My keynote presentation considers how social media and digital technologies can be utilised effectively to enhance both informal and formal learning. Drawing upon the 5C Framework (Nerantzi and Beckingham 2014) I will share examples of how social media is used to connect, communicate, curate, collaborate and create; and through a student-staff partnership called ‘SMASH’ (Social Media for Academic Studies at Hallam) how with my students we have explored how social media can be used for ‘learning activities’ within and beyond the classroom, to ‘organise learning’ using relevant social media tools to curate and organise information, and the importance of ‘showcasing learning’ to enable students to openly share outcomes and projects.  

1. Using social media to support
learning in HE
Sue Beckingham | @suebecks
Keynote at Wrexham Glyndwr University
Learning and Teaching Conference #WGUEngage18
20 September 2018

2. Social Media is not one single channel
It is a collection of technologies - from social networks
to blogs; ratings and reviews to full-blown
communities; and everything in between - that allow
people to connect with each other, whether that’s
friends connecting with friends, consumers connecting
with brands, or employees connecting with each other.
(Parrish 2016)

3. Social media in education
Refers to the practice of using social media platforms as
a way to enhance the education of students.
Social media is defined as "a group of Internet-based
applications that build on the ideological and
technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow
the creation and exchange of [user-generated content]"
Kaplan and Haenlein 2010

4. Why social media?

5. The first thing students are going to stop using
when they graduate is the VLE.
It is vital that the affordances of technology to
connect, communicate, curate, collaborate and
create are experienced by students and that this
toolbox prepares them for the digital workplace.

6. The use of digital tools within
workplaces has been shown to
increase productivity, catalyse
innovation, and improve the lives
of workers.
NESTA

7. The call for social skills, “soft” skills, emotional intelligence, and the like,
isn’t something new. Employers are constantly stressing the need for
workers who can collaborate and communicate in teams.
Torres 2015
https://hbr.org/2015/08/research-technology-is-only-making-social-skills-more-important

8. Social media facilitates communication and
collaboration across the globe

9. "The use of smart technologies and social media by staff
and students in and out of the classroom has implications
for academic practice in post-compulsory education.
Unlike previous eras of learning with technology, change
is being led by the students and academics themselves
and this establishes a challenge to institutions. This shift
demands that we reassess our understanding of formal
and informal engagement, the physical and virtual
environments we use, and the people we involve."
Andrew Middleton 2015

10. Student outcomes and learning gain

11. Employability and Transferable Skills

12. Perceived barriers to
using social media

13. Social Media extends
beyond Facebook

16. Moran et al 2012
Barriers

17. Moran et al 2012
Barriers
It’s worth noting that the survey had a response rate of 6% and it’s
impossible to tell how generalizable these results are to the greater
population of “all university faculty.” In other words, it’s wholly
possible that the survey sample contained a greater proportion of
faculty who were more likely to use social media (and who were more
likely to use social media in their courses).
Junco 2012

18. "When reflecting on why every teacher isn't
using their computers and Internet
connections productively when schools have
had computers since the early 80s and the
Internet has been in schools since the early
90s, I came up with this metaphor for the
various positions people assume in relation to
the uptake of information and communications
technologies. It might apply at other times of
change as well."
Lindy McKeown (2000)

19. The Pencil Metaphor
Lindy McKeown (2000)
https://web.archive.org/web/20001018135454/http://www.teachers.ash.org.au:80/lindy/pencil/pencil.htm

20. Edutopia 2014

21. Social Media Language
explore, discover, use, buy, ask, engage
skippers, snackers, savvies, stars
Fleming 2016

22. Moore (2014)
Crossing the Chasm
Rogers (1962)
Diffusion of Innovations

23. Social media is still a relatively
new form of communication
and support is important

24. Barriers to effective communication
physical - closed door, location, disabilities
perceptual - hierarchy, world view
emotional - fear, insecurity, hostility
cultural - belonging, unconscious bias, social differences
language - buzzwords, jargon, dialect
gender - style of communication, assertiveness
interpersonal - tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and body language

25. The use of hello as a telephone greeting has
been credited to Thomas Edison
Alexander Graham Bell initially used ahoy (as used
on ships) as a telephone greeting
"One day every
major city in
America will have
a telephone."
1876
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison

26. Important considerations
HURDLES
- loss of control
- identity management
- where does the data go?
- another system to learn
- vulnerabilities
OPPORTUNITIES
- ease of use
- affordable
- personalisation
- transferability
- mobility

27. Intrinsic vs Extrinsic
Motivation
INTRINSIC
Interest driven
sense of achievement
curiosity
enjoyment
purpose
self expression
EXTRINSIC
Outcome driven
grades
praise
money
prizes
promotion

28. Scaffolding

29. Social Technographics
Bernoff 2010

30. The 5C Framework

31. The 5C Framework
The 5C Framework was initially developed as a thematic
framework for the open learning event Bring Your Own
Device for Learning (BYOD4L).
In 2014 it evolved into a pedagogical framework for wider
use, particularly to foster social learning and development
underpinned by critical and creative thinking and action.
Connecting - Communicating
Curating - Collaborating - Creating
Nerantzi and Beckingham 2014

32. 1. CONNECT
creating hooks with individuals and groups
navigate in and in between online and
physical spaces
discovering resources, ideas

33. 2. COMMUNICATE
listening and reaching out
multi-way communication/ dialogue
open sharing

34. 3. CURATE
filtering
organising through themes and tagging
sharing and signposting

35. 4. COLLABORATE
co- constructing
together: process and/or product
supportive co-learning relationships

36. 5. CREATE
individual and social making
playful and experimental
curiosity and interest driven

37. Together
Everyone
Achieves
More

38. The SMASH Framework

39. Background to SMASH
#SocMed16
JESS, CORRAN,
SHER & OLA
Applied &
Awarded Free
Place
First Meeting
First meeting as
the newly formed
SMASH Team with
the four founding
members
Three Pillars
Developed the
Three Pillars
Framework
First Blog Post
Guest Blog Post
DECEMBER
2016
JUNE
2016
MARCH
2016
FEBRUARY
2016

40. Framework – The Three Pillars
Helping staff to identify
and use social media
tools for
communication and
collaboration within
and beyond the
classroom.
Learning
Activities
Showcasing
Learning
Helping students to
prepare digital
portfolios to openly
share outcomes and
projects to develop a
professional online
presence.
Organising
Learning
Helping students and
staff to identify and use
relevant social media
tools to curate and
organise information
relating to learning.

41. Resources
The Initial Framework,
First Infographic
Snow Day Post
Developing a home for a
toolkit which could be used
by others to plan
activities/case studies
How members of staff can
utilise social medias
within their teaching
WEBSITE
BLOG
POSTS
CARD
ACTIVITY

42. Any questions?

43. Using social media to support
learning in HE
My keynote presentation considers how social media and digital
technologies can be utilised effectively to enhance both informal and
formal learning. Drawing upon the 5C Framework (Nerantzi and
Beckingham 2014) I will share examples of how social media is used to
connect, communicate, curate, collaborate and create; and through a
student-staff partnership called ‘SMASH’ (Social Media for Academic
Studies at Hallam) how with my students we have explored how social
media can be used for ‘learning activities’ within and beyond the
classroom, to ‘organise learning’ using relevant social media tools to
curate and organise information, and the importance of ‘showcasing
learning’ to enable students to openly share outcomes and projects.

44. Sue Beckingham | @suebecks
National Teaching Fellow and Principal Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University
with a research interest in the use of social media in education.
Blog: http://socialmediaforlearning.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/suebeckingham
Image credit: Where not notes images used in this presentation are CC0 Creative Commons free for use https://pixabay.com/

45. References
Atkinson, J. (2018) Cyber Cemetery. https://wronghands1.com/2018/09/07/cyber-cemetery/
Bernoff, J. (2010) Social Technographics Defined. https://www.slideshare.net/jbernoff/social-technographics-defined-2010
Fleming, G. (2016) The Data Digest: Forrester’s Social Technographics 2016. Forrester. https://go.forrester.com/blogs/the-data-
digest-forresters-social-technographics-2016/
Husbands, C. and Pearce, J. (2012) What makes great pedagogy? Nine claims from research. National College for School
Leadership. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/329746/what-
makes-great-pedagogy-nine-claims-from-research.pdf
Junco, R. (2012) How today’s higher education faculty use social media infographic. http://blog.reyjunco.com/how-todays-higher-
education-faculty-use-social-media-infographic
Kaplan, A. M. and Haenlein, M. (2010). "Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media". Business
Horizons. 53 (1): 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
McKeown, L. (2000) The Pencil Metaphor
https://web.archive.org/web/20001018135454/http://www.teachers.ash.org.au:80/lindy/pencil/pencil.htm
Middleton, A, (2015) Smart Learning: Teaching and learning with smartphones and tablets

46. References
Moran, M., Seaman, J. and Tinti-Kane, H. (2012) How today’s higher education faculty use social media
https://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/blogswikispodcasts.pdf
Moore (2014) Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers 3rd edn.
Nerantzi, C. and Beckingham, S. (2015) BYOD4L: Learning to use own smart devices for learning and teaching through the 5C framework, in
Middleton, A. (ed.) (2015): Smart learning: teaching and learning with smartphones and tablets in post-compulsory education, pp. 108-126,
Sheffield: MELSIG publication, available at http://melsig.shu.ac.uk/?page_id=503
Nerantzi, C. & Beckingham, S. (2014) BYOD4L – Our Magical Open Box to Enhance Individuals’ Learning Ecologies, in: Jackson, N. & Willis, J.
(eds.) Lifewide Learning and Education in Universities and Colleges E-Book, available at http://www.learninglives.co.uk/e-book.html
NESTA (2018) Delivering digital skills: A guide to preparing the workforce for an inclusive digital economy.
http://www.nesta.org.uk/sites/default/files/delivering_digital_skills.pdf
Parrish (2016) Social Media Strategies are Holding You Back. Forrester Blog https://go.forrester.com/blogs/16-08-01-
social_marketing_strategies_are_holding_you_back/
Rogers (1962) Diffusion of Innovations
Torres, N. (2015) Technology os only making socila skills more important. Harvard Buismess Review. https://hbr.org/2015/08/research-
technology-is-only-making-social-skills-more-important