Where better to canvass views on the use of social media in academia than on Twitter?
There was lots of interest in our recent seminar 'Using social media to enhance student experience' on Twitter. To get those of you that could not be there on the day involved in the discussion, we set a small Twitter challenge and asked you to share your top tips for using social media. We've compiled some of our favourites below.
We're planning to do this quite regularly, so let us know if you have any suggestions for further topics by leaving a comment below or, well, tweeting us.
And, if you've not had enough Twitter tips already, you can catch up on some of the highlights and discussion from the seminar, as we also curated Twitter updates about the event via Storify.
Ernesto Priego, managing editor, The Comics Grid: @ernestopriego
In social media, no matter your privacy settings, you're accountable for everything you do. Everything's public.
Before clicking 'send', ask yourself: 'what do I want to be known for?' and 'are there others who might find this useful?'
YouTube and Slideshare are also social media. Lots of potential to keep students motivated, encouraging them to produce content.
Case study: How students and faculty use search engines by Oya Y. Rieger (2009)
Chris Gibbons, Durham Business School undergraduate student: @cgibbons
Don't try to be Facebook friends, just be "on" and ready to point towards support/resources
Use social media to advantage in teaching - Wikis, blogs, groups etc - great to engage, share & collaborate
Abhay Adhikari, promotes on digital literacy: @digital_spaces
Social media can be used to share ideas as narratives to engage others & have meaningful conversations.
Use social media to express individual values as keywords. This means others with shared interests can find you!
Ned Potter, information professional: @theREALwikiman
Facebook can be useful to build community among international students here prior to term starting, particularly.
Catherine Cronin, lecturer, National University of Ireland, Galway: @CatherineCronin
Use social media to break down walls of the classroom, enable authentic learning & amplify student voice.
Tom Hay, HE marketer, University of Glamorgan: @acepins
Using social media in HE helps build student confidence in communication. An example from Glamorgan are these student blogs
Louise Stansfield, senior lecturer, Metropolia Business School, Helsinki: @Finnfield
Our students prefer to use Facebook for all collaborative projects rather than the intranet workspaces we provide
Martin Hughes, HE blogger: @universityboy
Social media tools are only tools. Rely on them & you let tools rule you. Learn to use them, don't seek their help.
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