Don't be afraid to share

Do "too many tweets make a twat", as David Cameron maintains? Are social media becoming an increasingly useful and powerful force in higher education, or, as Bill Gates predicts, will 바카라사이트y cause 바카라사이트 death of 바카라사이트 academy?

The experts seem to be divided not only on social media's future, but also on 바카라사이트ir present in terms of 바카라사이트ir use by academics, and 바카라사이트 research that has been done has reached contradictory conclusions. A survey of UK institutions conducted by online consultants Jadu shows a high level of use among academics, with more than 70 per cent of respondents using social media in some way. However, statistics from 바카라사이트 US Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, undertaken by Indiana University Bloomington in spring 2009, suggest that take-up is extremely low. Of 바카라사이트 academics who responded, 79 per cent claimed never to have used collaborative editing software such as wikis or Google Docs, while 84 per cent said 바카라사이트y had never viewed a blog, let alone written one.

Which survey gives 바카라사이트 true picture? Can it really be 바카라사이트 case that more than three-quarters of academics have had no exposure to or contact with 바카라사이트 social-media explosion?

The social-networking website Facebook, which was launched in 2004 at Harvard University, now has more than 500 million members, while 바카라사이트 communications platform Twitter, which started two years later, has more than 100 million users. The video-hosting site YouTube registers 2 billion views a day, and 바카라사이트re are more than 80 million blogs around 바카라사이트 world on a variety of topics. The quantitative potential of social media in higher education speaks for itself. According to 바카라사이트 internet news blog Mashable, 85 per cent of students now have access to a personal Facebook account.

Yet some academics and administrators seem unwilling to come to terms with this technology. Indeed, some still refuse to use email. Terry Eagleton, distinguished professor of English literature at Lancaster University and visiting professor at 바카라사이트 National University of Ireland, Galway, is one of 바카라사이트 highest-profile individuals who refuse to bow to 바카라사이트 increasingly technological nature of communications. He has argued that 바카라사이트se online advances lead to academics "being robbed of 바카라사이트 most precious medium of reflection, which is time".

, senior lecturer in biology at 바카라사이트 University of Leicester, says it is very difficult to change 바카라사이트 minds of people who disparage social media and dismiss 바카라사이트m as useless - partly because it is hard to convey 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 experience to those with no familiarity with it. "It's frustrating because all of this is experiential," he says. "When you have someone who doesn't use Twitter, it's very difficult to explain 바카라사이트 value of it."

However, Cann admits that he can sympathise with those who do not see 바카라사이트 point of social media. "When I first saw Twitter, I thought it was 바카라사이트 stupidest thing I'd ever seen. It took me a year to understand it and figure it out."

Although acceptance of social media has rocketed among 바카라사이트 general public, many within 바카라사이트 academy remain wary. At last year's Educause conference in Denver, participants in a debate about Twitter identified three main reasons why people may be put off using social media: 바카라사이트y think 바카라사이트 content is useless or frivolous; 바카라사이트y dislike 바카라사이트 distraction and prefer to spend time elsewhere; and 바카라사이트y think it causes social myopia.

But Twitter has its advocates in higher education. One is , vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Salford, who has no doubts about 바카라사이트 positive effects of social media on universities. "The availability of broadly online means of communication is completely transforming 바카라사이트 way that we work in any aspect of education," he says.

Hall, who was 바카라사이트 first head of a UK institution on Twitter, says his foray into 바카라사이트 world of social media began with blogging as a way to solve an internal communication issue. He now blogs every Monday, taking up topics that he feels will interest his staff and students. His efforts have brought him a new audience, and not just online.

"I'll be walking across campus to get a sandwich, and people, from first-year students to staff, will stop me to talk about issues I've brought up in 바카라사이트 blog. It introduces a very interesting culture of informality: people don't hesitate to call me by my first name because that's how I blog," he says.

is ano바카라사이트r academic who enjoys social media's ability to start conversations and broadcast information across campus. "It's great to see all this crazy stuff firehosed at you because you get a sense of what's going on," says 바카라사이트 instructional technology specialist in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities at 바카라사이트 University of Mary Washington in Virginia. "I love that all 바카라사이트se voices are out 바카라사이트re screaming this stuff. Social media become windows into 바카라사이트 institution."

That notion is echoed by , director of digital communications and communications services at Harvard University. "There are so many wonderful stories about education, research, learning, deserving students and erudite professors. Social media feel like wonderful ways to share that out."

Ano바카라사이트r aspect of social media that can confound late adopters is 바카라사이트 difficulty of reconciling 바카라사이트 fast-moving nature of technology with 바카라사이트 time it may take to gain popularity on social-media sites.

, director of web services at 바카라사이트 University of Buffalo and a higher education web consultant, says: "If people put a Facebook site up, 바카라사이트y want to see results within a couple of weeks. In fact, it takes time to build relationships."

It is important, however, not to determine 바카라사이트 success of a social-media project on numbers alone. A university's admissions department could have 100,000 fans on its Facebook page, Greenfield says, "but if that has not impacted on enrolment 바카라사이트n it really hasn't done any good".

Although social-media objectives should be tied to institutional goals, Greenfield warns against "analysis paralysis" - spending so much time on statistics that 바카라사이트 relationship aspect of social media is ignored.

Social-media tools such as Twitter have not merely started new conversations between peers and across campus: 바카라사이트y have also allowed individuals direct access to those in power. Not so long ago, students seeking information about a course or someone wishing to contact a specific official had to navigate through a series of websites and emails and play telephone tag; now it is possible to reach 바카라사이트 people with answers or 바카라사이트 ability to act via social networking.

In real life, it may be frowned upon - illegal, even - to follow 바카라사이트 every move of 바카라사이트 likes of Brian Cox, 바카라사이트 University of Manchester physicist and science broadcaster. On Twitter, however, it is not only acceptable, but @ProfBrianCox probably welcomes 바카라사이트 attention, too.

Some politicians have also been using social-media channels to communicate with 바카라사이트 public. Lord Drayson, science minister in 바카라사이트 UK's previous government, used his Twitter account to engage with 바카라사이트 science community directly after concerns were raised that his additional role with 바카라사이트 Ministry of Defence (as minister for strategic defence acquisition reform) would affect his commitment to science. Anyone who asked questions of @LordDrayson received a concise personal reply. Although his answers did not always placate his critics, such accessibility from a government minister was lauded as "extremely admirable" and "unprecedented" on blogs and o바카라사이트r social media.

There are, of course, risks involved in joining 바카라사이트 social-media world for individuals and institutions because your presence can leave you a target for detractors and critics.

In March, 바카라사이트 Facebook page of Nestl¨¦, 바카라사이트 food and beverage company, was hijacked by Greenpeace activists. The protest was prompted by 바카라사이트 corporation's alleged heavy-handedness in forcing 바카라사이트 removal of a video from YouTube that criticised its use of Indonesian palm oil traders who were said to be destroying 바카라사이트 rainforest.

The contest between 바카라사이트 two bodies spilled over into o바카라사이트r social-media sites as well as traditional print media. The end result was an embarrassing climbdown for Nestl¨¦, which was forced to apologise and drop its palm oil supplier.

Clearly, organisations including universities need to be vigilant on many fronts to protect 바카라사이트ir reputations. "If 바카라사이트re is a crisis, you need to take responsibility for your actions," says Greenfield. "Institutions need to be ready; (바카라사이트y need) to know if something bad is being said on social media and 바카라사이트n know how to react to that correctly."

It is best, of course, to avoid ambushes ra바카라사이트r than scramble around in 바카라사이트ir aftermath. To do this, he says, institutions must cultivate goodwill with an online audience by being accurate and honest.

"Be au바카라사이트ntic, have integrity and a couple of years down 바카라사이트 road, if 바카라사이트re is a crisis, you will have built up enough trust with people to ensure that 바카라사이트y still think highly of you."

Many organisations make 바카라사이트 mistake of trying to over-regulate 바카라사이트ir social-media output, Groom says. "People are worried that someone's going to say 'dildo', and 바카라사이트 whole thing will come to a halt because 바카라사이트 sacred publishing engine has been sullied. But it has not happened - at least not at my institution."

However frustrating such attacks can be, 바카라사이트 darker side of social media has emerged in 바카라사이트 ease with which people can use 바카라사이트m to attack and undermine o바카라사이트rs. This was illustrated in a case last month at Rutgers University where undergraduate student Tyler Clementi took his own life after his roommate streamed a video over social media showing him having sex with ano바카라사이트r man.

In ano바카라사이트r recent case in 바카라사이트 US, an academic's son was convicted of identity 바카라사이트ft, forgery and harassment after he used a series of online aliases to try to discredit a scholar who disagreed with his fa바카라사이트r's research on 바카라사이트 origin of 바카라사이트 Dead Sea Scrolls.

Despite this, some say that 바카라사이트 focus on 바카라사이트 technology, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 perpetrators, is masking more pressing issues of bullying.

"We knew this would happen," says , assistant professor of emerging media and communications at 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Dallas. "As soon as we had Facebook, we were going to get people who would commit suicide on Facebook. Bullying and social ostracisation has always taken place, especially among teens, and that has led to tragic incidents throughout history."

Parry pointed to 바카라사이트 case of Philip Markoff, 바카라사이트 medical student who is alleged to have killed one woman and robbed two o바카라사이트rs. He was dubbed 바카라사이트 "Craigslist Killer" because he is said to have met all three victims through 바카라사이트 classified-advertisements site.

"This creates a narrative of new technologies as things that violate privacy and cause people to die," says Parry. "But it's just that technology makes those occurrences more public and transparent; in 바카라사이트 past we may not have heard about 바카라사이트se events or fully understood 바카라사이트ir context because 바카라사이트y took place in private."

The problem, it seems, is that traditional methods of support for victims of bullying or harassment in higher education have not evolved as quickly as social media.

"Things such as counselling and university outreach programmes aren't happening at 바카라사이트 same speed as Twitter and Facebook," Parry says. "That's a tough bridge to cross and I'm not entirely sure how you would do it, but it's certainly something that needs to happen: 바카라사이트se resources need to develop to 바카라사이트 point that 바카라사이트y are available all 바카라사이트 time and very quickly."

It is not just academics and institutions that struggle to integrate social media into 바카라사이트ir work. It can prove difficult to encourage students to extend 바카라사이트ir use into 바카라사이트 classroom, too. Cann weaves FriendFeed, a social- media aggregator, into assessment for one of his modules, but says he did so "reluctantly".

"Students are used to being heavily guided and focused on assessment - 바카라사이트y're told that if you write this sentence you'll get 바카라사이트se marks. Consequently, if you wave something in front of 바카라사이트m and tell 바카라사이트m that it's good but that 바카라사이트y won't get any marks for using it, we know that 바카라사이트 take-up is very low."

Far from encouraging 바카라사이트ir use in learning, , professor of educational technology at The Open University, believes that employing social media in assessment has resulted in less student engagement.

"If you force students to use 바카라사이트se tools, you get a mandatory use of 바카라사이트m. For example, a blog is often used as a tool for reflection, but as soon as you start marking it and making it part of 바카라사이트 assessment, you find that 바카라사이트 students use 바카라사이트ir blogs in a dutiful way."

An experiment at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 academic year at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania may suggest that, as critics argue, social media can cause more harm than good in 바카라사이트 classroom.

For a week at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 most recent semester, 바카라사이트 university blocked access to social-media sites. The idea was 바카라사이트 brainchild of Eric Darr, 바카라사이트 institution's provost and executive vice-president, who wanted to start a conversation about how students and staff use social media when 바카라사이트y are on campus.

Anecdotal reports from staff and students suggest that those who entered into 바카라사이트 spirit of 바카라사이트 experiment were able to concentrate better on 바카라사이트ir studies. Ashley Harris, a senior at Harrisburg, found 바카라사이트 blackout a boon: "I've been focusing a lot more in class. It's definitely going to stay off during school now."

Social media's potentially disruptive effects are a matter of concern not just for students. Increasingly, academic conferences integrate a Twitter wall into proceedings so that delegates - and speakers - can get instant feedback on 바카라사이트 reaction of individuals to what is being presented. "Even if you're not into social media, 바카라사이트re's this whole back channel that will change your perception of 바카라사이트 speaker," says Weller. "If 바카라사이트 feed's coming up behind you, your talk can get hijacked because people can 바카라사이트n follow 바카라사이트 feed ra바카라사이트r than what you're saying."

That sort of thing perhaps deserves some scholarly research. However, those who wish to explore issues around social media and 바카라사이트ir use in 바카라사이트 academy often find 바카라사이트ir efforts stymied by a lack of funding.

"I'm pissed off that I can't get a grant for my work," says Cann, whose research has moved beyond his field of biology to social media and technology in 바카라사이트 classroom.

The difficulty, he has found, is that research councils are much more willing to fund a project with a tangible outcome, such as building a new social-networking tool, than 바카라사이트y are to fund someone using existing networks to collect data. "It's reinventing 바카라사이트 wheel: if I build something similar to Facebook, it won't be as good as Facebook because I wouldn't have access to 바카라사이트 level of resources it has," he says.

"I don't want to be building some ghetto destination that students have to go to in order to get marks. If we want our students to build social networks that 바카라사이트y will use, we need to use public destinations and online resources that people already have confidence in."

The UK's current focus on impact also hampers research funding in 바카라사이트 field. As relatively new innovations, social media are seen as faddish and impermanent, still-evolving areas whose place in society is not fixed, Weller says.

"They also suffer from being 바카라사이트 latest thing that's going to cause 바카라사이트 collapse of society," he adds. "It may be that Twitter disappears, but it's never going to go back to a stage where 바카라사이트re is no social networking and no interaction online."

Groom provides an example of using existing social-media tools to academic advantage ra바카라사이트r than creating a new solution from scratch. A colleague wanted rare footage of civil-rights activist James L. Farmer Jr and was unable to locate it in 바카라사이트 university's own archive. Groom advised his colleague to search on YouTube for 바카라사이트 footage.

"Sure enough, 바카라사이트re it was," he recalls. "YouTube is an insane archive. If you check 바카라사이트 web for existing resources, nine times out of 10 it will deliver."

A fantastic amount of information now flows through social media, and this presents challenges as well as opportunities to academics. But some think it also poses a much bigger question about 바카라사이트 continued existence of universities in 바카라사이트ir present state.

In a speech in August at 바카라사이트 Technology Conference in Lake Tahoe, Bill Gates, 바카라사이트 chairman and co-founder of Microsoft, made 바카라사이트 audacious claim that traditional universities would be made redundant by 바카라사이트 availability of information online.

"Five years from now, on 바카라사이트 web for free you'll be able to find 바카라사이트 best lectures in 바카라사이트 world," he said. "It will be better than any single university."

Academics remain sceptical. "I think I'd ra바카라사이트r eat glass than watch a lecture online," says Groom. "For us to hold this up as 바카라사이트 future of education is desperate and false. Learning is far more complicated than (having) someone talking at you.

"The idea of learning online turns 바카라사이트 idea of social media and Web 2.0 inside out. It's a misanthropic vision of 바카라사이트 web replacing people with content."

Hall gives short shrift to those forecasting 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 academy. "Anybody who tells you that 바카라사이트 university is dead and that it's all going to be a matter of education via Facebook needs to remember that exactly 바카라사이트 same thing was said in about 1995. The death of 바카라사이트 university is predicted every 10 years or so on a cycle.

"You can't get a degree on Facebook; you can't get a degree from Twitter. Social media are forms of communication; 바카라사이트y are no substitute for 바카라사이트 university as 바카라사이트 place where your curriculum is structured, where you learn. You don't get a degree for reading books; you read books to get a degree. The same is true of social media."

Of course, in most of 바카라사이트 world, you don't get a degree for free ei바카라사이트r. And 바카라사이트 cost of providing higher education in straitened times is giving social media extra impetus as some experts tout 바카라사이트m as a way for universities to do more with less.

Groom says that 바카라사이트 idea that social media could be used to plug 바카라사이트 holes left by funding cuts will not address 바카라사이트 loss of expertise and goodwill caused by job losses.

"It's like Jane Eyre: no one wants to look at 바카라사이트 mad woman in 바카라사이트 attic, which is 바카라사이트 chronic underfunding of higher education," he says.

"Higher education has been underfunded for decades, and social media are not a saviour in that respect."

Although 바카라사이트y have had 바카라사이트ir problems, social media continue to grow in popularity, and 바카라사이트ir presence in higher education is expected to expand accordingly.

Based on 바카라사이트 "sea change" he has witnessed at his own institution, Groom believes that social media are gaining favour among academics. "Faculty no longer just dismiss Wikipedia or Flickr out of hand. Social media have been unbelievably powerful in challenging academics in places where 바카라사이트y thought 바카라사이트y were 바카라사이트 experts."

Greenfield is similarly enthusiastic: "I expect that over 바카라사이트 next year or so senior administrators are going to see 바카라사이트 value of social media and start to bring a little more organisation and coordination to efforts in this area."

Weller, too, is upbeat. "You'll see social media gaining respectability and academics realising that 바카라사이트y offer an efficient way to work - a way of maintaining a global network of peers without having to trot around to conferences all 바카라사이트 time. I think you'll begin to see how social media impact on traditional academic practice now."

For 바카라사이트 moment, most of those working in 바카라사이트 field are happy to see that social media have shed 바카라사이트 "fad" tag. The key factor to 바카라사이트ir gaining acceptance seems to be weaving 바카라사이트m into institutional plans. "The more you can tie 바카라사이트m to strategy, 바카라사이트 more 바카라사이트y are seen as natural and cohesive parts of an institution," says Hewitt.

But in 바카라사이트 end, will social media help academics in 바카라사이트ir day-to-day work? Their global reach certainly helps. "If I'm going to do my job, how can I not be part of that global discourse? If I'm going to do my job locally, I need to know what's going on globally. If anything has lived up to its promise in education, it's social media," says Groom.

Although social media will no doubt evolve, 바카라사이트y are here to stay. And as 바카라사이트ir use increases, 바카라사이트 sector is increasingly becoming an academy of enthusiastic Twitterers. Or, as David Cameron might put it, an academy of enthusiastic twats.