Self-Guided Social Media Training Manual

EMPLOYEE RESOURCE

Stephanie Servi, Sarah Vanterpool, & Christina M Wooten | AET/562 Kathryn Wyatt | October 30, 2017

OUTLINEThis social media training tool has been produced to deliver the following

outcomes in a multi-faceted training program for both new and existing employees

regarding the use of social media.

OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL LEARNING − Social learning as a concept

− How will social learning help the organization improve, connect, and collaborate?

− Expected outcomes from utilizing social media in social learning

Social media tools for approved use (a brief overview is provided for each approved tool)

− YouTube

− LinkedIn

− Facebook

− Google Drive

Self-guided training via Power Point− For each approved tool, a short self-guided tutorial is provided

− Included in each tutorial are specific approved and not approved uses

− An “employee use agreement” is provided at the end of the guide to be reviewed with the employee’s manager, signed, dated, and kept in the employee’s file.

User Agreement (to be signed upon completion of training)

FAQ & Reference − A section of frequently asked questions is presented at the end of the manual

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− Resources for further training are listed in the FAQ & Reference section of training

OVERVIEWSocial media is a useful tool for creating a social learning environment in an

organization when used correctly. Social learning environments open communication

gateways for active collaboration that stimulates critical and creative thinking in

participants. The nature of education is ever-changing, and trainers, as well as employers,

benefit from understanding how social media tools bring engagement and increased

social learning into their organizations.

The Self-Guided Social Media Training Manual developed by our organization

details the rules and regulations for using social media during working hours, access

information for the sites, and social media etiquette guidelines. Personnel are directed to

read the rules and regulations before being given access to the social media sites. By

signing the use agreement, personnel are stating that they understand and will abide by

the rules and regulations as stated.

Four social media tools for social learning that have been identified as beneficial

for our organization are: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Google drive. These tools

are introduced to personnel through our organizations training courses.

LinkedIn is a networking site that provides a media platform for professionals to

interact, exchange knowledge, and ideas. This platform provides a means of joining

group discussions with peers from your organization or those within the same profession

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as well as utilizing presentations, PowerPoint, EdTech, and E-Learning courses through

LinkedIn Learning.

Facebook is a social media tool that will be used for workplace engagement. The

use of Facebook as a tool of social learning allows groups of people to share information.

Facebook allows the administrator to formulate the group in the most effective way for

social learning including public groups, private groups, or secret groups.

YouTube is a free sharing site that allows video creators to share how-to

instructions. YouTube is an effective tool for social learning by providing the opportunity

to engage, educate, and share ideas through video.

The training department is also utilizing the Google drive social media platform.

Use of the Google drive allows team members to collaborate on a project together from

any location. Google drive exists in the cloud, allowing the work completed on a

document to be saved in real time including view and edit access for all owners of the

document. Google drive aids in eliminating geographic barriers, time zones, or other

obstacles to effective social learning and communication.

In conclusion, there is a vast array of social media tools and platforms available to

an organization or institution to use. Our organization has chosen LinkedIn, Facebook,

YouTube, and Google drive for the ability to use the social media platforms to enhanced

communication, training, and continued learning throughout our organization. Once

personnel understand the use of the tools, they can increase and improve teamwork,

communication, and overall productiveness.

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ADDRESSING BUSINESS ISSUES AND STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH SOCIAL LEARNING

Each time we ask questions, exchange information, and collaborate, we are

learning socially. This is a continual process which strengthens relationships with others.

Social media provides many platforms for learning socially and organizations can benefit

from this interaction. Social media provides a means for sharing information,

collaborating, and troubleshooting from any geographical location. Personnel no longer

must interact face-to-face, social media provides platforms for: video chat, simulated

interaction through role playing, instant messaging, blogs, etc.

Many organizations have developed their own web pages, produce their own

message boards, and blog sites. Utilizing social media provides endless interaction and

exchanging of ideas. Organizations can evaluate the effectiveness of social media on

productivity by comparing work quality to previous work produced. Most organizations

have seen an increase in productivity and quality since integrating social learning in their

organizations.

Utilizing social learning also allows personnel to tap into resources within their

own organization. This is more cost effective, and the information source has already

been vetted.

Organizations are concerned with abuse of social media or having their

organizations network compromised. These problems can be avoided with the

implementation of rules and policies as well as working with IT staff who monitor

internet activities.

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The social leaning environment provides interaction throughout the levels of an

organization without a clear division of employment hierarchy. The CEO can freely

interact with the technical writer. The focus is on the information, not on who is

producing the answers. This environment builds up collaboration and information

sharing.

SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

There are many social media tools for an organization to choose from, one

example is Google Drive. This platform utilizes applications such as Google Docs, sheets

and slides, and office suite for shared collaboration of documents, drawings,

spreadsheets, presentations, etc. Google Drive provides a means to access any of your

files from any smartphone, computer, or Wi-Fi enabled device. Files are stored on the

cloud and can be viewed by others that are granted access or made public. This storage

medium eliminates the need for email attachments. For organizations, this allows easy

access and collaboration to personnel who work from different geographical areas.

Global organizations need the ability to access files for viewing, downloading, and

presenting; Google Drive provides this anytime no matter where you are geographically.

A disadvantage are the fees based on the amount of storage needed, although

some G Suite plans offer unlimited data storage with their purchase. A concern for some

organizations is the terms of agreement wording that Google retains the rights to the

information that is stored in its cloud storage. Government contracted organizations are

prohibited from using such storage platforms due to the diminished ability to protect

information stored on this platform.

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USE AGREEMENTI ______________________________________ (employee name), have read and

understood the expectations pertaining to my participation and use of the approved social

media tools during work hours with XYZ Education Organization.

I understand that I am to adhere to the Team Member Handbook and Code of Ethics as I

participate in and use social media in the classroom.

I understand the high professional standards of XYZ Education Organization and

understand there is a zero-tolerance policy for misuse of social media, inappropriate

contact with students, inappropriate conduct in class, on social media, or in any other way

as I represent XYZ Education Organization.

I have reviewed the self-guided training and understand that I am allowed to utilize the

following social media platforms:

YouTube

Google Drive

LinkedIn

Facebook Groups

______________________________________ Employee Signature

______________________________________ Employee Name Printed

______________________________________ Manager Signature

______________________________________ Manager Name Printed

____________________________ Date Signed

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FAQ AND REFERENCES FOR FURTHER TRAINING1. What do I do if I have questions regarding use of social media

tools? After an employee has reviewed the online Team Member Handbook and Code of Ethics for Employees, and the employee has questions, the primary point of contact will be the direct manager. If further clarification is needed, the next level manager may be brought in to a conference to discuss the questions.

2. I want to use another social media platform that is not listed in the approved list. Is this possible? Due to security concerns and focus on utilizing the four approved tools, our organization is not adding any platforms to the approved list. However, there is a committee to research the usefulness of suggested platforms and this committee will review your request. Employees with an approval request should contact Mary Smith at (555) 555-5555. Those interested in joining the committee, which rotates members every six months, may inform Mary of their intent to join.

3. Is there someone who can help me set up my Google Drive for my classroom? (or Facebook Group, etc) Yes! Our peer support team, headed by Sue Davis, will schedule time to aid new or existing employees with any technical set up or demonstrations necessary. You may schedule an appointment with Sue or a member of her team at (555) 555-5556.

4. What if a student is disrespectful in a Facebook group or their parent will not let them participate? All disciplinary concerns with use of social media should be directed along the normal path of any disciplinary concern. Please reach out to your dean of students to report any concerns with social media use (or parent opt-out options).

5. I think there is more that needs to be added to the training manual. How can I submit an edit or addition to one of the four tools? Our social media training team is headed by Dennis Davis and they will be happy to review any edits. You may submit your edit or additions to Dennis at (555) 555-5557 or email him at D.Davis@xyzedu.com

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY- FOR FURTHER READING AND TRAININGA list of resources below provides added information:

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Carpenter, R. (2015). Social media in pedagogy and practice: Networked teaching and

learning. The Journal of Faculty Development, 29(2), 5-8. Retrieved from

https://search-proquest-com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/1776597088?

accountid=134061

This article discusses the use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, in the

classroom. Using this form of a social media tool in the classroom for

instructional purposes faces many challenges, such as keeping the learner focused

on the learning objectives. The facilitator and the learner both learn interactively

from social media sites. Ground rules need to be established to prevent abuse of

the social media sites in the learning environment. Social media allows both the

facilitator and the learner to continue interacting and learning from each other

outside of the traditional learning platforms. Facilitators can set up Facebook

pages dedicated to their learning objectives.

Casey, G. & Evans, T., (2011). Designing for learning: Online social networks as a

classroom environment. IRRODL, 12(7), n/a

In today’s world everything we, from teenagers to adults, is performed online.

Social media tools include Facebook, YouTube, Twitter (used by the 45th

President of United States), Google Documents, and much more. Many of the

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tools used have captured the entire world and use these for personal reasons such

as keeping in touch with family, friends, sharing work information within an

organization and watching videos for DIY, do it yourself) resources. The tools

mentioned are being utilized to capture high school students’ attention. The article

describes a study that investigates the use of a Ning online social network as a

learning environment shared by seven classes, and it examines students’ reactions

and online activity while using a range of social medical and Web 2.0 tools.

Chelliah, J., & Field, J. (2014). Managing the risks of social media: ways to ensure online

behavior is always appropriate. Human Resources International Digest, 22(5), 39-

41.

While interest in using social media to connect and engage employees is on the

rise, there are significant concerns regarding risk managers must address. In this

paper, the authors review the multiple risks associated with social media in the

business environment and suggest ways to mitigate that risk including creating

multiple policies for social media use. Further, the authors describe the risks

associated with employee abuse of social media including client confidentiality

breaches, privacy law implications, and general neglect of duties. The authors also

describe the many employee law regulations that would need to be considered as

social media policies and guidelines are built for a company.

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Conley, Q., Lutz, H.S. & Padgitt, A.J. (2017). Creating participatory online learning

environments: A social learning approach revisited. Journal of Interactive

Learning Research. 28 (1), pp. 5-27. Waynesville, NC: Association for the

Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).  Retrieved from https://www-

learntechlib-org.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/p/172806/.

This article looks at the isolation effect that can occur to learners who participate

in online courses. Interactive learning environments ensure that learners

collaborate and interactive with the facilitator and other learners. Pictures and

videos, such as those found on YouTube, Skype, and FaceTime allow people to

experience the face-to-face communication that stimulates interaction. Facebook

messenger and Skype support text-only platforms also for those who feel more

comfortable with communicating in real-time without the camera. Facebook,

Skype, and LinkedIn can also support discussion board sessions for the learners to

respond to questions from the facilitator and carry on conversations with other

learners.

Frye, E. M., Trathen, W., & Koppenhaver, D. A. (2010). Internet workshop and blog

publishing: Meeting student (and teacher) learning needs to achieve best practice

in the twenty-first-century social studies classroom. The Social Studies, 101(2),

46-53. Retrieved from

https://search-proquest-com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/744498505?

accountid=134061.

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This article involves social studies classrooms and their effort to utilize social

media in the learning environment. The study follows a fourth-grade class that

used internet workshops and blogs to present and interact in a learning

environment. The goal is to develop the student’s higher order thinking skills and

stimulate creativity in the students. The learner’s utilized blogs to publish their

work and the internet to research and gather information to satisfy the project

requirements. Facilitators presented a research activity to the learners who are to

search the internet for information and present the results of their search to their

fellow learners and facilitator. This activity is intended to create independent

learners who develop the skills to differentiate between legitimate information

and false information.

Kordumova, S., Li, X., Snoek, C. G., & M. (2015). Best practices for learning video

concept detectors from social media examples. Multimedia Tools and

Applications, 74(4), 1291-1315. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11042-014-2056-5

YouTube is an effective and popular social learning tool when the tutorial video is

easy to find. Often it takes time to sort through the videos to find the one that is

complete in the information that the learner was seeking. The learners that

understand how to use keywords to get to the videos with the desired information

are the ones that get the most out of YouTube as a tool. This paper researches the

potential of accessing training data from the internet for any subject that can be

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recognized by specific keywords. Videos are not always tagged correctly for their

content and are often overlooked.

Pham, A.V. (2014, August). Navigating social networking and social media in school

psychology: ethical and professional considerations in training programs.

Psychology in Schools, 51(7), 767-778.

As social media and social networking grow in popularity, there is a specific need

for some industries and institutions to put in place guidelines and ethical

expectations for the use of social sites. This article provides an overview of the

existing guidelines in place for the use of social networking sites and social media

sites. While there is a distinction for most users between personal and professional

life on social media, this article seeks to discuss the concerns and potential ethical

issues that an institution may encounter as those lines between professional and

personal blur. The focus of the article is the use of social media platforms in schools.

Scott, S. M. (2012). Go ahead ... be social: Using social media to enhance the twenty-first

century classroom. Distance Learning, 9(2), 54-59.

Educators today are comfortable with teaching from the dry erase board; however,

with today’s learners, many are “connected” to social media. Social media is the

new tool that learners are using, and it should be integrated into the lesson plan.

Educators now should learn how not only teach from the dry erase board but from

being “connected” to social media. Blogs, social networks, and videos are useful

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tools that can be integrated into students’ learning and into lesson plans.

Educators need to use different approaches to teaching, and social media is the

new tool for stimulating students’ interests in learning.

Toole, T. (2011). Social media: key tools for the future of work-based learning.

Development and Learning in Organizations, 25(5), 31-34.

Current use of social media tools are for personal use such as sharing thoughts,

events, pictures with friends and family. Social media allow for individuals to

learn online from YouTube if they are trying to fix a broken pipe or need

instructions on how to use OneNote. Whatever the reason for using social media it

has benefits in work-based learning. Use of social media in the work force can

benefit both the employer and employee by reducing training cost and employee

access to learning material. Per Toole, the use of the internet has the potential to

significantly improve the efficiency of the work-based learning support process

and, as a result, offer significant cost saving for the employers and institutions.

Yeager, K., & Toth, D. (2010). Social media for continuing education and contract

training units. The Catalyst, 39(1), 3-12. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/221745165?accountid=134061

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Though social media has exploded in recent years, those in education have been

historically slow to adapt to the many fast-paced changes offered in the world of

social media. This article provides a scholarly review of a survey of over 200

institutions regarding their use of social media, in particular, Facebook. The

survey data showed over half the respondents used Facebook in their personal life

but less than 30% used it academically. The article also explores the reasoning

behind the slow adaptation to use social media in the educational environment. As

educational institutions are working to recruit more students, the necessity to

move to social media marketing is growing in importance.

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REFERENCES

Bozarth, J. (2010). Social media for trainers: Techniques for enhancing and extending learning. San Francisco, CA: Wiley/Pfeiffer.

Doyle, C., Neville, K., & Sammon, D. (2016, June). Evaluating the effectiveness of social media enabled collaborative learning environments (SMECLEs). Journal of Decision Systems, 25, 106-124. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/12460125.2016.1187412

Nations, D. (2017). Livewire. Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-social-media-explaining-the-big-trend-3486616

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