CIVIC EDUCATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE
This study is the first to examine the possibility that formal civics training provides a foundation for civic engagement that is conducive to the use of novel methods of engaging the polity. The study found that each step toward greater interactivity in civics instruction predicted greater use of social media in the 2008 elections. Findings also showed that those with civics training were two times more likely to use social media than those without. Extracurricular activities were not found to narrow the gap. Unless extracurricular activities specifically focused on political engagement, such as debate and volunteering for a campaign, they were not found to predict social networking activity in the 2008 election.
This article describes an EFL course website and blog for a Global Issues communicative English course for first year dentistry students at a university in Tokyo.The rationale for and benefits ofestablishing an online component are explained.An analysis of the students� comments on the blogas well as the result of a student surveyis also explored.Finally future extensions to the online component are discussed.