Social media sites will become valuable tools in education marketing and communication, and it plays a vital role in every student’s life. Students are more engaged in the learning process through social media. It is easier and more convenient to access and provide information and communicate through social media.
Each social media platform offers different ways to be used in the classroom, and social media provides direct communication between students, teachers, and parents. Nowadays, online classes are more popular, and social media helps train students from a distance.
Different ways to use social media on education
Facebook in your classroom
Through Facebook, students can post their book reviews, practice a foreign language, create apps for Facebook, post class notes, and provide direct communication with instructors. Even shy students can also communicate with the teachers. Teachers can provide assignments, projects, etc., during school breaks or snow days to improve academic skills. If there is a Facebook group of schools, parents and students can directly access them. Educators must create a separate account for their classes and manage privacy settings.
Use Twitter For Educational Purposes
It is helpful to teachers and students to get a quick detail about homework and assignments, due dates, etc. They can also share the links to important online sources and announcements of field trips. As 140 characters are allowed on Twitter, It is helpful to pass quick information.
Using Instagram
Teachers can post homework and project remainders and post picture tutorials. Instagram also is an excellent platform for classroom discussions.
Class blog
Many different platforms are available, such as WordPress, SquareSpace, Wix, Blogger, Tumblr, or Medium, where teachers can create a class blog. Students can create their user accounts to make discussion posts or add comments. The course syllabus and any assignments, updates, and resources can be shared on the blog. Writing in Blogs can improve writing skills and Increase the ability to think critically.
It is an excellent platform for pinning favorite pictures. It can also be an excellent teaching and learning tool. Pinterest is a great social media platform for teachers to create lesson plans and worksheets. It is beneficial to teachers and the students because they can systematically organize the learning materials. They can also access this learning material from different locations whenever they want.
Skype
Using Skype means connecting with anyone, anywhere, and any time. Students can connect with teachers, and teachers can encourage students in turn.
Purpose of school website
Starting a school website was helpful to parents to know what is happening in the school. Parents can visit the photos and see if something their child is missing in the school., extra-curricular or after-school activities. Parents can access the information about school staff and events.
Social media during a crisis
School portals can be your safest and the best communication tool during a crisis. Being timely and honest during a crisis will help form a positive, long-lasting image and relationships in the long run.
E-textbooks (electronic textbooks)
E-textbooks help to take printouts without wasting much time by writing the content. Students and teachers can access the e-textbooks from different locations and set bookmarks and highlights on the reading materials.
Edmodo
Edmodo helps with teaching and learning through posters, calendars, and channel communications. It makes it easier to share useful apps with the students.
Vimeo
If you want to share videos on Facebook or Twitter, use Vimeo. Teachers can use it for uploading and storing videos and utilize it as a tool to teaching students.
Conclusion
Social media helps to increase the productivity and responsiveness of students and teachers. Social media allows them to think critically. Teachers can use social media as a teaching tool for distinguishing between real and fake news. Social media is helpful for teachers and children to share videos and articles from reliable sources related to the information they are studying in the class. E.g., YouTube videos and PowerPoint presentations for class notes. Thus, social media helps create global connections with other teachers, students, and great personalities worldwide.
