INTEGRATING SOCIAL MEDIA INTO
THE INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY COURSE
Laura Freberg
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
2012 and the future--Society as a whole is becoming more
of a universal, diverse, connected, engaged, and social
community.
William James on Teaching

“…in teaching, you
must simply work your
pupil into such a state
of interest in what you
are going to teach him
that every other object
of attention is
banished from his
mind.”
–William James
Why Social Media?

Social Media Revolution Video
What is social media?
Social media combines “a wide range of online, word-of-mouth forums
including blogs, company sponsored discussion boards and chat rooms,
consumer-to-consumer e-mail, consumer product or service ratings websites
and forums, Internet discussion boards and forums, microblogs” (Mangold &
Faulds, 2009, p. 358).
 Social media integrates technology & social interaction with pictures,
videos, words, and audio.
 It also allows people to share different perspectives and information
/ stories / experiences among online communities
 Power of publishing voice while providing information via
multimedia + texts
Opportunities in Social Media
Knowledge
Sharing
• Blogs
• Microblogs
• Ex. Twitter,
Wordpress,
Blogger
Life Sharing
• Photos & Videos
• Social
Convergence
• Crowdsourcing
• Ex. YouTube,
Flickr, Wikis
Social
Networking
Business
Networking
Community
Building
•
•
•
•
• Connect
• Geolocation
• Interact
• Ex. Linkedin,
Foursquare
• Collaborate
• Collect
• Ex. Ning (social
networking
communities)
Connect
Interact
Social media life
Ex. Facebook,
Google+
Social media & online education
Infographic retrieved from http://www.famousbloggers.net/open-source-textbooks-infographic.html
How to incorporate social media into
the introductory psychology classroom

Twitter
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Set up a class Twitter account (ex. FrebergPSY210)
Have students tweet answers and questions with hashtag #psych
or topic for class – have the Twitter stream available for students
to view
Follow key Psychologists & Organizations (e.g. APS, APA)
Town Hall Virtual Office Hours on Twitter – Specify a time where
students can ask you questions via Twitter
Have students research topics through social searches on Twitter
and Twitter applications on current Psychology trends and issues
– integrating social media monitoring research and critique



Topsy – search engine for Twitter and Google+ based on topics
Hashtags – look at trending topics appearing via Twitter
Facebook


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Virtual office hours - Message chat or Discussion on Class Wall on
FB
Ask questions and bring conversation to outside of the classroom
– like how FB drives social connections and how theory and
previous research can back this perspective in class.
Encourage students to share links to news reports or research
related to the class topic – be part of the participation grade
Facebook for Educators
Topsy Example
Retweet
#s
Twitter
feed

Google+
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YouTube and Vimeo



Host virtual office hours through Google Hangouts
Meetings via conference calls
Establishing research community within Google + Circles to brainstorm, share,
and publish comments and updates.
Mashable Google + Guide
Use videos in the classroom to showcase examples related to class topic
Have students construct a video presentation on topic from class where they
have to interview and edit the video to post on the class video sharing page
Infographics

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
Have students propose creating an infographic for a topic related to class to
share with others that would help them study and prepare for an exam
Include current statistics and scientific research findings – creating a visual and
thorough representation of material for students
Infographic Database: Visual.ly & Example

Quora

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Set up an account to answer questions related to
Psychology
Encourage students to answer and ask questions
based on research and scientific findings
Conduct research and analysis on which top
Psychology journals, researchers, and academic
institutions are being cited via Quora.
Network with others who are interested and
invested in topics
Emerging Technologies in Mobile

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Discussion on role of QR codes and Augmented
reality among students related to Psychology topics
Set up the course social media page to be mobile
compatible.
Research projects related to analyze current trends
on this form of technology
Discussion and insights into how this technology can
be used in Psychology (ex. Cockroach Phobia &
Augmented Reality)
How to incorporate social media into
research

Incorporate data mining into analysis of discussions and conversations emerging
related to research topic for Psychology classes



Create a centralized website for managing psychology research center (students
and professors) brand

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Social mention (All social media)
Topsy Analytics (Twitter + Google+)
Word Press
Tumblr
Content analysis of Quora on Psychology topics – power of crowdsourcing
information and user-generated content
Initiate a Wiki for collaborating on research projects and presentations as well as
setting up an education portal for student researchers and other collaborators
Post presentations (via Slideshare) and videos (YouTube or Vimeo) highlighting
research
Capstone or Senior Projects to create Mobile App to be used for Psychology
research or practice

http://www.magmito.com/blog/ to start process of creating a mobile app
Social Mention Example
Hashtag (#tags keyword for searches)
Twitter result
for #nitop
How to integrate social media into
campus life activities (ex. clubs)



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Integrate partnerships with other departments to coordinate
raising awareness about club activities on campus.
Student bloggers (both traditional and microblogs) sharing
updates and information about events.
Connecting social media trends with specialized areas within
Psychology (ex. Facebook Connections and Social
Psychology, Emergence of Neuromarketing within Social
Media, etc).
Formulate a LinkedIn group to coordinate business
relationships, recommendations, and showcase resumes &
CVs for graduate schools or future jobs.
Initiate video channel highlighting club research, activities,
and conference poster & research presentations (YouTube or
Vimeo).
Best Practices

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To understand how to fully incorporate social media into psychology
classes, you have to be consistently engaged on social media
personally and professionally
Incorporate social media class policies into the syllabus
Become transdisciplinary – work with other professionals in other
disciplines who are also incorporating social media into class &
research
Engage in spending a little bit of time each day looking at trends in
social media to stay current
Lead by example – set up a personal website, start writing a blog,
and be consistently active and present on the various social media
platforms.
Educate your department, students, and fellow colleagues within the
Psychology community.
Future of Social Media
Baekel. T. (April 27, 2009). Where is everyone? Baekel Online Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.baekdal.com/articles/Management/market-ofinformation/.
Social Media Resources

Main resources
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Mashable (great social media blog
and site): http://mashable.com/
Social Media Classroom Resources:
http://socialmediaclassroom.com/c
ommunity/wiki/participatorymedia-teaching-and-learningresources
Digital Buzz (latest trends in mobile
and other digital media):
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/
The Google of Social Media Samepoint.com
Another good search engine Socialmention.com
Social Media Influence (Case
studies):
http://socialmediainfluence.com/

Psychology and Social
Media Resources
 Pew Research Internet
Resources:
http://www.pewinternet.
org/
 Media Psychology
Research Center blog:
http://mprcenter.org/blo
g/
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Laura Freberg, Ph.D.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Website: www.laurafreberg.com
Blog: www.laurafreberg.com/blog
Twitter: @lfreberg
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