Social Media Milestones: A brief lesson on the historical timeline & impact on learning

There is an entire historical timeline depicting how far and wide Social Media has grown. In retrospect, I have gained a greater appreciation for the various social media platforms given that exponential growth. 



Diagram 1 History of social media from 1978-2015 (Johnson, n.d., as cited in Delonix, n.d.).

It is remarkable to witness how social media has grown beyond 2015, in response to its users' needs, wants and preferences. Those built-in algorithms make it possible because this system works as a sort of tracking mechanism, so your experience is more personalized. Gosh, here's where digital citizenship should be prioritized because everything you do leaves behind that digital footprint. I see your digital footprint as your online signature so you must nurture it well by using social media responsibly. How?

  • by practicing netiquette (that's internet etiquette)
  • by reading those privacy statements (they are long, but the fine print is important)
  • by being respectful of yourself and others (cyberbullying is dangerous)
  • by protecting your mental health (depression and body shaming are real)

Beyond 2015, PODCASTS and LinkedIn seem to have become a staple among (but not limited to) professional communities. On these social media platforms communication, engagement and learning tend to look different. It looks more 'grown-up' if I may say so.

Since learning more about social media and stepping outside of my comfort zone, I have seen how my students across all educational levels react and respond to its use and how it improves their performance:

  • facilitating improved engagement
  • fostering creative and critical thinking
  • improved learner collaboration 
  • enhanced interaction between and among students
  • enhanced interaction between student and teacher/facilitator. 

Always remember, we must know the past in order to build or create a future


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Technophobe to Enthusiast

Image
  My journey through Social Media (SM) began with me as a technophobe. Yes, globally, emerging technology was driving life as we now know it, however, it was moving too quickly for me. [SCREAM] "Another social-media site trying to steal our information!" Not to mention, "I heard these SM sites spy on you....so block your camera!" Phishing, digital predators, cyberbullying, hacking, viruses. These were always my thoughts and memories on hearing of a new SM site, because I was always concerned about my privacy, security, ethics and my capacity to manipulate these sites. Talk about a paranoia fix. I had that really bad. Then I thought that was enough LOOK OUT TECHNOPHOBIA! YOU'RE GOING DOWN! GUESS WHAT! I love SM now and explore them as safely as I can. The key to me now being an ENTHUSIAST: learning as much as possible about the site/platform. exploring the privacy. BECOMING CHILL and GETTING WITH THE PROGRAMME 😁 using and realizing how beneficial these SM sit
Read more

Vlogging.

Image
I always thought for a VLOG to be a VLOG, it needed to be done over a period of time. Now I realize this is not necessarily correct. In reading the literature on it, a VLOG is really meant to capture a person's personal experiences, thoughts, opinions, views and perhaps, just an aspect of the person's life in general via video format. For my first attempt at a VLOG, my VLOG was not completely VLOGGING. It was conversational, experiential, informative, had storytelling elements, ranged appropriately in voice texture and felt natural. It lacked, however, that multi-media component because I became so frustrated with trying to add text and movement, music and images, I stopped. DO NOT ever try to create a VLOG when you are frustrated at the process, because it creates a barrier and for someone like me who moved from technophobe to enthusiast , this is not a positive place to be. Step away from the VLOGGING process and try again. Nobody said it must be perfect the first time . Have
Read more