David Smith, assistant professor at Western University, realized the prevalence of social media in learning after seeing students at his office hours posting real-time updates to their classmates—essentially saving him time from explaining the same concepts over and over. In this article, he looks at how social media can be both a revolutionary tool for communication and engagement, but also a source of distraction and online vitriol.
http://www.universityaffairs.ca/career-advice/career-advice-article/teaching-age-social-media/