OTAN News
Teaching With Social Media
We have written some articles recently on the value of social media for professional development and building professional networks to grow as educators. (Read this article and this article for ideas on how to get started.) Some educators now are bringing social media into their classroom as a teaching tool, in the spirit of meeting students where they are and where they spend a significant chunk of time during the day.
Pearson has created a downloadable ebook called "Dare to Teach With Social Media" that documents how instructors are using different social media platforms to deliver content and communicate with students. Some of the examples of social media use include:
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Live streaming the class, which not only allows the presenter to present, but the viewers to interact with the presentation
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Sharing images and videos on social media that help contextualize the classroom learning and provide instructions (for example, setting up a science experiment)
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Using the group chat feature of a platform to coordinate group work (scheduling, assigning roles and tasks, meeting deadlines, etc.)
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Inviting outside experts to give short talks to students
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Asking students to create Stories (like Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook Stories) to document the student experience in the class
The point is that social media allows teachers to meet students where they are and deliver content in ways that are familiar to students. Take the case of YouTube. According to Pearson, YouTube is Gen Z's (ages 14 to 23) top learning method, while millennials (ages 24 to 40) are not far behind. 47% of Gen Z respondents say they spend 3 or more hours on YouTube, far outpacing other generations. They are being dubbed the "App Generation" for a good reason. Even though we may not have considered social media as a teaching tool, it is time that teachers give it consideration as a way to connect with students and lean on something that is a significant part of their lives.
To download the Pearson ebook, click on this link. If you would like help thinking about how to incorporate social media into your teaching practice, please contact OTAN at support@otan.us or call us at 916-228-2580.
Website: Digital Learning from Pearson Education
Infographic: Meeting the Expectations of Gen Z in Higher Ed from Pearson Education