4 Improving engagement through social media
Introduction of social media use in the classroom
It is no secret that social media is immensely popular among today’s students. Consequently, many educators have started integrating social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook into their teaching to engage students. This includes creating classroom assignments based on social media posts, such as fake Facebook profiles for historical figures or using bulletin boards.
However, when using social media in school, instructors must consider several factors. The first and most important thing to consider is their institution’s policy regarding social media. To view their students’ social media content, professors may have to become virtual friends or followers of the students on social media, which may be unacceptable or prohibited by their universities’ policies.
Additionally, transparency is crucial; parents and guardians should be able to follow along with what students and instructors are posting. To achieve this, social media accounts should be made public, or parents and guardians should be invited to join classroom groups if the accounts are private.
Furthermore, instructors must acknowledge that not all students have access to social media or technology. Therefore, versatile instructions must be provided to allow every student to participate in classroom activities.
Lastly, professors should respect that social media accounts are personal and avoid congesting their students’ social media feeds with school assignments. Some instructors may ask students to create separate classroom accounts, allowing them to use their primary account for friends and family while using a secondary account for classroom content.
With that being said, the potential and possibilities of incorporating social media in the classroom are endless.
There are tons of social media platforms that teachers can utilize, but here are the most popular ones:
- Facebook and Instagram: to create groups and share information internally
- Twitter: to encourage open forums and debates
- Pinterest: to share and inspire ideas
Here are some innovative ways instructors can start using social media:
1. Stories features
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube offer a convenient “stories” feature that is ideal for students to enhance their presentation abilities.
2. Twitter as an open-discussion forum
Twitter is an excellent platform for class discussions and messaging. The platform’s character limit of 280 promotes critical thinking in students, encouraging them to communicate effectively and concisely, which is an essential skill to cultivate.
Instructors can use Twitter to remind students of assignment deadlines, and share inspiring quotes and useful links to practice quizzes and resources. Additionally, they can create discussions and Twitter chats centered around a particular hashtag that they create.
3. Pinterest inspiration
Professors have the ability to establish Pinterest boards dedicated to each of their classes and gather pins that are pertinent to their lessons.
For educators, Pinterest offers an excellent social media platform to compile and arrange resources, lesson plans, and worksheets for their classes in a centralized location. Generate boards based on the course or topic and establish sub-topic boards for weekly units or all worksheets.
Moreover, Pinterest can be a valuable resource for students to create a digital reference list for research projects, papers, or group assignments. By pinning websites, books, or videos to a board centered on a particular subject, students can refer to it later when it’s time to write.
At the same time, social media is not limited to classrooms; it can also be a powerful tool outside the classroom. Here are some ways instructors and faculty expand their reach:
1. Make your social media more accessible and searchable.
Facilitate the discovery of your university’s social media accounts by integrating links onto their website. This can be done by adding them to the main navigation or creating a dedicated directory that consolidates all profiles in one location.
Given that most potential students often visit a university’s website as a starting point, providing additional avenues to connect with the school through social media can offer a unique glimpse into campus culture.
2. Highlight and share school events and opportunities
To entice potential students to your class, share images and updates about campus events that offer a glimpse into the university’s atmosphere. By emphasizing extracurricular activities and events, you can distinguish your class from others. Social media platforms allow for a more personalized and informal approach.
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