Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Liz Beilke
Dr. Amber Strother
English 170
17 April 2019
Research Paper Outline
1. Introduction
a. With this being the technology age, people are on social media every single day.
Social media has continuously been growing in popularity in our society. With
that being said, a growing debate continues on whether or not social media should
be used in an academic setting.
b. The education system has remained relatively the same for many generations.
c. Some experts claim that changing the education system is challenging and social
media in classrooms will negatively impact students’ lives.
d. However, others claim that social media helps students explore other cultures,
teachers connect with students, and social media can positively impact the
education system
e. Thesis: When trying to improve the academic experience in this changing day and
age, it is important to implement social media use in classrooms to better the
academic experience despite some of the arguments against it.
2. Social Media Definition and Digital Native definition
a. According to Vasbø, social media is defined “As online tools that people use to
share content, profiles, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives, and media
itself, thus facilitating conversations and interaction online between groups of
people” (110).
b. According to Chromey, “Digital natives are individuals who are born into a time
where digital technology is commonplace” (2).
3. Changing the education system is challenging
a. According to Ndyalivana, “There are many barriers to use of cellphones at
schools and attitudes of educators towards social networks” (157).
i. Negative attitudes exist within a classroom towards social media use. It is
hard to change people’s minds who have thought this way for a long time.
b. Also, some students feel the same way as educators. “Students’ concerns of social
media might change given the context and design of a class. What is seen as
appropriate use in one situation may be seen as inappropriate in another”
(Chromey, 5).
i. Getting students on board is just as important as getting teachers on board
because ultimately, it affects the students. There is no black and white
answer as to how to incorporate social media in every class. Every class
has a different dynamic and should be evaluated as so.
c. Refute
2000-2500 words
b. Although social media has downfalls like the challenge of changing the education
system and the negative impact on students’ lives with the use of social media in
classrooms the benefits far out-weigh those.
c. Social media gives students the opportunity to connect with different cultures to
learn about firsthand experiences. Also, it gives teachers the opportunity to
connect with students more to personalize the lesson plans and improve
engagement, thus improving grades.
d. Why is this important
i. The education system is not meeting the needs of digital natives as it is
today. Incorporating social media into classrooms will solve this problem.
e. Using social media in classrooms will ultimately benefits the students to improve
their academic experience, which is the main goal of education.
2000-2500 words
Works Cited
Chromey, Kelli J., et al. “Double-Edged Sword: Social Media Use in the
Dyson, Benjamin, et al. “Evaluating the Use of Facebook to Increase Student Engagement and
Understanding in Lecture-Based Classes.” Higher Education, vol. 69, no. 2, 2014, pp.
Lin, Meng-Fen Grace, et al. “Is Social Media Too Social for Class? A Case Study of Twitter
Use.” TechTrends, vol. 57, no. 2, 2013, pp. 39–45. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11528-013-
Ndyalivana, Zukile. “Integrating Social Networks in the Education System: Pros and
Cons.” Educor Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, Dec. 2018, pp. 157–
170. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid&custid=s62220
Vasbø, Kristin Beate, et al. “Being a Learner Using Social Media in School: The Case of
Space2cre8.” Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, vol. 58, no. 1, 2013, pp.