Leveraging Social Media for Learning

Of the recent technological developments, social media has been widely accepted by digital natives as it provides them with a platform where they can express themselves openly. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are the best-known examples and have become notorious in the category. However, educators, students, and parents are still skeptical about using social media platforms for teaching and learning. I believe that there’s plenty of potentials to integrate social media platforms and tools into learning. As education is a lifelong process, it should also take place outside of classroom settings.

Social media can break the barrier of formal and non-formal learning so students can interact, exchange ideas, debate, receive & provide feedback in the most personalized way; raise awareness, get the most relevant answers, and identify priorities and opportunities.

Furthermore, there are many academic uses for social media; especially when the technology is gaining popularity and students are hooked to their screens all day. Some of these uses are discussed below:

Expand network and knowledge

Many students & teachers find social networking as a great way to expand their knowledge, discover new resources, and get updates on the latest information and ideas. Students can connect with classmates and seek help from them. Additionally, using social media may prove to be very effective for students who are shy in class.

A tool of communication

Social media can be used as a communication tool between teachers and students — especially during this pandemic when most teaching and learning is happening online. Teachers can be more accessible to students via social media. Students can ask their questions and get clarification on assignments, exams, and coursework. Other students get these benefits when they engage with the content. Additionally, teachers don’t have to address each student’s question/concern individually. They can post their responses once and all students can get the update.

Encourage User-generated Content

Using hashtags (#) to post and search is another great way of streamlining content, photos, resources, and comments. It also lets students share their work, repost, comment, provide feedback, and promote ideas. Students learn to write in a socially responsible way, choose appropriate words, hashtags, source material, and stay concise (Twitter word limit).

Community Building

Students get an opportunity to build a community and extend it beyond the broader educational community. Social media allows students to bridge connections with each other from anywhere. A key advantage of social media is that it opens conversations happening over a social media platform between students from one school/area/state to those around the world. Additionally, students can get information about virtual conferences, lecture series, and online networking events.

When used in a responsible, effective, and positive manner, social media can help students gain knowledge, research, share relevant content and stay current. This exchange can result in better-informed individuals and improved academic performance.

Do you use social media to learn and stay informed? Which social media platforms are your favorite? How do you use them? We would love to know your thoughts!

Written by Savneet Singh

Reference - Ainin, S., Parveen, F., Moghavvemi, S., Jaafar, N. I., & Mohd Shuib, N. L. (2015a). Factors influencing the use of social media by SMEs and its performance outcomes. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115(3), 570–588. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-07-2014-0205.