Social Media In Education: Can They Improve The Learning?

Using social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and so on provides free access to online communication and information. What if schools made use of them? Can they contribute to improving learning and teaching? See some examples of the benefits of social media in the classroom.
Social media has become an inevitable part of our lives these days. From sharing vital information with the world to connecting with our loved ones, we are using social media for almost everything. However, with social media taking a significant part of the day, not only for professionals but for college-goers too, finding the bad in the involvement seems easy. The tougher part is finding the good it brings with it. Students have always been a part of the social media domain and are pinched and taunted for their involvement with the virtual world. But, if we look from a different perspective, social media has a very positive part to play in the lives of students. Through this article, we aim to put forward the role of social media in improving learning for students and boosting their growth.

Why social media is useful for students?

Here is a list that explains why social media is important in the lives of students. These are:

  1. Social media provides a lot of credible and relevant information and data. For instance, you can gain knowledge and insights on various topics. It helps you in analyzing the different answers and different opinions of different students. It increases your imagination and creative skills.
  2. Social media helps in delivering training to students with the help of the latest methodologies and help in shaping their future. It plays a dynamic role in an educational institution.

Social Media’s Impact on Education

Social media is a powerful tool in schooling that may broaden the learner’s perspective on many topics while highlighting fresh information. It allows them to interact with experts to find answers to problems they may be struggling with. Social networking has established itself as a reliable news source. As a result, it’s a wonderful platform for businesses to communicate with big groups of people.

The biggest benefit of using social media in education is that people quickly discover who the experts in various industries and disciplines are. When users start following these gurus, they will learn more about them and receive further assistance. As a consequence, they’ll be able to produce exceptional outcomes.

The Benefit of Social Media for Students

Technology has opened up several new options for teachers and students to improve their teaching and learning experiences. Since the dawn of technology, the landscape of schooling has changed dramatically.

Here are a few of the immediate advantages of using social media in the academic setting:

Students’ Information Sharing

Students are always connected to the web via their cell phones and transfer information quickly to their contacts. They not only share their thoughts and ideas, but they also provide a lot of useful information.

This content includes much more simply entertaining videos or photos, and it also contains essential information about their research. They share material that is useful for lessons and exams.

Helps Develop Meaningful Links

Social media provides excellent learning possibilities. Students might be encouraged to set up connections to receive professional assistance in their careers.

Instructors can also contact students and assist them in identifying appropriate job vacancies and making meaningful links for their career prospects.

Aids in the Promotion of Research

Collaborative options for research endeavors can be found on social media. It is among the most effective venues for obtaining secondary data. You may use survey polls to collect data and learn about the viewpoints of the general public and other specialists on a given topic.

Working on joint tasks and projects using social networks can assist academic scholars in compiling and producing meaningful information.

Social Media In Education: Can They Improve The Learning?

Today, both social media and technology have become an indispensable part of our lives. Every individual who is above 13 years old will have an account on any of the popular social media networks such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. WhatsApp has raised the minimum age to 16 years old.

However, the question that arises is: how is social online networking useful to students? Are there ways that social media in education can benefit learners and help to fill the gaps in learning if used in a safe and appropriate way?

Here are some of the educational approaches and benefits of social media to improve the academic performance of students:

Parental Involvement

Social media help parents stay involved in their child’s learning. Via the school’s Twitter or Facebook feed parents can be updated on school-related activities, projects, and events that are happening. The school teachers can get in touch with the parents in case they want to share the child’s progress via Skype or other secure online platforms the institution uses. A social network for parents can be created too via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, which can enable them to be informed about school matters, learning, and education.

These are all positive impacts social media have on parents’ communication with the school so as to learn about, share, and observe their children’s academic and personal progress at school. This again is a positive impact social media have on students’ performance as their parents can offer better informed academic support at home.

Learn About Different Teaching Methodologies 

By connecting with different people from around the globe, students learn about the teaching methodologies used around the world, which helps them expand their horizons of learning. By being active on social media, students also learn to communicate with others. This is a real advantage for those introverts who find it difficult to speak with their friends.

Communication And Collaboration

The biggest advantage of social media is better communication. A student can connect with anyone at any point in time via Kids Messenger or WhatsApp. They can use such platforms via their smartphone, tablet, or computer, and learners can exchange questions, and make phone calls or video calls. If a student is stuck with their homework, they can always communicate with their friends or tutors. They don’t need to wait and meet the teacher physically. Social media promote learning by offering support with sharing documents as well such as via Google Drive Box, and Google Docs. Some teachers even connect with their classes via Facebook Live.

Gain Knowledge from Different Websites 

When on social media, students not just spend their time talking to the people around them but improve their knowledge as well. There are many educational websites and pages that share engaging content to make tough concepts comprehensive. From subjective to general, they gain a lot of knowledge from the articles shared on various social media platforms.

10 Ways Can Social Media In Education Improve Learning?

Distance Learning Opportunities

Another great advantage of social media in education is distance learning opportunities. There are many disadvantaged students who are not able to acquire formal education by attending regular classes in an educational institution. With the help of various online tools along with social media, modern educators are able to attract students through distance learning programs. Soon, this will be an inseparable part of our modern education system. Today, hosting live lectures via Skype or webinars via WebinarJam is the way forward to allowing students who live in remote areas of the world to access education.

 

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