Using social media in education: for tutors in Centres
Resource summary
This factsheet was published in November 2011.
What is social media?
It is useful to see social media as being built on the foundations of Web2.01 rather than as an isolated set of tools. The term ‘Web2.0’ first came into use in 2004, when it was used as a way of describing new possibilities for end-users, and not just technical experts, to use the web. By the use of simple and usually free read/write tools, it became possible for everyone to create and continuously develop content and applications in a collaborative fashion. Social media then, is an umbrella term covering a potentially unlimited range of online tools and web based applications which exploit the functionality of Web2.0 in order to enable online social interaction and the creation of user generated content.
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- What is social media?
- What kind of interactions do social media tools enable?
- Different forms of social media
- Why is social media important in education?
- How can social media be used in education to enhance learning?
- Addressing concerns about use of social media
- Useful contacts
- References
- Further reading