MERIDITH DAVIS

OMDE 670

SPRING 2017

LITERATURE REVIEW

Social Media Use in Distance Education: Meeting the Developmental Needs of 21st Century

High School Students

By: Meridith Davis

INTRODUCTION

New communication technologies and social networking sites have become a common element

of adolescent life in the 21st century. Using these new technologies in the distance education

classroom can serve many beneficial purposes. If used safely and effectively in online and

distance education courses social media can engage students and increase knowledge retention in

developmentally appropriate ways for high school aged students. Social media can be a valuable

tool to communicate, collaborate, and educate students in an online environment but there are

also many dangers. With an examination of the developmental readiness of high school aged

students, a set of guidelines can be issued to help teachers navigate both the pitfalls and plusses

of using social media in daily online classroom instruction. Developmental issues that must be

considered include emotional intelligence, communication skills, and personal safety awareness.
When these developmental issues are addressed properly in the lesson planning stage, the use of

social media tools can actively engage students and deepen their knowledge of the subject

matter.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Adolescent Development Research

Existing research on adolescent development gives valuable insight into the teenage mind. Barth

(2015) examines the stages of adolescent development and describes how social media can be

used as a beneficial tool to promote positive interactions and growth in teenagers. During this

period she calls individuation students learn to develop new relationships outside of their

family circle. Communication via social media has led to a higher emotional intelligence than

previous generations, but teenagers are still limited in their verbal and intellectual skills. This can

often lead to emotional confusion for adolescents who do not know how to reconcile their new

freedom (via social media) with their limited understanding of complex relationships. Barth

provides several clinical illustrations to demonstrate how normal developmental dynamics are

being played out on social media and suggests that clinicians must address these issues as they

are introduced in early adolescence.

Best, Manktelow and Taylor (2014) provide a narrative review of adolescent wellbeing in the age

of social media. Through a thorough review of current research the authors identified three areas

of concentration: communication-based approaches, social network based approaches, and

adolescent development approaches. Each of these areas of focus provide insight into the
positive and negative outcomes of social media use in adolescence. The authors discuss both the

benefits and caveats of social networking based on their findings. They found that social media

can lead to increased self-esteem and social support from peers. However, it can also lead to

feelings of depression and social isolation when there are occurrences of cyberbullying. Best, et

al. speculate that online communication tools improve the overall wellbeing of teenagers more

often than not, however, they suggest that more research be conducted to examine the full scope

of social medias influence on adolescents.

Social Media in 9-12 Classrooms

Studies by Greenhow (2011), Allen & Nelson (2013), Sangeeta Namdev (2012), and Liang &

Duffy (2010) all examine the benefits of using social media technology in the high school

classroom. Greenhow provides examples from several disciplines to show the new possibilities

when social networking is used in the classroom in everyday contexts. She relates each of these

instances to the National Education Technology Plan which aims to integrate student-centered

technologies with classroom instruction. Each author has admitted to the many problems that

may arise using social media with teenagers, but assert that further research is needed in order to

identify a balance between curriculum and technology.

Agosto & Abbas (2016), Rutten, et al. (2016) and Lantz-Andersson, Vigmo, & Bowden (2013)

both have examined the use of social media sites in the 9-12 classroom and have provided

examples of safe and effective use. All researchers agree that social media content in the

classroom must be closely monitored and the educational purpose must be reinforced in order to

achieve successful results. Lantz-Andersson, Vigmo, & Bowden (2013) focus their research on

the communication benefits of social media in English education while Rutten, et al. (2016)
explore the networking advantages in high school career exploration. Lantz-Andersson makes a

strong case for using social networking sites as a space for completing language learning

activities. By fostering students communication skills through social media, students will

naturally be more inclined to participate than they would in a traditional classroom setting. The

results of their Facebook study showed that students engaged in dynamic conversations and

collaborative practices using social networking tools. Similar results were seen in the study

conducted by Rutten, et al. (2016). Their career exploration study showed that students improved

their online communication skills as they practiced introducing themselves, sharing experiences,

interacting, and connecting with potential employers on social media sites.

Best Practices & Guidelines

Using social media in the high school classroom poses many challenges. Several studies have

been conducted to examine best practices for using these technology tools with students and

several sets of guidelines have been published providing advice to teachers. Lorenz, Kikkas, &

Laanpere (2012) conducted a qualitative study of students in European countries and their

exposure and reaction to internet safety issues. The spoke with and surveyed both students,

teachers, and parents to find out what types of negative social media incidents they have been

involved in and their reaction to those incidents. The results showed that students have been

involved in many incidents online that their parents and teachers never knew about. These

incidents included cases of sexual harassment, cyberbullying, fraud, privacy invasion, and

slander. Many of the students interviewed admitted that they did not know what to do in those

instances and they did not know how to get help. In response to these results the authors

conclude that changes need to be made in schools IT policies. Students admitted that firewalls
and password protection dont stop them from accessing the internet while at school. Lorenz

argues that the typical stop-block-tell policy that most schools employ isnt working and that

new guidelines must be established. Although the authors do not go into detail with a plan for

new guidelines, they do suggest that schools implement awareness training using common

language for all students.

A set of guidelines is introduced by Agosto & Abbas (2016). The researches worked with ninety-

eight high school students in order to develop their set of best practices for safe social media use.

Their guidelines are as follows:

1. Limit information sharing via privacy settings

2. Withhold optional personal information
3. Use alternate required personal information
4. Limit online friends
5. Think of the general public as your audience
6. Consider the possible consequences before posting information online
7. Remember that anything you post will stay online indefinitely
8. Monitor your online content
9. Change passwords frequently
10. Use common sense online
(Agosto & Abbas, 2016).
Along with their guidelines for students, Agoso devised a set of best practices for teachers and

librarians to follow when using social media with students. Their best practices are as follows:
1. Teach teens about risk-benefit analysis
2. Build on strong adult-teen relationships
3. Offer hands-on lab sessions and live demonstrations
4. Avoid scare tactics; frame lessons in positive terms
5. Use personal stories/testimonials
6. Take advantage of teachable moments
7. Be a social media role model
8. Favor education over restriction

(Agosto & Abbas, 2016).

The best practices suggested by Agosto provide teachers with a starting point when using social

media in the classroom. Yakin &Tinmaz (2015) suggest using pieces of existing educational

theories to support student learning with social media. The educational theories that they discuss
include Uses and Gratification Theory, Social Network Theory, Connectivism, and

Constructivism. The authors believe that these theories can serve as a basis for designing an

educational program using social media. Connectivism and Social Network Theory describe how

ideas are connected and shared among a group of individuals. Uses & Gratifications Theory

explains that students using social media tools may have different reasons and motivations for

using those tools. Constructivist theory examines how new knowledge is constructed and

perceived by individuals. Yakin & Tinmaz suggest that these theories combine to form a

blueprint for how to successfully incorporate social media into instruction.

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