How To Use Social Media For Educators

By Patricia Gray


Due to advancement in technology, there are so many tools that teachers can now use in the classroom. You might have been an active social media user, but perhaps you have never thought of incorporating it as a tool of instruction in your class. If you haven't yet done this, then it is time that you seriously thought about using social media for educators. There are a number of ways that you can do this.

One way to get kids interested in the online world is to ask them to follow one personality online. It can be on any platform that the learner fancies. Let the student read the updates that the person makes regularly. Then ask the student to come up with a response paper based on something that the author has written. Doing this simple exercise is one way that kids can pick up the jargon that is used online.

Get the children to start blogging. It doesn't have to be a live blog. It can be a restricted blog that only the students can see. This includes using passwords to protect the blog from the public. Get the kids to post on a regular basis. This can be about what is going on at school or they can post their assignments. Then instruct them to comment on other student's blogs.

Such platforms make it possible for kids to meet and socialize with learners from others parts of the country or other parts of the world. For instance, you can organize to have video calls with another class and have a discussion on a common topic that both classes are learning. This is great way for kids to get exposure to other cultures and communities.

One of the things that can be done includes creating an online group in one of the social media pages. Then post relevant information on the group. This includes things like announcements and even assignments. The learners can post any questions that they have. A group gives parents an opportunity to follow what is going on with their kids at school. It is also a good way for learners, teachers, parents and administrators to keep in touch.

Use these platforms to not just teach your students but to improve your life as well. For instance, use the platforms to connect with your peers. Join professional groups in your country and around the world and share ideas, lessons plans, materials, experiences and other things.

Challenge your students by asking them to create pictorial boards of different things. They can create the boards online and save them. Let them post brief descriptions under each photo, describing what each photo is about. Make this relevant by letting them post about a particular topic that you will be teaching.

Just remember that you need to put some rules in place. This is to protect the children from any risks and to ensure that they are responsible when online and that they also learn to manage their time well. Moreover, instead of using real platforms, consider using clones of the sites, so that anything the children post is not posted publicly.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment