The idea of social media in the classroom integrated with teaching sends chills down many educators' spines, however should one even consider it? Well, that is the question. We have been discussing and readinng about digital pedagogy and where digital techhnology comes into play.
We are in a world where technology is developing at an alarming pace, I mean a few years ago the Nokia 3310 was the phone to have, today you have a computer in a comfortable size that fits into your hands. This has made social media an even more popular trend. People are socialising online through twitter, facebook, blogs etc. This is where the issues arise when the integration of social media and the classroom take place. The obvious and number one issue is that learners will get distracted with socializing online instead of paying attention to the lessson. However as it has been pointed out, there is a difference between socialising in a group activity and socialising outside the classroom. Thus when one brings social media into the classroom, one should plan ahead of the possible affects that will follow. Such as tweeting or getting a certain app to remind students about homework, one must be sure that it is one way commmunication from teaccher to learners only. Thus social media can be used as a tool, which learners will already know and be comfartable with and will make work or doing a certain assignment more interesting.
Certain social media platforms could be used for certain assignments or tasks. Twitter could be used for feedback on a certain topic and allow learners to engage in a different manner as opposed to in class. Blogging might be a good way to discuss ideas for essay topics in history class for example. To give learners the chance to read other learners' ideas that can help them shape their own ideas and possibly provide them with different perspectives. Social media can thus be a great tool, which simply has to be implemented correctly.
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