Incorporating Social Media in the Classroom

Friel, Holly

IL-social media

McMeans, April. (2015). Incorporating Social Media in the Classroom. Education, 131(3), 289-290.

Summary:

The use of social media will improve student engagement and encourage collaboration.  Many educators are resistant to changing their teaching practices, but without incorporating social media and other technological resources into their classrooms, teachers are not adequately preparing students for their futures.  The author states that students are using social media in our classrooms, whether we like or notice it or not, so it is encouraged that we use this student-centered tool in our teaching practices. The author provides brief lesson plan ideas that use social media tools such as Twitter, blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, and selfies. 

Review:

This short article makes a good case for why teachers should incorporate – not ban – the use of social media tools in the classroom.  Anyone who has been in a classroom in the U.S. recently will see students using social media tools on their cell phones.  The author argues that this is a great opportunity for us to capitalize on tools that our students already know how to use (and often better than we do), and actually enjoy using.  The author explains that teachers can teach what they want students to learn and do using social media tools.  The brief lesson plan ideas and descriptions of the social media tools are helpful for teachers who are new to these tools and/or haven’t figured out how to use them in the classroom.