Within today’s world, students are significantly engaged in social media and the internet. In order to get student’s attention and interaction within the classroom, it is possible to use social media to make the classroom relevant and interesting to the students. One unique way of doing this would be to create a class page for social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Before doing so, it is of the utmost importance to get support and moderation from administration and additional faculty. This page would be set up with full knowledge of the school administration, who would have complete access to monitor this page and all of the information shared. Letters would also be sent home to parents/guardians acknowledging the social media page and proving them with information about it. There are resources available to train teachers, parents, and administration on how to appropriately use social media, such as http://www.edsocialmedia.com. Once this page receives full support and correct moderation, it would be an excellent platform to keep students engaged and informed about classroom activities and assignments. The teacher would be able to post daily homework reminders, test reminders, and classroom review points on this page.
Through doing so, students would be viewing and receiving information about their class every time they login to social media. This would not only serve as a constant and effective reminder of class information and assignments, but it would also be a relevant form of communication for these students. By using a form of communication that these students understand and are comfortable using, they will feel more compelled to be involved within the classroom activities. This would be an innovative and unique way to engage students who are social media savvy. This would also be a great way for students to connect their home/social life with their education, and therefore the students may feel more likely to participate and succeed in school.
References
Ed Social Media. “Exploring the Role of Social Media in Education” EdSocialMedia.com Retrieved 11 Sept 2012.
