Designing Instruction that Includes Social Media

I recently read an in-progress manuscript about the uses, advantages, and challenges of incorporating social media into instruction (Dennen, in press). Two tables are included, both providing useful summaries. Table 1 provides possible educational uses and descriptions for the major social media platforms/tools. Table 2 provides educational examples with and without social media. When combined, these two tables are a great quick resource for those desiring to incorporate social media into their instructional plans. Most of the educational uses the author discusses are communication related, instructor-to-student or student-to-student. Activities involving content creation (e.g., produce and upload your own video) are also discussed. This makes sense as enhanced communication and content creation are two main facets of social media.

Another key point the author makes is that social media should be used in education when the purposes of the instruction align with the attributes of the social media tool. "The driving force behind social media adoption in educational settings should be the learning objectives and context, not external pressures" (Dennen, in press, p. 10). To this message I exclaim, "Preach!" Incorporating technology and media into instruction can motivate learners, enhance communication, and engage students, but only when there is correct alignment between the tools and the instructional goals.

My instructional experience has always been as both the creator and deliverer of the instruction. While reading the article, it occurred to me that the role someone plays in delivering the instruction and the relationship (or lack thereof) someone has to those receiving the instruction greatly influences the challenges faced. As I see it there are three different roles: 1) Classroom teacher - knows the learner and delivers the instruction, 2) Trainer/online instructor - limited knowledge of learners and delivers the instruction, 3) Instructional designer - does not know the learner and does not deliver the instruction. While these are lose definitions, I think they work in general. I would argue that the more contact the person designing the instruction has with the learner, the easier it is to navigate the challenges and risks surrounding the use of social media for instructional purposes. For example, as a classroom teacher I felt comfortable introducing new forms of media into my instructional plans because I knew my students comfortability levels. I could anticipate what types of help specific students would need, and I was right there to keep them on track and to offer guidance. As an instructional designer, all of these details must be carefully thought out and included in the instructional plan. That seems a lot harder. (But, maybe that is just because I am a bit of a control freak.)

What do you think? How does the role someone plays influence his/her ability to incorporate social media into an instructional plan?