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Muhammad Musaud Asdaque, Muhammad Nasir Khan, Dr. Syed Asad Abbas Rizvi (December, 2010)

The Internet is a relatively new channel for scholarly resources, and contains vast quantities of information thatvary a great deal regarding its contents, aim, target group, reliability etc. Hence, it is important that the end-user is awareof the diverse information available on the Internet, and educated in the criteria by which the information content shouldbe assessed (Chapman, 2002). The fabulous growth in telecommunication has brought online services, specializedelectronic networks, WebPages, E-mail, software and global information resources to our homes as well as to education.The Internet provides an environment in which millions of people participate and engage in the creation and exchange of information (Rose & Fernlund, 1997).Students have only recently received the opportunity to use the Internet to seek and obtain scholarly material and,consequently, knowledge on how effectively they make use of this channel is limited. Students' information seekingculminates as they work on their theses. Many studies have been conducted regarding the type of information the end-users seek and obtain on the Internet and in which circumstances they prefer electronic sources to paper sources(Tenopiret al 2003) According to their survey, approximately 50% of all the scholarly publications were obtained from the Internet,who studied geography student's use of sources on the Internet by analyzing citations from a test, found that 51% of thecitations referred to sources on paper, 47% of the sources were from the Internet and the rest was course material.(Fescemeyer, 2000)Internet use has become very popular in many areas as well as in education in recent years. Accordingly, Internetaccess in schools has increased greatly over the last 20 years (Berson, 2000).Many experts see the computer, combined with multimedia capabilities, as the new tool that can transformeducation (Van Horn, 1991) points out that the computer can solve many of the problems facing teachers. In today'senvironment the teacher is expected to have a large knowledge base. The teacher also has the problem of deciding toteach at the low end or the high end of the grade level. Many compromise and teach in the middle. Computers can solvethese two problems by enabling teachers to customize instruction for each student (McKeown, 1991).Chiwepa (2003) discovered a high use of Internet by the staff of the University of Zambia where 35 out of 37 staff made use of Internet. Their major motivation for such use is convenience (82.91%); usefulness (80.05%); free access toinformation and software (71.4%); andease of use (68.6%). Bao (1998) found out that only 10% of his respondents at theSeton Hall University do not use the Internet, 40.2% of students and researchers use it on daily basis, 38.3% on weeklybasis and 10.7% on monthly basis.Jagdoro (2004) in his own research ascertain that 45.2% of postgraduate students access the Internet at thecyber café in the university where only 8.2% use the library Internet facilities. A greater percentage (38.24%) does thatonly on monthly basis where 39.7% spend one hour on each visit.Time spent using e-mail and surfing online by undergraduates had increased significantly between 1996 and2001 (Hendel & Harrold, 2004). Various types of Internet use have been linked to positive and negative effects onundergraduates. Dysphoric symptoms have been linked to some types of Internet use such as shopping, playing games,or doing research; conversely, increased time involving use of email, chat room discussions, and instant messaging havebeen linked to a decrease in depressive symptoms (Morgan & Cotton, 2003). Wellman and Gulia (1999) suggest thatonline relationships may help to broaden and strengthen direct personal relationships. LaRose et al (2001) founddecreased depression in college students who used the Internet to obtain social support. Internet also foster moreequitable social interaction between individuals from different backgrounds because it masks the physical markers, such as race, gender and age, that often trigger unwarranted assumptions about the interests and capabilities of members of various social categories (Janet and Ann, 2002) Studies have shown that an increase in virtual interaction decreases the amount of face-to-face interaction between people and this in turn may lead to social isolation and depression. While no causal relationship between Internet use and depression has yet been ascertained, there is an association between increased Internet use and psychological distress and loneliness. (Subramaniametal, 2008)

Tarang Taswir, Saba Mehmood (January 2013)

The Oman government's decision to increase Information and Communication technology has resulted in initiatives to expand internet penetration. The Sultanate today has diverse media platforms to meet its information, education and entertainment needs (Taswir, 2012) The use of social media is a result of ' Broadband services available via ADSL, Fiber-to-the-Home (FttH), WiFi, WiMAX and mobile broadband. Recognizing the potential of applying ICT to improve both social and economic development, Oman has taken steps to develop an Internet economy, with significant government funded initiatives launched in the areas of public administration (e-government), online payments, e-health and e-learning (Oman - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband, 2012) E-learning is an important tool for learners. Online social networking sites engage students and need to be studied as distributors of information. The medium of internet has evolved with growth in its applications. The interactive nature of online environments has expanded with social networks. Connecting through social networks started as a niche activity, but with time it is now a phenomenon. The social networking sites are being used in various ways like forming communities, chatting, blogging etc. Apart from that different institutions even nowadays are forming communities or groups on different Social Networking Sites. The Omani higher education system is relatively young, as the first public university in Oman; Sultan Qaboos University was founded in 1986. Oman's Ministry of Higher Education administers six Colleges of Applied International Journal of Arts and Commerce ISSN 1929-7106112 Sciences(CAS) which started in 2005 and comprised of five departments namely English, Business, IT, Design and Communication Department (Education in Oman). This paper studies the educational use of the Social Networking Sites, by student in the Nizwa CAS, Oman. The study is important as 'connectivity with internet has transformed post secondary learning, that we need to view it differently (Rennie et al.,2004) The increased use of Social Networking Websites has become an international phenomenon in the past several years. What started out as a hobby for some computer literate people has become a social norm and way of life for people from all over the world (Boyd, 2007). Teenagers and young adults have especially embraced these sites as a way to connect with their peers, share information, reinvent their personalities, and showcase their social lives (Boyd, 2007). With the increase of technology used for communicating with others and the popularity of the Internet, “Social Networking” has become an activity that is done primarily on the Internet, with sites like MySpace, Face book, Bebo, Friendster, and Xanga (Coyle et al., 2008). Many people actively participate in content generation and value creation, and several researchers (e.g., Young et al., 2009; Vasalou et al., 2010) have examined their profiles to determine why and to what extent they are keen on posting their entire identity, sharing pictures and videos, and indicating their religious affiliations, marital status, and political orientations on the internet. These users interact with others, exchange information about their interests, raise discussions about new topics, follows news about specific topics on different Social Networking Sites. Teenagers now use the Internet for the majority their daily activities and information gathering, as opposed to older generations who used resources like the television or newspaper (Lewis, 2008). A recent survey showed that approximately ninety percent of teens in the United States have Internet access, and about seventy-five percent of these teens use the Internet more than once per day (Kist, 2008). This study also showed that approximately half of all teens who have Internet access are also members of social networking sites, and use the Internet to make plans and socialize with friends (Kist, 2008). In September, 2005, out of total adult internet users (18-29 years) 16% were those who were using any social networking site and this percentage increased to 86% on May, 2010 Tuckman (1975) defined performance as the apparent demonstration of understanding, concepts, skills, ideas and knowledge of a person and proposed that grades clearly depict the performance of a student. Hence, their academic performance must be managed efficiently keeping in view all the factors that can positively or negatively affect their educational performance. Use of technology such as internet is one of the most important factors that can influence educational performance of students positively or adversely. Shah et al. (2001) proposed that student users are affected by the internet and this impact is determined by the type of internet usage. They are positively affected by the informative use of internet while having drastic impact of recreational use of internet on them. Also, Oskouei (2010) proposed that internet is advantageous to both students and teachers if used as a tool of knowledge creation and dissemination. Several studies have been done regarding social networking and grades. Whittemore School of Business and Economics recently conducted a survey of over 1,000 students. They asked questions regarding which social network sites were used, how much time they spent on a site, what their grade point average (GPA) was, and International Journal of Arts and Commerce Vol. 2 No. 1 January 2013 113 what they were going to school for. It was concluded that there is no correlation between how much time is spent on a social networking site and grades (Martin, 2009). The University of New Hampshire agrees, and believes that current college students grew up in the technology era and social networking is now just a part of a student's daily routine. Their research show that '63% of heavy users received high grades, compared to 65% of light users' (U of NH, 2009). The University of New Hampshire said that a majority of students use social networking for social connections and entertainment, but are also using it for education and professional reasons. Kirschnera revealed that students who multi-task between social networking sites and homework are likely to have 20% lower grades than a student who does not have a social networking site in visual range. Kirschnera believes that even running a social networking site on the background on a student's PC while studying or doing homework could lower a student's grade. He believes that "the problem is that most people have Facebook or other social networking sites, their e-mails and maybe instant messaging constantly running in the background while they are carrying out their tasks" (Enriquez, 2010). American Educational Research Association conducted a research and it was declared on its annual conference in San Diego, California (2009) that SNSs users study less and generated lower grades eventually (21stcenturyscholar.org). Similarly, Banquil et al. (2009) found a continuing drop of grades among student users of social networking sites. However, many researchers also found a positive association between use of internet and SNS and academic performance of the student users. Students, using internet frequently, scored higher on reading skills test and had higher grades as well (Linda et al., 2006). An ever increasing growth rate of SNS not only calls for the parental and teacher monitoring of student users but also attracting the focus of academicians and researchers towards this phenomenon. Student’s use of social networking continues to create challenges and issues for higher education professionals and keeping abreast of these challenges has proved difficult because of the speed at which new technologies are being introduced (Bugeja, 2006; Cariccioso, 2006; Finder, 2006; Quindlen, 2006; Shier, 2005).There is evidence that higher education institutions have taken initiatives in disclosing information about online social networking involvement to their students(Read et al., 2006). An example is Cornell University’s “Thoughts on Facebook”, which creates students awareness about the responsible use of online social networking (Mitrano, 2006). Following Cornell University, many institutions have adopted this approach to informing students by using anecdotal literature to guide their actions (Kord, 2008). The study looks at Social networks in relation to its impact on academic needs. Social networks are studied with an educational context; they are part of a virtual learning environment. The classroom is shifting in time and space with e learning. The rampant use of social networks for learning purposes by students makes this study imperative. SNS are part of this virtual learning environment where the classroom is shifting in time and space.

Onyeka Ndidi Camilia, Sajoh Dahiru Ibrahim & Bulus Lucy Dalhatu (2013)

In a study of 884 students of different universities in Nigeria, [18]indicated that youths in Nigeria are spending too much time onsocial networking sites at the detriment of other necessary things such as their studies. They explained that Youths’ use of these social networking sites even point towards obsession. Theyouths have made the social media their top priority and continued to need more usage in order to feel satisfied. In [16], a study on Facebook and Academic Performance in Nigeria Universities was carried out on 122 university students; they tested six hypothesesto know the effect of Facebook on the academic performance of students in selected universities. The study tested among other hypotheses that the more time a student spends on Facebook, the lower his or her grade point average will be. This was proven to be wrong.The study of investigated the intensity of SNSs use among the students of Jordanian universities and suggested that SNSs can be used as an academic tool for communication and interacting with/between educators and students alike. The study encouraged the integration of SNS into learning management systems.The model proposed by [3] on the perceived influence of academic performance using social networking, was interpreted based on the academic performance of Faculty of Computer Science and Information Systems students using SNSs in University of Technology Malaysia. The study identified three basic activities common to all students involved in using SNS for academic purpose. The activities include: communicating with the faculty and university authority, communicating with lecturers and supervisors, making academic discussions with classmates and chatting with friends in respect to topics of educational interest. The study confirmed that majority of students agreed that the social networking media have positive influence on their academic performance and concluded that there is need for the faculty policy makers to evolve strategies to guide and ensure that social networking sites are adopted mostly for academic purposes especially among the undergraduate students of the faculty Enikuomehin [6], evaluated the direct consequences of ICT in Nigerian Universities. The paper investigated the popularity of internet serviceswithin the university community and its consequences in academic performance affected by the useof social networks. The study showed that there is a great adverseeffect in the areas of combining social and mediaexploration like Facebookingwith real studying and consequently leading to lower CGPAof student users. In [17], the author observed that the bone of contention of the social media is the obsessive attitude of Nigerian youths towards its use. He pointed out that youth waste their time through idle chats and other immoral acts.The result is that quality time that ought to be spent on academic research and other productive networking is lost.

Kristen Tarantino, Jessica McDonough, Ma Hua (2013)

Social Media and Student Learning Achievements

The use of social media in academic coursework can increase the learning achieved by an individual student. Students who participate in coursework that utilize social media demonstrate an increase in overall GPA when compared with students who do not participate in social media (Junco, 2012b; Junco et al., 2011). Social media usage within the academic setting not only increases students’ GPA, but also facilitates peer feedback on assignments and thoughtful student reflections on course content because of the ability for students to openly communicate with each other and develop strong relationships among peers (Arnold & Paulus, 2010; Ebner, Leinhardt, Rohs, & Meyer, 2010; Kuh, 1993). Furthermore, using social media fosters long-term retention of information and develops a deeper understanding of content that is discussed in a class (Chen & Bryer, 2012; Heafner & Friedman, 2008). This research indicates that students who use social media are better able to connect course content with out-of-class peer interactions, ultimately supporting their learning within the classroom.

Challenges for Social Media Use

Though social media can increase student learning through student interactions, challenges arise when social media are incorporated into an academic course. The assumption that students are familiar with and agreeable to using certain types of social media can cause educators to inadvertently fail to provide the resources or encouragement necessary to support student usage and learning (Cole, 2009; Väljataga & Fiedler, 2009). Arnold and Paulus (2010) found that even when social media is used for an educational purpose, students incorporate the technology into their lives in a way that may differ from the intentions of the course instructor. For example, off-topic or non-academic discussions occur on social media because of its primary design as a social networking tool (Lin et al., 2013). Further, as a student’s age increases, the frequency of off-topic discussions also increases (Lin et al., 2013). This indicates that while social media may encourage broader discussions of course content, older students may spend more time than younger students engaging in unrelated discussions. Social media can also negatively impact student GPA as well as the amount of time students spend preparing for class (Annetta et al., 2009; Junco, 2012b). One explanation for this impact is that social media provides too much stimulation and therefore can distract students from completing their coursework (Hurt et al., 2012; Patera et al., 2008). Another reason for this may be that students who spend more time on social media may have difficulty balancing their online activities and their academic preparation.

Social media can also be a challenging instructional strategy to incorporate because it attempts to balance the authority of the educator with the active participation of the students. Collaboration through social media supports more of a constructivist approach to learning, where students and educators can work together to co-create understanding of a particular topic, rather than an approach that emphasizes individual contributions (Stevens, 2009). As a result, students and educators become equal participants in the knowledge sharing process. Though this seems beneficial for creating and disseminating knowledge, social media can also become a privacy concern (i.e. cyber-plagiarism) as well as an outlet for abuse and cyber-bullying (Chen & Bryer, 2012; Frye et al., 2010; Jackson, 2011; Smailes & Gannon-Leary, 2011). This suggests that establishing standards for social media use should include behavior and attitude guidelines similar to those enforced in the classroom.

Providing Instructional Support for Social Media Use

When using social media, educators must be able to play an active role in the collaborative process. Educators must not only promote creativity and assess student activities but also inform and clarify misunderstandings that occur involving the content area and subsequent knowledge creation in order to maintain the integrity of the learning environment (Frye et al., 2010; Garrett, 2011; Liu, 2010). In order to support these roles, educators must be provided with professional development that demonstrates how to incorporate social media into their classrooms in order for it to be used to effectively promote student learning (An & Reigeluth, 2012; Stevens, 2009). Even though educators are supportive of using social media and may receive professional development, educators report that they do not know how to effectively incorporate it into their classroom (An & Reigeluth, 2012; Fewkes & McCabe, 2012; Heafner & Friedman, 2008). These educators are unfamiliar with the time constraints involved in creating lessons that utilize social media while at the same time creating lessons that do not use social media (Hur & Oh, 2012). However, educators are more likely to incorporate social media activities into their classroom that they have created because they are able to creatively control the content that is included; for example, content that may be assessed on state mandated tests (Annetta et al., 2009; Hur & Oh, 2012).

While some educators have found ways to include social media into their lessons, other educators are not utilizing social media for instructional purposes (Fewkes & McCabe, 2012). The use of social media must be purposeful and as a result should be applied in situations that are the most appropriate for learning and student understanding to occur (Liu, 2010, Väljataga & Fiedler, 2009). For example, social media is best used as an introductory tool for review and collaboration, not merely as a method of advertising class reminders (Annetta et al., 2009; Fewkes & McCabe, 2012). Therefore, educators who are considering incorporating social media into their academic courses should ensure that the specific type of social media used matches the learning outcomes for the students.

Conclusions

Using social media for educational purposes can be beneficial for student learning in multiple ways. First, social media enhances peer interactions, which can bridge diversity in the classroom and establish open lines of communication between students and educators (Annetta et al., 2009; Heafner & Friedman, 2008; Hrastinski, 2009; Jackson, 2011; Liu et al., 2011; Tomai et al., 2010). Social media also facilitates discussion and knowledge transfer between students, creating a deeper sense of understanding of the course material (Carini et al., 2006; Chen & Bryer, 2012; Fewkes & McCabe, 2012; Garrett, 2011; Heafner & Friedman, 2008; Kuh, 1993; Mazman & Usluel, 2010; Shoshani & Rose Braun, 2007; Yu et al., 2010). Thus, students who use social media are able to move beyond the memorization of material and create products that represent their own voices (Frye et al., 2010; Lamb & Johnson, 2010). Finally, social media can aid in the achievement of both general and content specific student learning outcomes (Carini et al., 2006; Junco, 2012b; Junco et al., 2011). Therefore, overall student learning can increase when educators incorporate social media into academic course content.