A new book edited by a senior Maltese academic with contributions by both Maltese and foreign academics and researchers is shedding more light on the benefits and pitfalls of using social media in education.
Ġorġ Mallia, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences at the University of Malta and well-known author and cartoonist, is the editor of The Social Classroom – Integrating Social Network Use in Education, published in the US by IGI Global as part of the Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design (AETID) Book Series.
“We have at least recognised that social media is out there and not about to go away. We know that our kids are on it. We do need to be aware more of the massive pitfalls that can lie in the way of its use by those selfsame kids … but on the other hand, we need to be careful not to let those pitfalls blind us to the potential bridge between teachers and students (and between students and students) that social network sites can provide for the various levels of usage (formal and informal) that are possible,” Dr Mallia explained to i-Tech.
“I think we still need, in the main, to understand that changes are prevalent in the minds of our students, particularly the younger ones. There is a processing change that has been induced by the overwhelming influx of technology in their lives and the way it navigates. Sticking to our guns and continuing with what is often a top-down, linear approach to education will work less and less as the intrinsic changes continue.
“Using social network sites is one of the ways in which we can overcome at least a part of the breakdown in communications that tend to happen in the more traditional classrooms.”
Admittedly Dr Mallia had some initial doubts himself over the use of social media in education, especially when imposing a pedagogical agenda. However, through experience and contacts abroad he began to believe that there was a number of ways in which social networks could enhance learning. His call to academic colleagues created an overwhelming wave of response and the chapters in the book are about a third of the proposals received.
“The book was instigated by a need to better understand the changing world around us. The incredible communications revolution that has been triggered by Web 2.0 tools, pre-eminently the presence of social media, reaches into each corner of our existence. Since education is a staple to our reality as social, skilled, and communicative beings, it is impossible that social networking tools and the design of instruction do not meet at some point or other, and this book explores that moment of meeting.”
The contributors to the book cover such topics as Facebook at different levels of education, ethical social and psychological implications of social network sites use in education, individual social networks and their use in instruction, and case studies of social network site use in education.
Three of the 22 chapters in the 550-page book have been written by five Maltese researchers, namely Philip Bonanno, Leonard Busuttil, Vanessa Camilleri, Matthew Montebello and Daniel Xerri. Each contributes a very valid aspect of the multifaceted use of social network sites such as Facebook in education.
“I have a massive respect for what my colleagues at the University of Malta are doing. Many of them supplement their research in their spare time, and the curiosity and need for innovation that fuels the drive of researchers abroad is most definitely present in them. I just wish we had more time allocated to research, and more funding to help us do so. But I suppose that’s the cry of all researchers all over the world,” added Dr Mallia.
Editing a book of international papers if not as easy task, starting from language problems and formatting to finding the right mix between solid, empirical research, literature reviews and actual practice to make the book not just interesting for academics worldwide, but also for practitioners who want models they can follow.
“The intention was to represent as many cultures and approaches as possible, and though Facebook is logically the most represented of social networks, I did not want that to be exclusive. There’s the use of Twitter analysed, and so many others. Even the present phenomenon of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) is explored in one of the chapters. I think that in the end, I got what I had hoped for. I was also lucky to get together an excellent editorial board and group of reviewers made up of like-minded researchers from across the globe. They were a massive help in getting where I wanted to go,” concluded the Maltese academic.