Social Media Can Boost Learning

Research Shows MySciLife Improves STEM Education

RESTON Va., Nov. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new research report proves that middle school students can improve their knowledge (and appreciation) of science through social media.

The report describes the use of MySciLife® (http://myscilife.com/), a social learning environment in which each student takes on a specific science identity—for instance a concept, like gravity; or a person, like Einstein; or an object, like Saturn. Then, "in character," the students learn by using a full range of digital media, Facebook-style status updates, and extensive interactions with their peers. As a result, the students become deeply engaged with the subject, and they learn by exercising their creativity, curiosity, and communication skills.

MySciLife is free to both teachers and students. It can be used with any curriculum: teachers adapt it to fit their own classes' needs. The project has been in trial use with hundreds of middle school students across the country, and the new research shows that participating students not only learned more science in MySciLife than in traditional science classes, but also developed a positive, creative attitude toward science. Specifically:

• Three out of four groups using MySciLife showed a statistically significant increase in students' science content knowledge as compared to control groups using traditional instruction.
• Teacher surveys reveal that MySciLife students are motivated to produce and post high-quality work for peer review, and they enjoy learning from each other in a creative and collaborative process.
• Most students said that MySciLife helped them understand content, that they enjoyed the social interaction, and that MySciLife was fun and creative.

The research report is available at http://myscilife.com/results.html.

MySciLife's phased expansion in the current school year continues the research with a broader sample, involving almost 1,000 students in 12 states. Participating teachers meet online monthly to share tips and feedback.

Candace Hackett Shively, Director of K-12 Initiatives for The Source for Learning, said, "MySciLife is student-driven, not teacher-centric, and its success demonstrates how much kids like to learn from each other. It's especially gratifying to see that the use of social media stimulates interest in science among girls, since middle school is the time when many girls lose interest in STEM."

MySciLife® was created by TeachersFirst.com, a service of The Source for Learning. TeachersFirst is a free online resource for K-12 teachers, offering original content and teacher-authored reviews of more than 15,000 web resources and tools suitable for use in the classroom. The Source for Learning (SFL) is a nonprofit learning technologies corporation based in Reston, VA. The Source for Learning is also the creator of PreschoolFirst.com and TeachersAndFamilies.com.

The MySciLife pilot has been supported by The Source for Learning and other funds available to SFL. The project is in the first stage of a four-phase rollout; SFL is currently seeking corporate partners and funding from multiple sources with interest in successful science learning.

SOURCE TeachersFirst.com