Techniques Jan 2013 - 8

Classroom Connection

Using Social Media to Enhance Student Learning
will in turn increase student interest. Teachers can record lesson plans and upload them to their own YouTube channel, as well as create a playlist of videos for their students to watch. Google Moderator is an online tool that allows students to submit questions and vote for the ones they would most like answered; the teacher can then answer questions in the order of popularity. Based on students’ questions, teachers receive valuable insight as to which areas need to be more heavily covered. Facebook is the world’s largest social network and a great place to interact and engage with students. Through Facebook you can set up a page for your classroom where you can post homework assignments, share classroom information—such as links to relevant materials or articles—and even begin a classroom discussion. The polling feature is also a helpful way to receive student and parent feedback. Pinterest is another way to gather ideas for classroom organization and lesson plans. Pinterest is an online “pinboard” that gives users creative ideas like sample craft projects and science experiments that can be incorporated into the classroom. You can also make specialized boards for your students to access content related to the lessons. Twitter is a platform where users share their thoughts, news and information in 140 characters or less. Use Twitter as a way to enhance classroom discussion and to share relevant information to your students. Google+ is very similar to Facebook.
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By Elizabeth R. Heatley and Talana R. Lattimer SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO EXPAND
learning outside the four walls of your classroom. The tools and resources discussed in this article are excellent ways to incorporate new ideas and teaching styles into your curriculum. Apart from using social media for personal use, it is increasingly used in the education arena as a way to exchange ideas among teachers, students and parents. With microblogging platforms like Twitter and Facebook, teachers can establish “back channels” to help foster a discussion and surface new ideas. It can be said that using social media channels like Google Moderator and Facebook evens the classroom playing field. Students who require more time to process ideas or formulate thoughtful responses have equal access to online forum discussions, while face-to-face discussions reward quick thinkers and strong verbal processors. enhanced learning capabilities. For example, sometimes teachers encourage their students to “live tweet” the class on Twitter. By doing this, students who may be shy or hesitant to speak out in class are encouraged to contribute their ideas. Erin Olson, an English teacher in Sioux Rapids, Iowa, is among a small but growing cadre of educators trying to exploit Twitter-like technology to enhance classroom discussion. Olsen states, “When you’re standing in front of the class and you ask the students if they have any questions, often there’s just silence. But when you engage with them through social media, it’s amazing the insight that you can get.”1

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Social Media Tools
Here is a quick review of the major social media applications that can be incorporated into the classroom for all age groups. • There is a wide range of YouTube videos that have been specifically designed for different grade levels. Using YouTube is an effective way to keep lessons interesting and unique, which •

Bringing Social Media into the Classroom
With added technology, many teachers enjoy taking advantage of social media’s

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Techniques

January 2013

Techniques Jan 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Techniques Jan 2013