Social Media in the Classroom

There are so many different pros and cons when it comes to social media in the classroom. Today’s generation is definitely a tech-savvy one. All students from the 1^st grade to college level students are familiar with technology and the Internet. Students from 13 years old to all college students have experienced with social networks one way or another. Social media is a great way to increase student engagement and build better communication skills. One good pro is that social networks such as Facebook or Twitter can improve communication among students and teachers. Teachers can answer students’ questions, post homework assignments and lesson plans, send messages and updates, schedule or announce upcoming events, and much more over these social networks. Students can use Twitter and Facebook to get help from instructors or even other students. A great way for teachers, who use these social networks in their classrooms, to give participation points is by having students tweet about something that was discussed in class. Social medias can be a great way for students to express themselves, especially those students who are shy in the classroom. Using YouTube to record and broadcast a lecture would be a great strategy for any teacher to do. By doing this and having students comment on the video or even write a paper on the video gives students a chance to watch the lecture as many times as they want and really take their time to reflect on the topic at hand. A con is that social medias can be very distracting in the classroom. Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube can ultimately be disruptive to the learning process. Most students conduct most of their lives over social networks. I know that I personally get very distracted when I have a homework assignment to attend to. I can spend most my time on Facebook when I should be studying. Because of Education 407, I have been introduced to Google +. I love this social network, especially as a student. The hangout part of this network has to be my favorite. Using this tool to teach a lesson is a great way to integrate social media into the classroom. Its especially great to have when you have a small class, because their can be some difficulties with a large group.