Social Media and Education: Innovative Uses in Learning Environments
How integrating social media in classrooms can make a huge difference in your student’s results and long-term knowledge retention.
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
Since the pandemic (and quite some time before it happened), plenty of studies have been done about the educational uses of social media and its success. Integrating social media in classrooms proved to have multiple benefits, including increased engagement, instant access to information, and diverse learning resources.
In this post, we’ll share the top educational uses of social media that are real game-changers for both educators and students.
Benefits Of Using Social Media For Learning
1. Increased Engagement
Unlike what many people might think, social media tools can actually increase student engagement thus they provide a familiar environment for them, making the learning process more enjoyable.
Including certain elements like videos, images, and interactive content enhance their engagement and suit a wide range of learning styles. For example, if you’re a math teacher you can use a simple video or a funny image to accompany your explanation.
2. No Geographical Barriers
As we’ve seen during the pandemic, integrating social media in classrooms goes beyond geographical barriers, allowing students and educators to easily collaborate on projects, share resources, and engage in discussions.
Many different platforms provide seamless communication in the form of video conferences, chat forums, and more.
3. Real-World Connections
Social media allows students to apply academic concepts in the real world by connecting them with professionals, experts, and relevant communities. For example, if your students are learning about the universe, they can ask Neil deGrasse Tyson a question on Twitter (now X).
Apart from this, students can benefit from networking chances on platforms like LinkedIn and be exposed to incredible mentorship, and internship opportunities, as well as insights into various industries.
4. Instant Access To Information
We all know how easy it is to look something up on the internet, but what really is amazing is the number of certified websites that provide accurate data, including important organizations like the World Health Organization, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the National Center for Environmental Information, just to name a few.
They allow students to stay updated on the latest developments, measures, and key information in specific fields, backed up by government organizations. Plus, most of them use social media platforms like Twitter (X), to quickly inform users about certain topics, allowing for even more accurate real-time information.
5. Diverse Learning Resources
Social media platforms provide additional learning resources such as educational YouTube channels (TED-Ed), podcasts (NASA’s Houston We Have a Podcast), and blogs (Khan Academy). These are just some examples of the wide range of materials available to students for free, that also help with different educational processes.
For example, people who struggle with theory-based subjects like history might benefit from listening to a podcast about the French Revolution, rather than just spending hours and hours reading about it. Whereas math students might find educational YouTube videos about the topic very useful.
Final Words
Social media for learning has proven to be extremely helpful and a great tool to enhance engagement and long-term knowledge retention and application. There are plenty of verified resources out there you can implement in your classroom to help your students, as well as to make your classes more dynamic and fun for both.
Keywords: Educational uses of social media Social media for learning Integrating social media in classrooms