This is also very interesting from the perspective of exploring connections between social media and education! I find it fascinating to be able to explore some of these connections and got motivated to write this particular piece. That is why I am going to review the impact of social media in education and vice versa.
A strong sense of community
Social media serves as a great supporting tool for enhancing communication, and that is why I think that it can be seen as a clear benefit of synthesizing media and education. You may look for some interesting points on the importance of communication in college essay samples that can be found on Studyhippo.com. When it comes to education, it’s hard to overestimate the impact that the fact of being in the community has on one’s educational performance.
It was a no-brainer for me as I am an active user of social media myself, so it’s a firsthand experience. Students are often creating their own groups and chat rooms to share learning materials and discuss related topics. For example, a group of students was tasked with writing a project, so they create an online chat room and communicate via this channel outside the classrooms.
There is yet another important thing – social media creates opportunities for making new contacts that can have long-lasting positive effects such as better teacher-student relationships. Administrators and principals can utilize social networks in education to effectively provide all the interested sides with important news and announcements.
It won’t go away, so why not use it?
We all have heard that teachers and parents are often blaming social media for the lack of attention among students. While this may be true in some cases, it is not a universal truth. If you take a walk in a school or college, you’re highly likely to notice that the majority of students are fully dedicating their time to smartphones. This shows that social media is here to stay; we should use it to the best.
As mentioned before, teachers, administrators, and principals should at least try to use social media instruments in the educational process. Although we know about the use of online platforms for collecting assignments and stuff, there are more possibilities. After all, a teacher can use things such as Facebook events for notifying students about projects, assignments, and that sort of stuff.
The most daring teachers can try to use social media as a means of educating! For example, a teacher may create an online video lecture and distribute it among students so they can always have it available. Sounds quite awesome to me and is definitely more likely to be embraced by students as an alternative to classic classroom experience that can be tiresome.
Enhanced research process
There is no denial to the fact that social media can be a great instrument for various sorts of research. After all, it is so easy to create a public poll and gather data regarding various topics of interest. This instrument is can be used by a student and academic researcher alike, meaning that that media benefits everyone engaged in education.
Potential career benefits
Now this may be surprising, but students can potentially begin building their career portfolio through social media. Constant and continuous exposure of one’s educational background and academic achievements can be used as a ground for future cooperation with experts in different fields. This way, a student can begin building social credibility during the school or college years!
Conclusion
Social media is penetrating every aspect of human activities, and this includes educational process. Although some might think that social media is distracting students, there are way too many benefits of this phenomenon to ignore it. These platforms offer opportunities for enhanced communication between all the participants of the educational system, including students, parents, teachers, administrators, and principals.
It is also required to state that students are able to effectively share and distribute information through this communication medium. Both students and researchers are also able to use these online engines to gather data for future research. Some students might even begin building their career portfolios through social media.
