10 Ways to Benefit from Social Media in Education

Most teachers are convinced that social media can only harm academic performance. What if we told you that it is possible to benefit from using social media in higher education?

But how? Let’s view the top ways to use social media in education to boost student performance and organization within educational institutions.

Way #1: Communication

Although for now, only 12% of teachers use Facebook to communicate with their students, we are convinced that this figure will grow in the future. 

Social media is an indispensable part of modern student life. Yes, 96% of learners use social media to communicate with peers. So, it is only smart to leverage this fact to benefit. 

Let’s imagine the situation when a student is stuck with their homework and can contact a teacher instantly. This will help learners a lot, as they no longer have to wait and physically meet a teacher. 

What’s more, messengers support sharing documents via Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. This allows teachers to collect the most asked question into a single file and send it to their students to save time. 

Also, Facebook and Instagram allow creating lives. So, teachers can unite their students, who can not attend a class, online. 

Way #2: Helping Tools

Social media can help promote helping tools for students. In the social media feed, students can find interesting and relevant information. 

For instance, learners can share the services and platforms that help them in their studies on their personal pages. They can recommend their fellow students essay writing services, platforms where professional writers write an essay for money, time management applications, platforms that can help find inspiration for a school project, etc.

Knowledge sharing is critical during studies. 

Way #3: Informing Students

One of the key advantages of social media is the possibility to share information quickly. So, teachers and educational institutions can use their Facebook pages to post updates about the studying process, materials, etc. 

These pages are available even for students that are not registered on Facebook. Although it is a rare case nowadays, it could be an obstacle. However, you should remember that these pages are open (but it is possible to make them open for the authorized users only) and everyone on Facebook can view and comment on the posts. 

Way #4: Twitter for Discussions

Teachers can create a Twitter profile and use it for discussions. Twitter is suitable for students’ discussions, as it has a 280 character limit. As a result, students learn to express their thoughts concisely and thus communicate effectively. 

Also, Twitter is a perfect platform for posting minor updates, reminders, helpful links, etc. 

Way #5: Instagram for Photo Projects

The vast majority (65%) of students perceive visual information the best. So, why not use this fact? 

Instagram is a highly visual content platform, which students can leverage for photo projects. This will develop such skills as composition, digital storytelling, photographing, and others. 

Way #6: Creating Class Blogs

Sometimes teachers are concerned that their students cannot express their opinions in a sophisticated and elaborate manner. We have a solution that will train them to write longer content pieces but still make it more interesting than school compositions. Create a blog!

Choose among a wide variety of platforms – LiveJournal, Medium, Wix, Tumblr and use them to their full potential. Students can create their own accounts to add comments on class prompts or make discussion posts.

The syllabus and required assignments can also be shared on a blog as a central location.

Way #7: Writing Blog Posts as Essays

Assigning essays in the form of blog posts can be a new strategy to encourage students to write more. Blogs can enhance the writing and critical thinking skills of your students. Also, such assignments can help students learn how to structure the information logically. These skills can come in handy across all subjects.

Way #8: Class Pinterest Board

It is a good idea for teachers to create Pinterest boards for their classes and save pins relevant to lessons.

Pinterest is an excellent platform for teachers to create boards according to a subject and sub-topic boards for weekly units, for instance.

The platform can also be helpful for students. They can save references for research projects, papers, or group assignments. Also, Pinterest allows pinning websites, books, or videos on a certain topic and coming back to it when needed.

Way #9: Social Media for Research Purposes

Both students and teachers can find research material using social media. Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to find relevant material on any topic related to your education field. Also, you can join various educational groups on Facebook.

Although you should remember that social media as a research tool can be tricky. So, you need to consult different sources and fact-check to make sure that the information you have just found is not fake. 

Way #10: Social Media to Boost Literacy and Communication Skills 

Modern students get bored with reading and writing very easily. Social media, at the same time, provides information that students are more often inclined to read, such as messages, comments, news, articles, and eBooks. This encourages students to learn more. 

Wrapping Up

Social media is a great learning platform. These ten significant ways of using social media in the education industry will help students to learn. Social media allows sharing knowledge and experience in a fun and exciting way.

Are you ready to embrace these ways of using social media in education?