Use of Social Networks as an Educational Tool

Abstract

Social network, particularly Facebook, can be defined as a unique online service, platform, or area where social communication and/or social relations can be established and individuals intensely share information. This definition implies that communication specialists should have more expertise and interest in social media than any other group of experts. Based on this assumption, the present study investigated the views and attitudes of instructors in the Faculty of Communication Sciences at Anadolu University in Turkey, which is a country where the total number of Facebook users ranks fourth in the world. The sample of the study consisted of 67 professors with various levels of academic titles. Data were gathered through a specially-designed survey form including 52 items in four subcategories. Results suggest that three fourth of instructors have a Facebook account and they spend less than half an hour per day on Facebook. There is no gender-related difference among the faculty in terms of attitudes toward Facebook. Instructors who are younger than 45 years old login Facebook on daily basis, while senior faculty login several times a week. Two in every three instructors use Facebook mainly as a tool of communication with friends. Finally, two thirds of the faculty think that Facebook can provide important contributions to social interactions among students as well as to communications between instructors and students.

Keywords

• Facebook, Social networks, Communication technologies, Educational tools

References

1. Akar, E. (2010). Sanal topluluklarin bir turu olarak sosyal ag siteleri: Bir pazarlama iletisimi kanali olarak isleyisi [Social networking sites as a type of virtual communities : Processing as a marketing communication channel]. Eskisehir: Anadolu Universitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 10(1), 107-122.
2. Awl, D. ( 2010). Facebook me A guide to socializing, sharing, and promoting on Facebook. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit.
3. Aydogan, F., Akyuz, A. ( 2010). Ikinci medya caginda Internet. Istanbul: Alfa.
4. Balci, B. (2010). E-ogrenme sistemindeki basari faktorleri. In U. Demiray, G. Yamamoto, M. Kesim. (Eds.). Turkiye’de e-ogrenme: Gelismeler ve uygulamalar (pp. 465-480). [E- learning in Turkey: Developments and applications]. Ankara: Cem Web Ofset.
5. Bilen, M.( 2002) Plandan uygulamaya ogretim. Ankara: Ani.
6. Gulbahar, Y., Kalelioglu, F., & Madran, O. (2010). Sosyal aglarin egitim amacli kullanimi [Educational use of social networks]. XV. Turkiye’de Internet kullanimi konferansi. Istanbul: Istanbul Teknik Universitesi.
7. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=52164
8. http://www.ezberim.com/internet-haberleri/167867-Facebook-sitesinin-kurulus-hikayesi

9. http://www.Facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics. Retrieved on 22 February 2011. http://www.nedirbilgi.com http://www.socialbakers.com/blog/25-countries-with-top-Facebook-penetration-to- population/ Retrieved on 22 February 2011. http://www.socialbakers.com/Facebook-statistics/turkey.Retrieved on 22 February 2011. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/personal-tech/Facebook-a-big-hit-with- narcissists-study/article1698694/ Retrieved on 12 March 2011. http://www.haber3.com http://www.socialbakers.com
10. Jones, N., Blackey, H., Fitzgibbon, K., Chew, E. (2010) ‘Get out of MySpace ’ Computers & Education, 54, 776–782.
11. Jordan, T. (1999). Cyberpower. London: Routledge.
12. Kelsey, T. ( 2010) Social networking spaces: From Facebook to Twitter and everything in between (beginning). New York: Apress.
13. Mattelart, A. (2004). Bilgi toplumunun tarihi. Istanbul: Iletişim.
14. Murray, C . ( 2008). Schools and social networking: Fear or education? Synergy Perspectives: Local, 6(1), 8-12.
15. Osuagwu, N.G. ( 2009). Facebook addiction: The life & times of social networking addicts. Philadelphia: Ice Cream Melts Publishing.
16. Perlman, D. & Miller, R. (2008). Intimate relationships. New York: McGraw-Hill.
17. Seguin, A. & Seguin, C. ( 1995). Window to the world. Vocational Education Journal, 70, 30-33.
18. Shih, C. ( 2009). The Facebook era: Tapping online social networks to build better products, reach new audiences, and sell more stuff. Ohio: Prentice Hall.
19. Toprak, A. ( 2009). Toplumsal paylasim agi Facebook. Istanbul: Kalkedon.
20. Yamamoto, G. T., Demiray, U., & Kesim, M. (Eds.). (2010). Turkiye’de e-ogrenme: Gelismeler ve uygulamalar [E-learning in Turkey: Developments and applications]. Ankara: Cem Web Ofset.
21. Correspondence: Filiz Tiryakioglu, Associate Professor, Faculty of Communication Sciences,
22. Anadolu University, Yunus Emre Campus, Eskisehir, Turkey.