Student Affairs Social Media Training (Videos)

With more and more Student Affairs units in Higher Education using social media, formal training for staff and students is needed.  As you plan your trainings, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite YouTube videos that may help you frame these important conversations.  I use each video for different reasons and have also given you a “processing question” for each video to get the conversation going.

1.  Social Media Revolution by Erik Qualman‘s “Socialnomics”

Many of you may have seen this, but this is a great video for staff and students when you want to set the stage that social media is no longer a “fad” but a fundamental shift in communication.  It helps open or close a talk when you want to accentuate this point.  It is great content for those beginning social media discussions.

 Processing Question: “What statistic stood out the most for you and why?”

2.  ”Rethinking Education” by Michael Wesch from Kansas State University

This video was produced as a contribution to the EDUCAUSE book, The Tower and the Cloud: Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing by Richard Katz.  Wesch makes you think about where Higher Education was and how in the Information Age, Higher Education needs to adapt to meet the need of the 21st century student.  Wesch’s videos content is some of my favorite out there.  Processing Question: “Now that students have information readily available at their fingertips, how do we in Higher Education, keep learning engaging?”

3.  ”Next Is Now” by Xplana

This video was produced by the Social Learning Platform company Xplana and showcased at the Vista2010 Conference last November.  The clip “paints the real picture of how students are connecting more and more heavily with the digital world.”  Great opening video for students and staff alike who want to highlight the growing challenge of digital information growth and management. Processing Question: “What is the best way to communicate/connect/engage with our students online if email is no longer the only option?”

4.  ”Information R/Evolution” by Michael Wesch from Kansas State University

Another great video from Wesch, this video looks at the way we know “information.”  As Wesch mentions, “This video explores the changes in the way we find, store, create, critique, and share information. This video was created as a conversation starter, and works especially well when brainstorming with people about the near future and the skills needed in order to harness, evaluate, and create information effectively.” Processing Question: “How do move our department/division/university forward in rethinking how we collect, manage, and report the information we collect?”

5.  ”Changing Education Paradigms” by Sir Ken Robinson, Animated by RSA Animate

This video has almost 4 million views on YouTube, and for good reason.  Sir Ken Robinson talks about the need to change our education paradigm. The clip resonate with many people, especially those in Higher Education.  While its almost 12 minutes long, its a great video to show in a class, share with colleagues and have a discussion about, or close a talk with to get people really thinking about how to make change happen in our own spheres of influence. Processing Question: “If we reshape Higher Education for the 21st Century, how are Student Affairs units affected? Do we need to reshape Student Affairs to meet the needs of the students in the Information Age?”

What are some of your favorite social media/education/technology videos and/or clips? Share yours below!