Cognitive Load Implications of Social Media in Teaching and Learning

Teaching and learning in the 21st century had taken advantage of technology to foster effective learning through multimedia education, active learning and improved classroom interaction. Social media have particularly helped in the area of content sharing and learner collaborations. Several schools in both developing and developed nations have incorporated social media as informal Learning Management Systems (LMSs). Reports also abound on the positive contributions of these media to teaching and learning. However, the capability of these media to derail learning due to the high cognitive load generated from the extraneous processing induced by their design have not been extensively studied. This paper discusses the place of social media as educational technology in terms of its ability to foster collaborative learning, classroom communication and improved learning. The challenges associated with its use are also discussed from cognitive load standpoint based on the nature of human cognitive architecture (HCA) and information processing. Implications for essential processing, effective processing and extraneous processing are discussed. The implications for teaching and learning are also highlighted. Keywords— social software; cognitive load; information processing; distraction; multitasking, collaborative learning, extraneous processing