Sunday, March 31, 2013

Empirical Evidence


          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.