INTEGRATING SOCIAL MEDIA INTO THE INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY COURSE Laura Freberg California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

2012 and the future--Society as a whole is becoming more of a universal, diverse, connected, engaged, and social community.

William James on Teaching  “…in teaching, you must simply work your pupil into such a state of interest in what you are going to teach him that every other object of attention is banished from his mind.” –William James

Why Social Media?  Social Media Revolution Video Social Media Revolution Video

What is social media? Social media combines “a wide range of online, word-of-mouth forums including blogs, company sponsored discussion boards and chat rooms, consumer-to-consumer , consumer product or service ratings websites and forums, Internet discussion boards and forums, microblogs” (Mangold & Faulds, 2009, p. 358).  Social media integrates technology & social interaction with pictures, videos, words, and audio.  It also allows people to share different perspectives and information / stories / experiences among online communities  Power of publishing voice while providing information via multimedia + texts

Opportunities in Social Media Knowledge Sharing Blogs Microblogs Ex. Twitter, Wordpress, Blogger Life Sharing Photos & Videos Social Convergence Crowdsourcing Ex. YouTube, Flickr, Wikis Social Networking Connect Interact Social media life Ex. Facebook, Google+ Business Networking Connect Geolocation Interact Ex. Linkedin, Foursquare Community Building Collaborate Collect Ex. Ning (social networking communities) Ning

Social media & online education Infographic retrieved from

How to incorporate social media into the introductory psychology classroom  Twitter  Set up a class Twitter account (ex. FrebergPSY210)  Have students tweet answers and questions with hashtag #psych or topic for class – have the Twitter stream available for students to view  Follow key Psychologists & Organizations (e.g. APS, APA)  Town Hall Virtual Office Hours on Twitter – Specify a time where students can ask you questions via Twitter  Have students research topics through social searches on Twitter and Twitter applications on current Psychology trends and issues – integrating social media monitoring research and critique Topsy – search engine for Twitter and Google+ based on topics Topsy Hashtags – look at trending topics appearing via Twitter  Facebook  Virtual office hours - Message chat or Discussion on Class Wall on FB  Ask questions and bring conversation to outside of the classroom – like how FB drives social connections and how theory and previous research can back this perspective in class.  Encourage students to share links to news reports or research related to the class topic – be part of the participation grade  Facebook for Educators Facebook for Educators

Topsy Example Twitter feed Retweet #s

 Google+ Google+  Host virtual office hours through Google Hangouts  Meetings via conference calls  Establishing research community within Google + Circles to brainstorm, share, and publish comments and updates.  Mashable Google + Guide Mashable Google + Guide  YouTube and Vimeo  Use videos in the classroom to showcase examples related to class topic  Have students construct a video presentation on topic from class where they have to interview and edit the video to post on the class video sharing page  Infographics Infographics  Have students propose creating an infographic for a topic related to class to share with others that would help them study and prepare for an exam  Include current statistics and scientific research findings – creating a visual and thorough representation of material for students  Infographic Database: Visual.ly & ExampleVisual.lyExample

 Quora Quora  Set up an account to answer questions related to Psychology  Encourage students to answer and ask questions based on research and scientific findings  Conduct research and analysis on which top Psychology journals, researchers, and academic institutions are being cited via Quora.  Network with others who are interested and invested in topics  Emerging Technologies in Mobile  Discussion on role of QR codes and Augmented reality among students related to Psychology topicsAugmented reality topics  Set up the course social media page to be mobile compatible.  Research projects related to analyze current trends on this form of technology  Discussion and insights into how this technology can be used in Psychology (ex. Cockroach Phobia & Augmented Reality)Cockroach Phobia & Augmented Reality

How to incorporate social media into research  Incorporate data mining into analysis of discussions and conversations emerging related to research topic for Psychology classes  Social mention (All social media) Social mention  Topsy Analytics (Twitter + Google+)  Create a centralized website for managing psychology research center (students and professors) brand  Word Press  Tumblr  Content analysis of Quora on Psychology topics – power of crowdsourcing information and user-generated content  Initiate a Wiki for collaborating on research projects and presentations as well as setting up an education portal for student researchers and other collaborators  Post presentations (via Slideshare) and videos (YouTube or Vimeo) highlighting researchSlideshare  Capstone or Senior Projects to create Mobile App to be used for Psychology research or practice  to start process of creating a mobile app

Social Mention Example Hashtag (#tags keyword for searches) Twitter result for #nitop

How to integrate social media into campus life activities (ex. clubs)  Integrate partnerships with other departments to coordinate raising awareness about club activities on campus.  Student bloggers (both traditional and microblogs) sharing updates and information about events.  Connecting social media trends with specialized areas within Psychology (ex. Facebook Connections and Social Psychology, Emergence of Neuromarketing within Social Media, etc).  Formulate a LinkedIn group to coordinate business relationships, recommendations, and showcase resumes & CVs for graduate schools or future jobs.  Initiate video channel highlighting club research, activities, and conference poster & research presentations (YouTube or Vimeo).

Best Practices  To understand how to fully incorporate social media into psychology classes, you have to be consistently engaged on social media personally and professionally  Incorporate social media class policies into the syllabus  Become transdisciplinary – work with other professionals in other disciplines who are also incorporating social media into class & research  Engage in spending a little bit of time each day looking at trends in social media to stay current  Lead by example – set up a personal website, start writing a blog, and be consistently active and present on the various social media platforms.personal website  Educate your department, students, and fellow colleagues within the Psychology community.

Future of Social Media Baekel. T. (April 27, 2009). Where is everyone? Baekel Online Magazine. Retrieved from information/. information/

Social Media Resources  Main resources  Mashable (great social media blog and site):  Social Media Classroom Resources: ommunity/wiki/participatory- media-teaching-and-learning- resources ommunity/wiki/participatory- media-teaching-and-learning- resources  Digital Buzz (latest trends in mobile and other digital media):  The Google of Social Media - Samepoint.com Samepoint.com  Another good search engine - Socialmention.com Socialmention.com  Social Media Influence (Case studies):  Psychology and Social Media Resources  Pew Research Internet Resources: org/ org/  Media Psychology Research Center blog: g/ g/

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH Laura Freberg, Ph.D. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Website: Blog: QR Code for website