Embedded Files
Social media has become an enormous factor in our current society in which the majority of individuals utilize these applications on a daily basis. Social media is accessed as a tool where students can benefit from and use them to enhance their learnings through making connections, networking online, researching, or sharing knowledge and information. The research conducted showcased ways social media has impacted the classroom through engagement and achievement along with appropriate applications that can be utilized.
Three Research Questions:
Three Research Questions:
RQ1: What social media applications can best be utilized in the elementary classroom for both teachers and students to use to improve academic performance?
RQ1: What social media applications can best be utilized in the elementary classroom for both teachers and students to use to improve academic performance?
There are many social media platforms that can be used with multiple benefits. From both the survey and content analysis, Youtube is a popular social media platform used to share and create videos based on content being taught in class. This application obtains educational videos that are engaging for students for all subject areas. Other applications can include Flipgrid, Instagram, and Twitter. Based on Stamm and Loomis (2023), when choosing applications, educators should ask "Why am I using social media for this activity?" and "Who are you using the tool with?" in order to determine best platform to incorporate into classwork.
RQ2: How can elementary teachers implement social media into their curriculum and everyday learning?
RQ2: How can elementary teachers implement social media into their curriculum and everyday learning?
Social media allows teachers to implement social media into many ways across platforms in the classroom. Teachers use this everyday as a tool, support from other teachers, information on topics, and ideas on activities students can complete on the curriculum topic. Based on Casa-Todd (2019), teachers can create a whole class shared account in which the whole class uses a platform like Twitter to connect to individuals around the world and peers in the same grade as themselves. Based on University of San Diego (n.d.), teachers can incorporate social media through Pinterest with tables, arts, images as well as practice writing, digital literacy skills, and research hashtags on Twitter.
RQ3: How does social media engage students and implement unique learning experiences that help students improve engagement and achievement in the classroom?
RQ3: How does social media engage students and implement unique learning experiences that help students improve engagement and achievement in the classroom?
Social media is effective in which students do not solely just learn inside of the classroom but expand their learning to occur outside of the classroom. Based on Kozlowski and O'Rourke (2021), students can be a part of a community and share multiple unique perspectives with one another. Students can connect with other students and network, conduct polls, and share work with others. Based on Center for Applied Special Technology (n.d.), social media usage can reflect Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies to provide meaningful modes of engagement, representation, and action & expression in classroom.
Limitations
Limitations
Pertaining to this research study conducted, some limitations can reflect the participant sample size. The sample size was only 15 participants as the researcher only received a few responses from teachers they knew and worked with. Another limitation can reflect how there was only selective grade level elementary teachers who participated, there was no 2nd, 3rd, and 7th grade teachers who participated in survey.
Future Research
Future Research
Future research on this research topic can benefit from a larger sample size across different grade levels, experience, districts, and counties. In future research, teachers increased experience can be included through trainings on including social media applications into curriculum and classroom environment. According to Rutgers Graduate School of Education (n.d.), educators often fear learning and incorporating tools they are not comfortable with and feel as if it can go awry. Thus, teachers gaining training can skew the usage of social media applications and impact any future research. In addition, incorporating school board members, parents, students, and school personnel can be effective to study other perceptions and thoughts on the incorporation of social media into classrooms.
Guadalupe Reyes - EDTC 554 Capstone Research Project - University of La Verne
Page updated
Report abuse