Social media is a relatively new phenomenon, but it’s revolutionizing the way people communicate with each other. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Skype and multi-player online games are being used to keep in touch with friends and family, but they’re making it easier for people all over the world to meet and exchange ideas as well. They’re also changing the way problems are approached and solved: just recently, a a group of gamers was able to decode one of the proteins that the AIDS virus needs to reproduce, something scientists had been trying to achieve for the past ten years. None of the gamers were trained scientists—but together, the crowd sourced gamers were able to crack the code in less than a month.
The success of this project demonstrates how valuable social media can be, as well as the potential of social media in education. Social media has been a tool in education for several years now: teachers and students use the Internet to search for information on subjects for class discussion; elementary school classes use Skype to talk to their e-mail pals from across the country or across the globe; college professors conduct lectures with online video.
But while schools from kindergarten to graduate school are using social media to teach students, teaching social media as a subject is still a new concept. The business world has learned to harness the power of social media through advertising, viral marketing and consumer interaction, and as the business world evolves, colleges and universities are also slowly evolving to teach their students how to use social media in their careers. For students pursuing an IT degree or a business degree, social media is one of the most important tools they can learn. But how can academia harness the power of social media? And how can it be integrated into higher education and taught as a skill students need for the workforce of the future?
Several big-name business schools have added social media to their curricula, and schools with online classes and degree programs are teaching their students to integrate social media into their professional interactions as well. For students attending college right now, these are lessons they can take with them into their first jobs—but for adults already in the workplace, introductory and refresher courses are becoming important: learning to use Facebook and Twitter formally, learning how to match business tactics with social media, and studying successful social media campaigns. Adults already in the workforce may want to talk to their human resources department about conducting in-service sessions on social media or about tuition reimbursement for university classes on social media. Because it’s becoming such an integral part of business, employers and employees alike need to recognize the need for social media education.
The world of social media is constantly changing, but as it becomes more incorporated into our everyday lives, students must study how it’s affecting both personal and professional interactions.
There’s nothing wrong with students engaging into social media. In fact, there is a lot of benefit they will get from it if they will use it in a good manner. Social media should not abuse by people. It must be valued because with the help of social media, they can do research everywhere over the web and learn more beyond the limits. It also enhance their skill in other form of social media, like in photo editing, video, layout and web designing aspect.
[Reply]