By Ken Scherpelz, Vice President of Sales and Business Development
Is social networking harming students’ grades? The quick answer might
be yes, because it distracts students from studying. And in fact, a 2009 study at The Ohio State University
found that students who admitted logging onto Facebook several times a
day to check status updates, correspond with friends and relatives, or
join common-interest groups, had a GPA as much as a grade lower than
non-users.
But a recent study at the University of New Hampshire
tracked the site usage and grades of students using Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, and LinkedIn and found “no correlation between the amount of
time students spend using social media and their grades.” This study
seemed to support similar findings from another study done at
Northwestern University. Chuck Martin, an adjunct professor at UNH
contends that social media is being integrated with rather than
interfering with students’ academic lives. Could it be that college
students who have grown up with Facebook have become accustomed to
taking short spurts to the site without derailing concentration on other
tasks?
What are the affects—positive or negative—of social media sites like
Facebook? Users contend it connects them with friends and family.
Companies, groups, and charities with established pages say it brings in
more customers, members, and donations. And we’ve seen in recent news
reports that Facebook and Twitter have been used by citizens in
countries with repressive governments to organize protests and spread
news of government repression to the outside world.
Whatever your feelings about the popularity of social media sites like
Facebook and Twitter, all must agree that these technologies are
becoming part of the everyday tools of our students in all levels of our
education system.
If you’d like to learn more about reaching your customers, call us at
PSG. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter by searching
Publishing Solutions Group.
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