Social Media and Web 2.0 Applications

in the diverse classroomLeah Perdue

What is Social Media?

• In Web 2.0 terms, Social Media is a website that doesn't just give you information, but interacts with you while giving you that information.

• It can be as simple as allowing users to comment on an article or as complicated as using your browser history to recommend sites or services you might enjoy.

• Regular media is a one-way street, where the consumer is given the information, but Social Media is a two-way street where information flows in both directions.

*From: Mashable.com

Still don’t get it?

More people than ever are using social media.

Use among middle and high school student is as high as 78%!

*Statistics from Mashable

Social Media Inundation in America

Percentage of Americans

Percentage of Teens

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Using Social Media

57% of teens who use the Internet could be considered media creators

Teens are living in the most participatory culture ever.

*Statistic from Mashable

Social Media Literacy in teens

76 % of American K-12 teachers use digital media.

However, only 14% of that group uses social media or participatory (wiki-based) sites.

* Statistics from PBS.org

Social Digital0

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The “Digital Divide”

In the classroom...

* From DMS Research

Diversity in Social Media• Social Media is rife with diversity, especially racial

diversity.

• In areas of the country where schools are racially homogenous, social media can be used to increase racial diversity learning.

Seven in ten African-Americans and English-speaking Latinos use social networking sites—significantly higher than the six in ten whites who do so.

Compared with white cell phone owners, African-Americans and Latinos are significantly more likely to use their mobile devices to: use social networking sites, use the internet, and post multimedia content online.

* Statistics from Pew Research Center

Racial Minorities in Social Media

Language Diversity in Social Media

• Facebook is available in more than 37 languages.

• Efforts are being made to include more language learners in social media to improve language skills.

• Communities of language learners exist throughout the social media landscape, utilizing the communication to find immersion in the language and study the culture even more than traditional classes.

*From: Diversity Dimensions

• 12% of Internet users are disabled.

• People with disabilities use social media in the same and for the same reasons as users without disabilities: to connect with friends, share their views and converse with other users.

• People with disabilities may expand the usage of social media and Web 2.0 to look for those who are similarly disabled or for support networks and educational resources.

• Many people whose disabilities impair mobility say that they receive most of their interaction and informal education utilizing social media or Web 2.0 tech like YouTube

Source: Disaboom

Users with disabilities in Social Media

SOCIAL MEDIA

ALLOWSALL

STUDENTS TO

EXPAND THEIR

WORLDS

Twitter4Teachers – a listing of educators using Twitter for their classes

Social Media Primer – a brief video used to develop social media awareness

Edublogs – a blogging service developed for educators and their students

TeacherTube – videos, pictures, audio and docs, all centered around reaching children through Web 2.0

Case for Social Media in Schools – a Mashable article that details why schools should embrcae rather than fear social media.

External Links