Social media is every where. Sometimes it is used almost daily, like in Facebook, where the users send messages through the messenger app on their phone, or check posts made by family members and friends. It is a great tool to make connections for business people as well.

It is all about communication across the web. Some of this communication can be just shallow involvement, where people scan through Face Book just to see what other people are doing. They may search out groups and post comments just for the sake of posting, not necessarily to contribute to any meaningful conversation. Some social media users take time to post rude or thoughtless remarks.

But how can this type of connection and other social media sites like Twitter, Linked In, Tumblr, be used to enhance online learning? Social media can be used as tools to enhance online learning because it creates avenues where thoughts and new ideas can be shared with a group for better understanding or to offer personal or professional support. The level of involvement in social groups and the kind of social groups one joins would make a difference in the kind of learning that is achieved. Social media that is used to enhance classroom discussion of topics should be guided by the instructor, and students who participate in the group are made aware of the need to post thoughts relevant to the subject at hand. Social media use in education must be planned carefully. Guides for student participation will help establish proper etiquette and courtesy to be used online. Once expectations are clear, students may use social media to go beyond just a sharing of communication tools. They can use the social platforms debate the pros and cons of an issue that is important to them. They may use the platforms to create a collaborative environment as they solve particularly difficult theoretical questions.

Students will communicate with their peers even without a teacher's guided instructional use. How much more dynamic their peer conversations can be once they become accustomed to using the platforms for learning?

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