I had the chance to go back to one of my former schools, the University of Tennessee, this week for the UT Social Media Week. This event has been going on for several years at UT (after I graduated back in 2011), but it is a great overall event to engage students, faculty, and professionals together to talk about a range of social media topics and experiences from different industries.
I was invited to be part of the higher ed and social media panel session. Along with Carolyn (Tennessee) and Nick (West Virginia University), we discussed how social media is incorporated into the classroom. While Carolyn and Nick focused on how they have used social media in their research as well as in their respective classes, I decided to take a little bit of a different approach to this presentation.
My presentation actually was based on something I have experienced over the years as someone that studies, teaches, and consults in social media. People have asked me a range of questions over the years as well as point out some things that I consider to be “myths.”
What I liked about doing this presentation was the fact that the points I made in my presentation would have been elements and tips I would have liked to have heard myself when I was a doctoral student or a newly minted PhD. There are so many opportunities to share resources, brainstorm ideas, and connect with both professors and students online – that’s the beauty and power of social media. In my presentation, I was able to share what I was doing at UofL in my social media classes with my students and how I have had the chance to help others, brainstorm on some cool campaigns, and make a difference in student’s lives at UofL.
Another factor I realized in this presentation was the fact that I was both energized and passionate about this subject. I realized this when I was preparing the notes and realized – wow! This is WHY I am doing what I am doing. I have never considered social media research, teaching, or practice “work” – it is something that interests me and makes me be a student always. So, as you can see, this is what sparked my presentation for the UT Social Media Week, and you can see my slidedeck here if you are interested.
Major thanks to Courtney Childers and her 490ADV Social Media class for hosting such a great event focusing on social media. It was an honor to be part of this event – thank you. 🙂 Really had a wonderful time and was very good to see everyone and spend some time at good ole Rocky Top again! 🙂 Keep up the great work!
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
0 Comments