If anything is to be put into an academic context, proof for those making claims must be based on empirical evidence. This rings true for the study of Social Media (SM) as well and must be done if progress can to be made along the policy, education, and treatment fronts. A SM Study at Medford High School will provide quantitative and qualitative data on Standard Usage Rates, Perspectives Behind the Screen, and The Student-Teacher Relationship. For what has up to now been purely anecdotal evidence as to why educators need to intervene in academic Social Media use, a statistical perspective based on empirical evidence will be offered.
For Social Media to be properly used
as a tool by educators we must have an understanding of the environment we're
working in. The SMLP has worked to provide direction for our next steps. This
study will survey the virtual landscape for plans to be made in the near and
distant future. The most simple information on student and teacher Standard
Usage Rates will provide broad spectrum baseline data by demonstrating scope
and scale of what we're working with. Simple information gathered from
classroom surveys, such as how many accounts individuals are linked to on
average, can answer important questions. Returns on this data gathering
investment would represent the first tangible resource for academic Social
Media development.
Quantitative data transitions to
qualitative data as social psychology heavily influences the SM Study's second
method of empirical data collection, Perspectives Behind the Screen. Students
and teachers will be offered a selection of hypothetical scenarios they must
take time to evaluate and then decide on appropriate action. Analyzing transcripts
of their reasoning will provide data on how often they consider consequence
thinking, moral thinking, and ethical thinking. Insights regarding each of
these areas will demonstrate how mature the campus population is acting online
in relation to the Kholberg Stages
of Development. The more mature we are, the more likely academic incentives
will be pursued.
For those students who are
especially engaged with Social Media ethics, delving even deeper with this
subject material offers the chance to collaboratively produce data and
analysis. At this point, the study has been a purely academic pursuit but going
further is treading in new, more personal waters. An interview with an
individual or group from the interested campus population will involve the
active sharing of Social Media content. As this is a reflection of our entire
lives, one could argue research in this area is outside the school's purview.
Getting past this bloc in the interest of transparency is necessary if TheStudent-Teacher Relationship is to have the same influence online as other
actors who utilize Social Media to help pursue incentives. Third parties like
government and corporations have already invested significant time into their
relationship with the general population. It is time for education to do the
same, no matter how significant the possible paradigm shift may be.
Empirical evidence that will be
produced by this study can offer support for policy initiatives, an enhanced
perspective for servicing education, and diagnose areas where treatment is
appropriate. If coordinated with imminent policy changes, the potential for
progressive development in equity, collaboration, and innovation will be realized
on a secure foundation.
