Social media refers to Internet and communication devices that are used to disseminate information. Some popular social media include cell phone texting and blogging on Facebook, Multiply, and Twitter. As we move on to the 21st century, it is becoming more apparent that these tools are now a daily part of the lives of most students today and will remain to be a major influence in their lives.

Its Rising Popularity

Almost everyone today has an email account and a cell phone. Every day, more and more people sign up with Facebook and Twitter. In America, a recent survey revealed that about half of educators have started to use social media as a teaching tool. This has been the same case in some schools in the Philippines.

Benefits

Social media has advantages which some people do not recognize. It can extend your classroom hours to virtually 24 hours a day. You can continue classroom discussions well past the bell. It also encourages critical thinking, self-expression, and even creative writing. Students learn outside the classroom when the Internet is sourced out for research. They develop problem solving skills through interacting with remote opponents in online gaming. Thus, creativity and global interaction are fostered by integrating technology even outside the classroom which prepares students for the real world.

Ways to Use Social Media

There are various ways social media can be utilized. The most obvious is information dissemination. Instead of posting on an actual bulletin board, you can send a mass text message or post these messages or announcements on your web page.
Social media networks can also be used to stimulate discussion. Blogs started off as a page to voice out concerns and thoughts. Why not start a class blog and bring your classroom discussion online? Students can engage in an uninterrupted, non-threatening dialogue with you.

There are a growing number of people in the local academe that are now harnessing social media as a teaching tool. Why not? It provides instant communication; it is generally free and accessible to those who have computers, cell phones and WiFi facility. They are discovering the convenience of social media platforms which allow them to reach their students without leaving the comfort of their homes or having to face them. They can articulate their thoughts without being interrupted. Transmission of information and communication has never been faster as gadgets are becoming more and more become portable. Best of all, both teachers and students get instant feedback which is one of the most critical aspects of teacher-student interaction.

Allow students to use online resources to do their research.

Science becomes more engaging because of the technology that explains it. Why not let students upload their video projects on YouTube? Communicate with absent students on YM chat or Skype. If there is a significant, historical social event occurring, let students watch video streaming and allow them to see history unfold. Social media makes history come alive and relevant. If you have a guest speaker you’d like to bring to the classroom, use Skype to do it. Oprah does it on her show on a weekly basis, why can’t you?

As a teacher, consider using social media as part of your teaching tool. The traditional classroom system is still prevalent but you can definitely take advantage of the available technology resources yourself and direct your students to maximize them right at the click of their fingers.