Education and social media: an examination of _x000D_facebook, twitter and youtube in _x000D_k-12 education by / by Sara Zakarian _x000D_

The prominence of social media in people??s lives has prompted the discussion of social media use in education. Educators are especially interested in the role that social media can play in the teaching and learning process. Despite the growing literature on social media use in education, very little research is available concerning the usage and implementation of social media into the K-12 classroom. This study will examine the use of the three most popular social media sites: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and the use of these technologies in K-12 education. This paper presents the results of a descriptive and exploratory survey that assesses if, and how, educators at the K-12 grade levels are using social media in the classroom. Results show that educators are more likely to implement YouTube into course curriculum than Facebook and Twitter. Results of the study also indicate that educators at the secondary (9-12) grade levels are more likely to implement social media technologies in the classroom and that social media use in the classroom is related to student engagement. Furthermore, the results of the study demonstrate that educators recognize the educational value of social media technologies