Social media has various uses in the classroom as well as to help market and promote schools and universities.
Because we believe in the power of social media to make nearly anything easier (even life in the classroom), we’ve identified ways to use social media for education.
Benefits of social media in education
Social media and technology are integral parts of daily life, and integrating the use of these into the classroom is more natural than before, given how acclimated many students are to them.
Each social media platform offers many different ways to be used in the classroom, from sharing announcements to holding live lectures, and so much more.
First, social media provides a smoother, more direct communication tool between students, teachers and parents, who can check in and ask or respond to questions.
Social media allows for more e-learning opportunities as well. As remote jobs and online classes are becoming more popular, training students to work from a distance is an important lesson, and social media can help with that.
It’s important to understand the impact of social media in education before using it, but we’re of the firm belief that it will help advance students in technology.
Social media in the classroom
First, let’s talk about the different ways that social media can be used directly in the classroom. There are many social media tools for education that can be taken advantage of for students of any age, from elementary all the way through college.
1. Use a Facebook Page to broadcast updates and alerts.
Facebook can be the perfect social media platform to incorporate into the classroom. Instead of putting instructors and students alike through a new learning curve when dealing with a traditional online classroom dashboard, stick to something everyone already knows.
Have students follow the class’s Facebook Page, and the instructor can use it to post class updates, share homework assignments and encourage discussion.
Even if a student isn’t active on Facebook, these Pages are still accessible when signed out. However, keep in mind Facebook Page are public and anyone with a Facebook account can comment on the posts.
2. Use a Facebook Group to stream live lectures and host discussions.
Instructors can also create Facebook Groups for each of their classes—both public or private—and stream Facebook Live lectures, post discussion questions, assign homework and make class announcements. Keep students engaged during school breaks or snow days by posting reminders and assignment to avoid having to review once class resumes from the break.
When using social media for education, it’s important to ensure a professional boundary, so when setting up a Facebook Group, teachers do not need to send friend requests. Email both parents and students a direct link to the Facebook Group for access.
Groups are the perfect “home base,” especially for an online course and can make it easy to connect with student.
3. Use Twitter as a class message board.
Twitter can be great as a discussion board or message board for a class. Teachers can create a single Twitter handle per class and reuse it every year, or they can create a new handle each school year. The 280 character limit makes students think critically on communicating concisely and effectively, a beneficial skill to develop.
Teacher can use Twitter to post reminders for assignment due dates or share inspirational quotes and helpful links to practice quizzes or resources.
Teacher can also create discussions and Twitter chats surrounding a specific hashtag that they create.
