Last Friday, Professor Mihaela Vorvoreanu, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Computer Graphics Technology and Organizational Leadership & Supervision at Purdue University joined Radian6 to host a webinar about social media in the higher education classroom. Judging from the stellar questions and comments during and after the webinar, plenty of folks enjoyed Dr. V’s presentation. I daresay, students and educators, alike were inspired to start this school year off with a bang!

Dr. V discussed the the use of Web 2.0 in a series of undergraduate public relations courses taught at Clemson University. Web 2.0 tools were deeply integrated into the courses. Dr. V explained how each tool was introduced to students and used, the rationale for using it, and presented data about the impact each tool had on student learning, motivation, teacher relationship and career success. Unfortunately, we were unable to record the webinar because the data shared has not yet been published. However, if you are interested in receiving a copy of the study once it has been published, please complete this form.

There is a lot of debate, and not nearly as much evidence, about using Web 2.0 in the classroom. We need to know whether we can we use Web 2.0 in the classroom in ways that actually benefit students. This session demonstrated how one instructor weaved Twitter, social networking, and the blogosphere into several college courses, and presented assessment data about the impact of these teaching strategies on student learning, motivation, and career success.

As Dr. V stated during the webinar, “the world is your classroom.” Learning is a personal experience and just like any health or fitness regimen, there is no excuse not to find the time to make it happen. If it matters to you, take charge of your own destiny, and find the time to keep your brain young and keep learning.

Thank you to Dr. V and to all of you who listened to the webinar! Spread the inspiration. After all, it the future of our industry we are talking about…