Social Media in the classroom

This Presentation Introduction 21st century skills teachers should have A question that gets asked a lot The pros and cons of social media classrooms Teach with Twitter Teach with Facebook Teach with YouTube Conclusion & Q&A Social Media in the Classroom

Introduction You need to realize that teaching is evolutionary and always evolving. It is a bottomless well. Technology advancements have also touched education Education is being radically transformed Teachers who do not use social media and educational technology in their teaching no longer fit in the new system Social Media in the Classroom

21st century skills teachers should have The risk taker The Collaborator The model The leader     Show students: Everything can be learnt through risk and initiative taking Sometimes surrender yourself to your students’ knowledge Central theme = collaboration Incorporate web2.0 collaborative tools Exemplary model of how the life long learner should be Model several characteristics such as : Reflective thinking and practice Love of technology and digital information Global awareness Take the lead Social Media in the Classroom

21st century skills teachers should have The visionary The learner The communicator The adaptor     Imaginative Foresee emerging technologies Look into curricula/across disciplines Enhance and value learning in other fields Reinforce their teaching Reinforce students’ learning Life long commitment to knowledge Always seek knowledge using technology Fluent in the use of communication and information technologies Know how to facilitate, stimulate, control, moderate and manage technologies Make teaching styles adaptive to: •New curriculum requirements •Emerging web2.0 technologies •Various age groups and abilities •New dynamic teaching experiences Social Media in the Classroom

Question Do students really learn anything using social media?   Do students really learn anything using social media?  One can: engage in more (professional) collaboration read more educational articles ask for assistance from others and provided information and support when requested The social media environment is filled with valuable knowledge and people The new normal in education is using social media to learn, collaborate and connect.   Social Media in the Classroom

The pros and cons of social media classrooms   Familiar tools Resource availability: endless range of free resources available through social media Improvement of research skills: Being able to find information online is a skill that is now important in the workplace The improvement of communication: If conducted within a controlled environment . E.g. sending out reminders, posting homework notes and organizing revision classes   Social Media in the Classroom

The pros and cons of social media classrooms     Engaging your students: students are glued to their gadgets. Use this to your advantage The ability to share learning material: e.g. create a Facebook group dedicated to your class The potential to appeal to different learning styles: the varied types of media and information found on sites can appeal to a wide range of learner styles Ease of access: all you need is a computer or mobile device with an Internet connection Assisting shy students: engaging students through an online project can make it easier for them Social Media in the Classroom

The pros and cons of social media classrooms     Social Media in the Classroom

The pros and cons of social media classrooms   Time waster: Unless social media are incorporated do contribute towards objectives, then it could become a waste of time Distractions: if not properly supervised and controlled it can be difficult to follow through with a lesson Cyber-bullying: Teachers need to monitor student activity for any signs of bullying Limiting face-to-face communication: detrimental effect on social skills Continual social media change: Constant changes to platforms and their security settings. Institutions must keep up to date with an policy!   Social Media in the Classroom

The pros and cons of social media classrooms   Managing social media: pages and profiles should be updated in order to prevent them becoming stagnant Viruses/phishing scams: be aware of the risk and monitor usage accordingly Inappropriate content sharing or exposure: It is important for students and staff to be protected from inappropriate content Exposing the 'haves' and 'have nots‘: BYOD > This can highlight divides between students who can afford certain devices, and those that cannot   Social Media in the Classroom

    Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with Twitter Class Chatter: continue conversations inside and outside of class of material that remind students of material from class Track a Word: This will subscribe you to any post which contains that word. Or, you can track an event, etc. You will then receive all tweets with that word Instant Feedback: Students can use this when doing their classwork, trying to understand the material. Tweet: “I don’t understand what this reading has to do with New Media?any ideas?” Other students then respond Follow a Mentor: Students can follow someone else who is on Twitter, who interests them     Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with Twitter Writing Assignments: Remember that game you used to play where one person would start a story, the next person would continue it, etc. . .Try this on Twitter Direct Tweet. Lecturers and students can contact each other through tweets without having to share cell phone numbers. This could be useful if you’re ever in a jam and need assistance Collaborate on projects. When working together on projects, set up a group to facilitate communication between them Make announcements. Lecturers can send out reminders about upcoming tests, assignment due dates, or any news that needs to be shared via Twitter     Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with Twitter Daily learning. Twitter feeds happen much more frequently than the two or three times a day a student is in class, therefore using Twitter in the classroom means there is a daily opportunity for learning Follow an idea, word, or event. Send “track ___” with whatever word, event, or idea you want to follow in the blank, and you will receive Tweets that contain that keyword Find interesting news articles or articles relevant to a current topic in class and share the results     Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with Twitter Brainstorm. The ability to share ideas as they occur any time and any where creates an excellent opportunity for brainstorming on class topics Polling. Ask student their opinions or get feedback on future projects or topics Share websites. Both lecturers and students can post interesting websites that are relevant to their class     Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with Facebook     If teachers were more aware of how a Facebook page and profiles can be configured to provide an appropriate level of privacy for course work, they might be more open to considering it’s use Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with Facebook     Create a Group specific to your course/class A great way to to distribute learning content and create a central place for communication for a course or class.  Tap into information about specific topics Chances are there are some groups and pages out there that are focused on issues relevant to your course. Type the name of your academic subject in Facebook’s search window and get a list of related content. Use Facebook for homework assignments and class discussions Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with Facebook   Students do reading for class and then on Facebook write a paragraph about what they have read, focusing their comments on the specific course aims that the lecturer had created for the class. Students would then go to class where the lecturer would note the ways in which the students have covered the material well and he’d teach anything they missed as well as anything else he wants them to know. So Facebook can be used to facilitate a discussion group, which can be done in myTUTor, but the nice thing about Facebook is that many students are already familiar and comfortable with it .   Its convenient for students. Plus it provides a digital record. Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with Facebook     Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with YouTube Videos for educational use. E.g.: • Media clips YouTube videos should never be viewed as lessons in themselves, but as material that can be utilised to support the point of a class.     Videos for educational use. E.g.: • Media clips • Tutorials • Opinion pieces • Event media Social Media in the Classroom

Teach with YouTube Videos for educational use. E.g.: • Media clips YouTube videos should never be viewed as lessons in themselves, but as material that can be utilised to support the point of a class.     Videos for educational use. E.g.: • Media clips • Tutorials • Opinion pieces • Event media http://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy Social Media in the Classroom

Collaboration What better way for lecturers to share best practices than in an asynchronous environment, a global community of professionals?  With social media we are able to make connections while at home, before class, across time zones, etc. The web is filled with places for teachers to share materials. Use social media to promote great teaching ideas, to encourage education reform, and to celebrate each others’ successes OER: MIT, MERLOT, etc http://www.merlot.org/merlot/materials.htm?community=&category=&keywords=finance&sort.property=relevance Social Media in the Classroom

Conclusion Collaboration Sharing Active learning Flipping the classroom Social Media in the Classroom

Marius Pienaar Prof Richter PienaarM1@tut.ac.za RichterRG@tut.ac.za Social Media in the Classroom