As a high school teacher, what do you think are the advantages and pros of using social media in the classroom?

Social media is such a prevalent part of modern society especially for kids and teens.  In most schools phones and mobile devices have been banned from being used during the school day and social media websites like twitter and facebook have been blocked on school computers.  Schools are beginning to take a different approach by introducing social media into the educational system itself.  Here are some advantages and disadvantages of social media in schools and how it is being used for educational purposes.

Advantages of using social media in schools

1. SOCIAL MEDIA SITES CAN INCREASE STUDENT COLLABORATION

Social media sites provide an avenue for students to easily contact one another regarding school projects, group assignments or for help on homework assignments. This is one of the most important advantages of social media in schools.

2. Advantages of USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE Schools CAN ENCOURAGE MORE PARTICIPATION

Students who do not participate regularly in class may feel they can express their thoughts through social media.   Although this should not completely replace in class participation it can help build the students’ confidence and encourage them to find their voice and be able to participate in class. This is one of the most important advantages of social media in schools.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA SITES CAN BE USEFUL FOR HOMEWORK HELP

When students have questions about a class assignment they can easily post a message asking if anyone can help.  They can also write a specific question to the teacher on a wall that other students can see.  This allows the whole class to have access to the feedback from the teacher. This is one of the most important advantages of social media in schools.

4. SHARE RESOURCES QUICKLY WHEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE schools

If the teacher needs to direct students to a particular online resource they can easily share the site through social media sites like twitter.  If the teacher wants the class to visit a particular site all they have to do is tweet the website and the entire class can view it with one click. This is one of the most important advantages of social media in schools.

5. SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS KEEP PARENTS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ALL ON THE SAME PAGE

It is very useful for teachers to be able to post on social media sites about class activities, homework assignments and even school events.  This helps the teachers, parents and students all stay on the same page about what is going on at school.  Sites like facebook also allow teachers to easily communicate through private messages to parents and students without having to leave phone messages and wait for a call back. This is one of the most important advantages of social media in schools.

5 advantages of using social media in schools:

1. SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE A DISTRACTION IN CLASS

The first concern that comes to mind when using social media in the schools is how it will be a major distraction to the students during lessons.  Students could easily be sidetracked from an assignment and it could be difficult for teachers to tell who is paying attention or not.

2. IMPROPER USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE shcools

Students might take advantage of being able to access social media in the schools and use it for personal interactions instead of for school related activities.  If students are not closely monitored it will be hard to know how if they are using social media properly during class time. This is one of the most important advantages of social media in schools.

3. USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE school CAN DETRACT FROM HUMAN INTERACTION

If students are encouraged to participate in class discussions through social media websites this could impact their ability to interact in face to face situations.  Students still need to learn how to have conversations with people even in this modern technology based world.

4. CYBER BULLYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES

Some students have experienced cyber bullying through social media websites.  If social media is allowed in schools this could increase cyber bullying where students write hurtful messages targeting other students.

5. POSTING INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES

One of the reasons social media sites are not allowed in schools is because it is difficult to monitor how students use social media sites.  A student may post inappropriate content such as pornography or foul language which would be both distracting and damaging to students.

So, should schools use social media?

There are many advantages and disadvantages of social media in schools, so now the question is should schools allow social media in schools?  There are some websites that address the negative issues of social media but still allow social media to be used for educational purposes.

Do you think the advantages of social media in the schools are important? You may want to start thinking so. These are some of the most important advantages of social media in schools.

Source: schooliseasy

Thanks

I am sorry , this is not my field

Technology also brings thorns with its flowers. Same is true with the use of social media. Technologically it provides opportunity to interconnect as a group of learners and teachers. Through various tools on social media collecting data and sharing it becomes easier and fast. Easy access to teacher enables students to take fast assistance from their teacher to resolve an issue in studies. 

Many western universities are taking benefit of it but at the level of High school, all the students are not enough mature to understand the learning environment on social media.

First of all , social media nowadays is considered to be the main source of knowledge and information.

Student accustomed to use the internet and social media regularly specially in high school so it helps a lot if you just ask them to send you an email about a certain topic or even create a group in the Facebook or in Whatsapp they feel free to act the will never feel ashamed or shy to express their ideas in front of their classmate I tried many times and it works.

Thank You Mr Muhammed for the invitation .. I would agree with answers.. Variety of correct info and opinions ... Nothing to add !

Also, Mr. Stanley has well covered the answer !

There are advantages as well as disadvantages of social media. If you look at the positive side, you can pass notes, guidelines for the lesson to be taught and any other important information about your teaching to the students, prior to actual classroom teaching. Using social media with parents helps the teacher to inform the progress of their child in the classroom. Also, they can ask for help from the parents if their child is disrupting the classroom. Teacher can maintain a good rapport with their students through social media. They can become good friends and classroom management problems subside.

• Social Media can be used to delivers course content and other subject material.
• It enables students to become well versed with the tools to curb Social Media Detrimental issues such as Cyber-bullying, Online predators, Peer pressure, Sexting.
• Big Data provides different sources of information and whatever they learn will follow them into adulthood.
• Any learning activity brings also behavior modification for example learning about Social Media as an inclusive part of other subjects can be interesting to the young adults as compared to the era when it was just pen and paper.

Hi, Sorry it's not my profession

But social Media is about communications, you can set your goals like Contacting with your students, their families, share good moments and support the educational activities, 

Thank you

I do not think it is the right decision to use social media at classroom ... we have different educational and training aids which I prefer to use 

It is a means continuous communication with the student and the teacher and colleagues - but its imperfections drain time student