Social media is quickly losing its reputation of being just for recreation. When used correctly, it can be a great tool, and that is something many teachers are beginning to recognize and utilize. Whether you consider yourself a tech wiz in the classroom or are still relying on paper and pencil, this article will give you five ways that teachers are and can start using social media for themselves and for their students.
1. Get teaching ideas: Many professionals report that they utilize Pinterest and Facebook to find new lesson inspiration and classroom resources (MDR Marketing Team, n.d.). If you have a great activity that you’ve tried with your students and they loved, you can share it on these platforms as well.
2. Create a professional network: LinkedIn has become the social media for professional networking, and that is no different for teachers (Gallagher & Magid, n.d.). But, other social media sources can also be used to connect with both businesses and individuals in education (Ward, 2020). Networking in general can help teachers find information and new sources for classroom materials, find new jobs, and find friends in their profession.
3. Investigate what students are using: Whether you choose to try and implement the technology in the classroom—whether it is Snapchat, Tumblr, TikTok, or another resources—or not, talking with your students to find out what new apps and platforms they enjoy can help create a strong relationship (Gallagher & Magid, n.d.). Maybe some of these resources will even spark ideas for new lessons.
4. Use video calls to bring in special guests: Through your networking, you may stumble upon people that you wish your students could meet. Consider using your preferred version of video calling—Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangout, etc.—to bring the individual in for an interview (Gallagher & Magid, n.d.). Special guests could include individuals working in the field of study, those with unique life stories, or anybody who can add to a lesson.
5. Professionally connect with students and parents: Some teachers use groups or hashtags on social media to create ways students can receive and ask questions about assignments (Gallagher & Magid, n.d.). Others create pages for parents where the teacher posts pictures of the kids participating in class (Gallagher & Magid). For either, make sure everybody is comfortable with having pictures posted, being on social media, and the arrangement. This method can work well for creating a community within and beyond the classroom.
Through the implementation of social media in the education setting, teachers can create relationships and find new ideas. The experiences can also help students learn how to be safe online, which is an ever growing need in our society.
References
Gallagher, K., & Magid, L. (n.d.). The Educator's Guide to Social Media. ConnectSafely. Retrieved
October 28, 2021, from https://www.connectsafely.org/eduguide/.
MDR Marketing Team. (n.d.). Teachers and social media use. MDR. Retrieved October 28, 2021,
from https://mdreducation.com/2019/01/17/teachers-social-media-use/.
Ward, K. (2020, June 23). How Teachers Can Use Social Media to Improve Learning this Fall.
MSUToday. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from
https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2020/how-teachers-can-use-social-media-to-improve-
learning-this-fall.