need a bit more time to prepare their reply - technology
gives them the option to take as much time as they need and to prepare their reply in a
safe environment
 Different cultural backgrounds, learning impairments, disabilities
 Hung & Yuen (2010) found that participants who were supported in learning through the use
od social media as a supplementary tool “developed strong feelings of social connectedness
and expressed favorable feelings regarding their learning experiences.”

4. Source: Ofcom’s Media Use and Attitudes 2015 report

6. Introduction: why do we need technology
and SM in class?
 Innovation and creativity
 One of the aims of the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting
learning in higher education is to foster
“dynamic approaches to teaching and learning through creativity, innovation
and continuous development in diverse academic and/or professional settings”
(Source: UKPSF 2011)
 Student-centered learning and the new media
 Motschnig-Pitrik and Holzinger (2002): Student-Centered Teaching can yield better
results, but is more demanding in terms of communication, organization, and the
provision of learning material. New technologies and social media can facilitate and
support this.

7. Overview and critical assessment of different
technology and SM available
 Popular but limited use in class:
 Facebook, Google+ (groups)
 LinkedIN (career oriented; projects)
 Popular and useful in teaching:
 Twitter (very open)
 YouTube (either open or closed)
 Instagram/Pinterest (good for pictures)
 Blogs: wordpress, blogspace (good for text)
 Specialised learning platforms
 Provided by the university (VLE), open source (Moodle, eFront),
commercial (Blackboard)
 More specific, less well-known:
 Wikigroups (discussion)
 SurveyMonkey (time slots)
 SlideShare (presentations, slides)

8. Examples from experience
 YouTube
 Documentaries
 Play next, Channels
 Slideshare
 My slides: no need to write, can focus on listening
 Useful for revision
 Survey Monkey
 For essay feedback and individual consultations
 A useful tool to agree
to agree on a
time slot

9. Conclusions and tips
Learn about the preferences of your students; don’t
be creative for creativity’s sake – your task (in using
technology and SM) is to support student learning
It’s good to know what is out there and what you can
use to facilitate your teaching
Assess the relevance, accessibility, appeal, ease of
use, and efficiency of the tool for students
Integrate the tools in your teaching – they are a
supplement, not an alternative and definitely not a
panacea

10. Sources
 Heather Fry, Steve Ketteridge and Stephanie Marshall (editors). (2009).
A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. New York: Routeledge.
 Renate Motschnig-Pitrik, & Andreas Holzinger. (2002). Student-Centered Teaching
Meets New Media: Concept and Case Study. Journal of Educational Technology &
Society, 5(4), 160–172.
 Hsiu-Ting Hung & Steve Chi-Yin Yuen. (2010). Educational use of social networking
technology in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education Vol. 15, Iss. 6.
 The UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in
higher education 2011, available at:
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/ukpsf_2011_english.pdf
 Ofcom’s Media Use and Attitudes 2015 report, available at:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/media-literacy/media-lit-
10years/2015_Adults_media_use_and_attitudes_report.pdf

11. Thank you for your
attention!
Email: uj508@York.ac.uk
YouTube:
SlideShare:
Questions?