When it comes to social media and education, the opinions of parents, students, and the education fraternity seem split in three.
While a few parents and educators feel that Social Media is an interruption that impacts students unnecessarily, what one cannot ignore is that in the present progressively advanced world, online life and social media tools do play a significant function in education.
When utilized correctly, social media improves children’s learning process, likewise making it a lot simpler for students and teachers to associate with one another.
All the world’s a stage
When teachers and students are networked via online tools and social media the medium of instruction adjusts according to the framework of the social media tool. Youtube videos are a video-based format of instruction; while Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp allow teachers to address a large bunch of students at one go.
Kept in check with a set of ground rules and guidelines, social media can help improve a student’s life by leaps and bounds.
A wellspring of data
Whether you accept the fact or not, social media is here to stay. And so is the influx of information along with its evil twin sister – misinformation – Thanks to the internet!
Given the narrative of our present article – social media and education – the utilization of social media has led to a spring of informal community groups that offer students and organizations with numerous chances to improve learning strategies. And it is through these groups and online networking modules that children are empowered to learn, share and cooperate.
Aside from this, an end number of students profit via the plethora of online instructional exercises and worksheets that are shared through informal student channels.
While online (or real-time) imparting of training allows students to access helpful data, the subscription of various learning groups and other instructive frameworks enables them to make education fun, accessible and even more valuable.
How then does one argue on the merits and demerits of social media and education?!
Worry not, below, we’ll share some cannot-be-ignored merits of social media and attempt to help you see the forest from the trees. Needless to say, you’ll come to some answers of your own…
CONSOLIDATE & CONNECT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS
Teachers and educators are in a position to urge their students to more readily speak with each other when it comes to pooling resources for a class project. This can be done via a closed Facebook page or a Google Hangout.
For those children who missed a class or are in absence because of health reasons, these kinds of connected school groups help to make daily school life more accommodating, convenient and help to bring on board even those students who might otherwise have been lost in an ocean of other students.
School & class-specific closed Facebook groups, Skype or WhatsApp groups allow students to post their inquiries in regards to homework, assignments, tests, and coursework. Likewise, other group students help and reply with answers and recommendations – And this way a connected, consolidated classroom comes into force.
It is through social media that teachers and educators network and keep their staff connected with news and updates from the school administration.
A VOICE FOR EACH
Perhaps the most significant capacity of social media tools is the enabling of the ‘individual voice’ versus the ‘namelessness, voiceless’ rote of conventional education instruction. Via different social media networks and groups on the Internet, students are treated as individuals and every individual can likewise impact the world in his/ her distinct way.
By way of association and connection on social media, various individuals set up their groups with the objective of examining, educating, and enlightening their peers on a subject(s) of their choice while encouraging concrete steps towards the shared objective!
ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL
For teachers and educators, rather than meeting parents face to face every time, instructors can simply make an online group and welcome parents to discuss, notify or share topics that concern their children.
Schoolwork can be distributed through these groups, and students can be encouraged to work together on class assignments. Fostering cooperation in the online world is simple – Students offer the information they have to share, resources are often pooled, goals are mutually agreed upon and the class moves cohesively to the conclusive outcome.
SSVM School of Excellence
We understand that as a parent, you have some very genuine and valid concerns about the use of social media and the internet. Being ranked as one of the Best residential schools in Coimbatore, we have an SOP-documented, tried-tested, safe-use policy on social media usage guiding the school administration and parents at all times.
As such, we at SSVM School of Excellence ensure to properly utilize the social media tools at our disposal and assure that they are used to reinforce the concepts, education, and instructions already being taught at school.
Rest assured, at SSVM School of Excellence, our student’s well being is inextricably tied in with what you, as a parent have at heart – To provide the very best of education, and nothing else!
