Teaching + Social Media

It's for some and by some, I mean a select few. 

I, for one, have no desire to use social media in my classroom. I'll just add it to my already never-ending list of things to do during a school day. Half the time, I'm just trying to get all of my subjects taught during the day. However, I do think that there are benefits to using social media to teach. 

Students now have access to way more information than that of any other generation. Everything they need to know is right at their fingertips. They know how to use Google, Alexa, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc. Teachers could use this to their advantage. I love the projects where teachers assign students to create a social media profile for historical figures or literary characters. When I was in high school it was a Facebook profile, now it's more like Instagram. It gives students a sense of ownership in their own learning. 

I've seen TikToks get made by students who are posting for a class. They have certain parameters that they have to meet and I think that it is so interesting to watch. The students are having fun, but they are learning at the same time. I wonder how much kids will remember what they learned about a subject if they had fun doing it. I know that even my elementary school students retain something easier if they have a song or a dance to do. 

Social media is one of those things that isn't going away anytime soon. And I think that teachers are going to have to embrace it in some way, shape, or form sometime soon.

Comments

  1. Kalei HoltJune 18, 2022 at 6:16 PM

    Good point about just having the time! While I am not a teacher, I work a lot to support public high school teachers and they are always so busy. Melanie also considered this question around social media in the classroom, wondering if it was a maturity level thing. The Tired Teacher suggested navigating that territory by providing specific instructions and curated resources.

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