Integrating Education and Social Media
Integrating Education and Social Media
Like it or not, social media is here to stay. It certainly has many pitfalls, but as with anything, knowledge is key. As educators, we must teach students to use social media appropriately. "But the ugly reality is that we must figure out a way to contend with social media, to be more ethical users of social media, to educate our legislators about its effects and how it works and to explore ways that we can combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation, while also looking toward science and psychology to understand how social media affects us behaviorally and mentally...." (Lawrence, 2022, p.50). Teachers can help students learn to identify misinformation online by showing them ways that they can vet information. Google Fact Check Explorer, FactCheck.org, and Snopes are all good resources.
Students must also hone their digital writing skills by carefully considering their content before they publish it on social media. "Effective digital writers seriously consider the complex relationships between technologies, their audience, themselves, their organization, and the purpose and meaning of their messaging" (Lawrence, 2022, p. 33). Educators need to give students time to use some of the many social media platforms within the confines of the classroom in order to teach them appropriate strategies and online habits. Modeling sound social media use is one way to give students a good foundation. There are many other ways teachers can use social media to aid instruction. "Educators in the studies used Twitter for
varying purposes, including as a means to summarize key points, push content to
students, enhance instructor credibility, encourage interactions among class
participants, share media in real time or reflect on assignments, or as a means of
in-class assessment" (Krutka & Damico, 2020, p. 144). The following video explains how one teacher uses Instagram to connect with her students both inside and outside of the classroom.
Social media isn't just for students. Many social media platforms offer opportunities for teachers to connect with other educators worldwide. Whether they are sharing ideas for classroom activities or learning together for professional development, connecting via social media is more popular than ever. "While affinity spaces do not have to be online, social
media platforms afford educators opportunities to transcend geographic distance
and time to connect with fellow educators around topics of interest in ways that
were not as feasible prior to these mediums" (Krutka & Damico, 2020, p. 143). Twitter has many different chat topics for education. You can find a group about anything from educational technology to social emotional learning. "'Following' and retweeting content from other accounts on Twitter are two ways of building a network and community within the space" (Lawrence, 2022, p.69). The following screenshot displays a Twitter chat where educators can come together to discuss ideas for problem-based learning.
Embracing social media in the classroom and most importantly, teaching students how to use it in a healthy way, is a new challenge for the teachers of today. The more comfortable we can become with technology, the more effective we can be.
References
Krutka, D. G., & Damico, N. (2020). Should we ask students to tweet? Perceptions,
patterns,
and problems of assigned social media participation. Contemporary Issues in
Technology
and Teacher Education, 20(1), 142-175.
Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital writing: a guide to writing for social media and the web.
Broadview Press.
Using social media as a platform for students to practice their digital writing skills is a great way to engage students! A recent study found that students were more active in participation when using social media as a digital writing platform (Ramzan, 2023, para. Conclusion 1). Teaching students how to correctly use digital writing platforms is important as they can use these platforms to “organize peaceful protests, share useful information instead of misinformation, build personal and romantic relationships, launch careers, and connect with fans, audiences, or consumers” (Lawrence, 2022, p. 49).
ReplyDeleteReferences
Lawrence, D. (2022) Digital Writing: a guide to writing for social media and the web. Broadview Press.
Ramzan, M., Javaid, Z. K., & Fatima, M. (2023). Empowering ESL Students: Harnessing the Potential of Social Media to Enhance Academic Motivation in Higher Education. Global Digital & Print Media Review, VI(II)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on social media in education. I completely agree that we need to embrace it and teach students how to use it responsibly. Your point about helping students identify misinformation is crucial in today's digital age.
ReplyDeleteI was particularly struck by the idea of using social media platforms in the classroom to teach appropriate strategies. It reminds me of what I read about in the University of San Diego's article on social media in education. They mentioned that using social media in class can help students "practice using social platforms responsibly, including maintaining a respectful online discourse" (University of San Diego, 2024). I think this hands-on approach could be really effective in preparing students for the digital world they'll navigate outside of school.
Reference
University of San Diego - Professional & Continuing Education. (2024, June 4). Social media in education: 13 ideas for the classroom. Retrieved from University of San Diego
Kim, deciding what is good social media can be tough for adults, let alone for children. We all want to know what is accurate and correct but sometimes it is hard to research accuracy when multiple medias express the same information. According to Lawrence (2022), "So, it's important that you, as a student of social media and as a professional, rely on good, solid data to build your social media strategies and to inform your perspectives about the world". (p. 52) This is definitely important to share with our students too.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital Writing: a guide to writing for social media and the web. Broadview Press.
I like how you mentioned the social media that is geared toward teachers interacting with other educators, as I most commonly use apps like Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook to share and gain ideas from other teachers. I have also seen Twitter used as a great discussion forum for educators across the world, as anyone can participate through the hashtag system. I did find it so interesting when reading Lawrence's (2022) chapter on writing for social media that he suggests prewriting before posting anything on social media (sec. 2.1). I personally don't usually draft outside of an app before I post (which now I think I probably should!), and thinking about educators connecting across social media makes me wonder if other teachers do so when connecting with educators online.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital writing: A guide to writing for social media and the web. Broadview Press.