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Social Media in the Classroom


I was thinking about a topic on the discussion board this week regarding ethics and using social media in the classroom. I wrote about how I think using social media in the classroom can be problematic, but I started to think about the ways social media can be useful in the classroom. Maybe not for elementary or middle school, but it might work for high schoolers. After all, when you think about the favorite activity of today's students you'll probably come up with the obvious answer: social media. 

Students learn plenty of new things everyday but they rarely get precise instructions on how to use social media. Instead, they rely on what they see from other users and this doesn't always lead them in the right direction. However, the teacher can set an example and explain how social media can help them learn and establish a great online reputation. Here are some ways social media can be used in the classroom:

1. Connect the class in a Facebook group.

Create a private group and invite students to join. This might be difficult if you cannot guarantee every student in the classroom has access to a smartphone, tablet, or computer. If you are able to ensure everyone has access, you can form a group and begin posting discussion topics. This can be especially helpful if a particular discussion in the classroom becomes super interesting. You can avoid spending too much time on the topic in the classroom and take it to Facebook instead.

2. Ask your students to blog.

Blogging can be a fun activity for students of all ages. You'll need to explain what to blog about and which topics would be appropriate. Blog posts do not necessarily have to be related to school topics. Students can be instructed to conduct research and learn how to create plagiarism-free blog posts. 

3. Use Twitter as a network.

Twitter is a fun platform for students to connect. You could organize a student discussion during class using a specific hashtag. They can perform research and then make an educated post using that hashtag based on what information they found.

4. Start pinning on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a great app where students and teachers can collect educational resources. You can ask them to create boards for certain topics and ask them to follow each other's collections. Then you can choose the best resources and present them in class.

5. Host a podcast or video channel using YouTube.

Use YouTube to publish your own educational videos or podcasts. You can also search YouTube for relevant content and play it during class. Students can even create their own channels and post videos relevant to class discussions that other students can watch.

You'll need to be careful with the way you allow your students to use social media in the classroom since these platforms have privacy concerns and can easily become a distraction. Explain the importance of social media as an educational tool and teach them how to use the platforms appropriately. If something isn't working, you can always try something else. The important thing to keep in mind is that social media platforms have great educational potential, you just have to start exploring them.

Comments

  1. Danielle DavisJune 10, 2020 at 3:02 PM

    All great suggestions. Thanks for the ideas on how to build social media use in the classroom Leah!

    ReplyDelete
  2. nolefan_laurenJune 11, 2020 at 6:39 AM

    All great ideas but being a high school teacher, there are many challenges one would face making this a reality. The ideas are awesome and I wish I could implement them into my classroom but the challenges may not outweigh the benefits here, unfortunately. Students are very particular about their social media and may not be willing to utilize it for school or make separate accounts. Also, you'd be surprised, but I have students every year who HATE social media and do not have accounts and likely never will. And, of course parents. Some may be very hard to convince that this is "educational" and will not want their students to take part.

    I think your ideas for blogs and YouTube would work well though!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LoriJune 14, 2020 at 12:20 PM

    I go back and forth on these ideas. On the one hand, I know we need to teach high school students how to engage with social media in safe, positive ways. I also think it can be a great learning tool. But, I also see the potential danger and understand why my district has a very restrictive policy. I've been thinking about the blogs and think maybe there might be a way to use the concept and a class YouTube Channel is a great idea.

    ReplyDelete

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