By: Michaella Lesieur
Can we do it?! Sure, we can…but you might want to think about which platforms first and of course do your research. For our first summary I looked at the article “Social Media in Business and Professional Communication Courses: A Survey of Student Preferences” from Business & Professional Communication Courses: A Survey of Student Preference, which inspired my first blog post. This article divulged into the concept of social media usage in the classroom…which has been on my mind this academic year. With the platform we are learning in it had me thinking just how productive social media could be in the classroom and would it truly benefit my students? Or…rather be a distraction?
The article stated that usage of social media can be favored by some and disliked by others. Their research found that more males than females would be interested in connecting on social media with their professors/peers for academics. However, it was also conducted that more females than males use social media. Many voiced concerns of privacy issues and etc…. which is my concern with incorporating it into the classroom. They did mention the use of LinkedIn, which is something I will be using with my students. I feel like this is a platform that is more professional and is a great way to use social media in the classroom as it will help them in defining their place in the job market.
The article stated, “Our study indicates that students would prefer that courses use a professional service such as LinkedIn for class discussions and projects, rather than more socially focused services such as Facebook and Twitter” (9). LinkedIn in is an option for my ENL265 students for their Unit 1 Projects. I also have a few ideas on how to utilize this account throughout the semester.
Examples:
- Discussion: For class discussion starters… What did you find on LinkedIn this week or learn about?
- Research: Look at job ads and view the qualifications they are looking for.
- Concepts: Great way to look at the concepts of style & tone and pull-out examples for zoom based lessons.
When looking at LinkedIn specifically in the classroom I felt the eLearning Industry website was extremely helpful in planning lessons around this tool. In the article “5 Steps To Use LinkedIn For Social Learning” by Christopher Pappas I noted the following:
- Create assignments that work to incorporate LinkedIn into your lessons.
- Use LinkedIn as a research tool.
As suggested by Pappas in the article he stated, “LinkedIn gives online learners the ability to benefit from the experience and knowledge based off their peers and other top professionals, which can significantly increase the effectiveness of the eLearning courses.” With being fully remote right now this is one way I feel our students can connect with not only their colleagues but professionals from the field they are in. I am looking forward to implementing some of these suggestions into my own classes and also seeing what you all think. Has anyone else worked to use LinkedIn to their classrooms? If so, do you feel like students enjoyed engaging in that way?
