Social media: changing the way we teach and changing the way we learn

Social media has become ubiquitous in the daily personal lives of students and teachers alike. But the question remains if social media should be integrated effectively in higher education or if it should be left out in the realm outside the classroom. This paper explores how students use social media in school, whether or not they find social media useful in the learning process and provides further discussion on the importance of adopting a social media strategy in the education sector. The authors facilitated a study in 2010 and a follow-up survey in 2011 to students taking the course International Media and Entertainment Management at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands to assess how students are using social media in a learning environment. The study reveals a need for social media to be used as a learning tool in order to promote active participation through content creation and encourage a virtual space for dynamic dialogue which in turn helps link formal and informal learning connecting students, teachers, and colleagues around the world. But more complex issues such as privacy, copyright, policing and governance of social media needs to be addressed.