A relatively recent but potentially significant development that has implications for 21st-century teaching, learning, and teacher education is the rising use of social networking sites to broaden and deepen one's social connections. Many universities & educational institutions implement social media for various reasons. Social networking is increasingly attracting the attention and interest of academics and researchers in the education field as well. Recently, educational institutions have begun incorporating these social media tools such as Facebook , WhatsApp etc into their marketing mix to connect with everyone, from prospective students to alumni. Social media has a greater impact on the teaching and learning environment. Its applications can improve debates, collaborative work, and class materials. Researchers and educators are experimenting with social media technology to promote teamwork, knowledge production, and critical thinking. However, little reliable research existed to indicate whether these social media sites are appropriate or effective resources to use in the teaching learning process. A few studies have been conducted in these areas, especially in our country. This paper aims to assess the acceptance and usage of social media by pre-service teachers in their training program. A sample of 280 pre-service teachers took part in the research.
The study found that the usage of social media differs among pre-service teachers on the basis of their level of qualification. The analysis also revealed that there is significant relationship in the usage of social media among pre-service teachers based on their experience in using social media & time spend in using social media on daily basis. The study therefore recommends that social media sites are a strong tool that can support the teaching learning process among pre-service teachers.