The role of social media in education

The role of social media in education

26 Apr 2024

Motto: "Digital Transformation Is About Talent, Not Technologyā€¯

Harvard Business Review, May 2020



The course of contemporary life proves to us that technology has become an integral part of it. The main sectors of public space are involving with the contribution of technology. Of course, the field of education could not be an exception, so we can currently ask ourselves what is the impact of technology, especially social media, on education.

The Internet is at the same time an object of study (through its technologies) and a source of significant documentation. The emergence and increasingly significant spread of distance education is an important part of the changes taking place in education. The existence of the Internet opens the doors of schools to "students" of all ages and levels of training. 

The socialization function intended to facilitate the participation of individuals and communities in public life, in the elaboration and making of decisions, the exchange and dissemination of information facilitates social interaction and allows people to take part in solving problems. 

The educational contribution of the social media is achieved through the transmission of information, the imposition of values, attitudes, behavioral models, thus having a special role in the constitution of the socio-cultural code of the subject. However, unlike training that is carried out rigorously and planned in the classical education system based on school programs and under the guidance of qualified personnel, the mass media provide information spontaneously and diffusely, turning into a form of complementary education carried out in a non-institutionalized way, in the free time available to the subject.

Social media, through its activity, becomes a factor of education, which leaves deep traces in the person's consciousness. It can amplify or diminish personal and collective experiences. In a society permeated by the informational spirit, education must not be left behind.

There are many different ways to use social media in education. Social media has various uses in classrooms as well as promoting schools and universities.

Social media and technology are an integral part of everyday life, and integrating them into classrooms is more natural than before, given how many young people are acclimated to them.

Each social platform offers many different ways to be used in the classroom, from sharing announcements to giving live lessons and more.

First, social media provides a smoother, more direct communication tool between students, teachers, and parents, who can check in and ask or answer questions.

Social networks allow even more opportunities for e-learning. As remote jobs and online courses become more and more popular, teaching students to work remotely is an important lesson, and social media can help.

It is important to understand the impact of social media in education before using it, but we strongly believe that it will help young people advance in technology.

First, it is necessary to remember the different ways in which social networks can be used directly in the classroom. There are many social media tools that can be used by students or pupils:

- Using a Facebook page to broadcast updates and alerts
- Using a Facebook group to stream live lectures and host discussions
- Using Twitter as a classroom message board
- Using Instagram for photo essays
- Creating a class blog for discussion
- Making essay posts by students in their own blog
- Create a class-specific Pinterest page
- Including social media links on your school website
- Sharing school events and photos
- Creating Facebook groups based on interests
- Management and concentration of school accounts under one roof
- Create a social media crisis strategy

In short, the use of social networks in education represents the recognition of the social change produced by this phenomenon. As with social forums at educational conferences, social networking sites give students and pupils a sense of belonging to a community and the opportunity to explore their own identity.

Beyond these ways to use social media in the classroom, there are also many uses for social media in educational marketing. Social media marketing can help us if we want to reach a larger audience for our school or university.

We can conclude that we are currently dealing with an educational challenge. The motivation behind the use of social networks in education lies in the responsibility of teachers to give students the skills to deal with virtual relationships and understand what friendship means in the new social culture created by the Web 2.0 environment.







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