THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN BLENDED LEARNING C R Nagendhran, Research scholar, Bharathidasan University, Trichy & Dr. Parthasarathy, Prof and Head, Dept of Lifelong learning, Bharathidasan University, Trichy

Introduction Blended learning has become a prominent method of course content delivery in higher education. Blended learning (BL) combines face-to-face instruction with computer-mediated instruction, and have several advantages over classical classroom education or over distance learning. The use of different social media in teaching is the object of great interest at present, and there are numerous publications on effects and results of its various uses. The use of social network media as part of the blended e-learning system by analyzing the threaded messages of the students by studying its impact on the performance both in group and individual level during collaborative problem solving.

Social Media Definition of Social media Social media is redefining how we relate to each other as humans and how we as humans relate to the organizations that serve us. It is about dialog – two way discussions bringing people together to discover and share information (Solis 2008). “Social media means new opportunities to create and communicate with people that care” (LeFever 2008). Characteristics of social media Participation: social media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who is interested. It blurs the line between media and audience. Openness: most social media services are open to feedback and participation. They encourage voting, comments and the sharing of information. There are rarely any barriers to accessing and making use of content – password-protected content is frowned on.

Characteristics of social media Community: social media allows communities to form quickly and communicate effectively. Communities share common interests, such as a love of photography, a political issue or a favourite TV show. Connectedness: Most kinds of social media thrive on their connectedness, making use of links to other sites, resources and people. Conversation: whereas traditional media is about “broadcast” (content transmitted or distributed to an audience) social media is better seen as a two-way conversation.

Blended Learning Definition of Blended learning The term "blended learning" was used to mean "a mixture of face-to-face and e-learning" and " the use of different internet-based tools including chat rooms, discussion groups, podcasts, and self-assessment tools to support a traditional course". Graham & al. (2003) found that “overwhelmingly people chose BL for three reasons: (1) improved pedagogy, (2) increased access/flexibility, and (3) increased cost effectiveness”.

Designing for blended learning The key steps involved in designing for blended learning should be considered well in advance, and include: Planning for integration of blended learning principles in unit Designing the learning activities and assessment and developing them as required Implementing the blended learning design Evaluating the effectiveness of blended learning designs Making improvements for the next time teach blended unit

Social media in Blended learning Social networking Social networking media let people rendezvous, connect or collaborate, support network of people, share content and services that are more adaptable and responsive to changing needs and goals. Social networking services can be defined as: Web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Facebook-Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. Facebook is made up of six primary components: personal profiles, status updates, networks (geographic regions, schools, and companies), groups, applications and fan pages. Many universities jumped at the opportunity to create an official Facebook presence for their university. Most of students use Facebook to communicate with other students regarding their studies.

Social media in Blended learning YouTube-YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through the Web. Universities have been making videos for 20+ years to aid in recruitment efforts. Flickr-Flickr is an online photo site where users upload photos that can be organized in sets and collections. Universities have found Flickr to be a great tool to easily share photos with students, alumni, faculty and staff.. Blogs-Blogs are a form of online journal. The most popular use of blogs for marketing in higher education is having currently enrolled students’ blog about their lives on campus, as a recruiting initiative in conjunction with admissions. In higher education they’re used by admissions to enlist currently enrolled students to blog about their lives to attract future students to their college. Twitter-Twitter is a cross between instant messaging and blogging that allows users to send short (140-character) updates. They include reasons such as awareness and branding, promoting content, fast feedback, finding new audiences, and marketing – all areas marketers in higher education should have great interest in.

Conclusion Social media offers advancement professionals a great opportunity for keeping in touch with alumni after they graduate. Social networking can be a great resource for recruitment efforts, and could be very beneficial. Social media gives the opportunity to humanize stories of students and alumni of institutions, which can create loyalty and earn future business (students), and ultimately respect. Recent research shows that the educational use of social media have significant potential in collaborative problem solving and blended learning in e-learning systems.