There is a shift in the way we do business, communicate and get our information today. Do you think higher education needs a makeover for the 21st century to keep up with the shift? The old schools of teaching may not be applicable for many of our young generation now and in the near future.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a mother whose daughter graduated with a liberal arts degree from a prestigious private school. She said the only thing she can show is a paper degree. Her daughter does not possess skills that are relevant in the marketplace. Not to mention, the amount of money she spent to get that paper. How can we make her marketable in today’s economy?

According to Professor David Wiley of Brigham Young University, “if universities can’t find the will to innovate and adapt to changes in the world around them, universities will be irrelevant by 2020″.

If you type in Google search engine, “What is social media?” There are a number of definitions. This is one of them: social media are works of user-created video, audio, text or multimedia that are published and shared in a social environment, such as a blog, wiki or video hosting site. Social media applications include Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Why do we need to pay attention to social media for higher education?

1. Over 50% of the world’s population is under 30 years old. 96% millenials have joined social network. We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media; the question is how well we do it. The U.S. Department of Education found out that online students outperformed those receiving face-to face instruction. 80% of companies use social media for recruitment. (Quotes taken from Social Media Revolution 2, YouTube video)

2. The recent event in Egypt is an eye opener to all of us.CBS reported on February 16th 2011, that Wael Ghonim, a 30-year-old Google marketing manager in Egypt, has been credited with launching the Facebook page that sparked Egypt’s uprising and ousted President Mubarak.

3. The millenials (also known as Generation Y) are already at their computers, Facebook and smart phones everyday. So, why not use all these tools effectively for higher education to cut cost, save time and increase efficiency? Most families today can’t keep up with the high cost of education and most education system are already outdated. Most institutions are still using the industrial age ideology and philosophy for education.

4. Across the globe 6.1 trillion text messages are sent per year. In 2007, there were only 1.8 trillion. Added to that country like Nigeria with a population of 152,217,341 has 80,944,643 cell phones. Over half of its population owns cell phones. Can you imagine getting eBooks and pdfs into the hands of all these cell phone holders for education purposes? (Data from Afar magazine, March/April edition).

5. President Obama flew to San Francisco this week to meet with Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Eric Schmidt of Google and Steve Jobs of Apple. He must have recognized the importance of social media for the future of America.

Anya Kamenetz has strategically named her book DIY U. She quoted DIY U is an evolution from expensive institutions to expansive networks… with personal learning network on Google Reader, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, websites and email. She said, learning networks in previous decades were insular groups formed around academic journals, learned societies and professional conferences. Today, they are using blogs, wikis, and presentation tools like Slide share, YouTube videos and email lists to collaborate, pursue and present knowledge in any discipline.

Ms. Kamenetz gave a really good example in her book which I think will be one of the best ways to get educated. She called it the alternatives to higher education’s cartel.

Julia Fierro graduated from the prestigious Iowa Writer’s Workshop in 2000 and got a job at Hofstra University teaching honors creative writing class. Lost her job one day and decided to put an ad on Craigslist offering writer’s workshop for $175 per person for eight weeks. Since 2002, she had over 850 students. Alumni of her program have found agents, published novels, nonfiction books, short story collections, won awards and competitions. Her eighth week course cost a tenth of Masters in Fine Arts program at a university. She almost has no overhead, only a few hundred dollars on web hosting and online ads. (Taken from DIY U by Anya Kamenetz)

In my own experience, after staying home for many years, my skills are no longer competitive. I have to retrain myself. Many of my peers have gone back to traditional schools to get another degree or a diploma hoping to get a job. Will they find a job?

I took a different route. I am discovering the importance of social media and the internet. Working with a mentor using a phone and the internet, learning step by step on how to start a business online. What alternatives do you have in educating yourself and your children to be relevant for the shift in our economy? Do you still doubt social media as a way to educate yourself and your children?

Children are all unique. Some will excel in alternative route and others will thrive in the traditional route for education. It all depends on which profession they will be pursuing.

Claudia is a mother of 2, wife and stay at home and work from home mom for 16 years. She desires to see parents stepping up to be their best and raising up a generation of alive, relevant and uncompromising young adults. She believes traveling, volunteering and learning another language in addition to English are important tools for educating children.