Social media is very popular. Barak Obama used it as a
campaigning strategy. Businesses use social media in order to connect with
clients, and even as a way to conduct collaborative research. The thing is, it
is out there and students are using it, so why not use it in the educational
setting?
In order to answer that question we need to look at the
facts. “A study at the Purdue University established that use of Twitter in the
classroom helped students overcome the shyness barrier, by allowing them to
answer questions without having to raise hands to identify themselves in a big
lecture hall. Increased participation, in turn, has been linked to better
academic performance overall” (Social
media in education, 2012). Facebook can be used as classroom tool, too. Students
can work collaboratively posting responses to lessons and reflecting on what
they have learned and by doing this lessons become ingrained because repetition
allows a student to store that information in their long-term memory (Wankel,
2009). Skype allows students to interact with others globally. For instance,
students at FMHS recently skyped with Tess Gerritsen, a well-known author. Social
media allows students to connect to each other and to others outside the walls
of their schools. Using social media in school helps to provide students with a
basis of how to use it properly.
Students in my
English classes use an educational social media site called Edmodo. Two
innovative teachers created this site. Students are able to post comments,
pending my approval of them. Everything they post I see. I am able to post
assignments to students with links and details for completion. Students are
able to ask me questions in real time away from school if they run into a
problem completing an assignment. Smart phones have a downloadable app for
student’s phones. They can receive notifications as soon as I post an
assignment. Students can also download notes I upload to the site. Parents, you
can even get a parent code for the site that will allow you to keep track of
what your child is doing in the class. You can view their assignments as well
as what they have turned in or not turned in. It is a wonderful site that I
encourage you to check out. Please feel free to come to me with any questions
or assistance needed in using the site. I have found the classes I use this
site with have been more successful in turning in their assignments and passing
my classes, so I hope you will like this site as much as I do.
Students you are to
create an account if you do not already have one. Please go to the following
site: http://www.edmodo.com/ and create an
account or log in. Join your Modern Fantasy class using the following code:
du1id7.
Social media in education. (2012, Digital Learning, Retrieved
from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1018538253?accountid=3783
Wankel, C. (2009). Management education using social media. Organization
Management Journal, 6(4), 251-262. doi:10.1057/omj.2009.34
