Social Media and Education

The internet has greatly changed the landscape of pedagogy. I would argue not in a fundamental way, but verging on it, and even more so as time goes by. Even in my own short 14-15 years in school I have seen technology, computers, the internet, and social media creep more and more into classrooms and homework assignments. For example, from Kindergarten to about... 8th grade I did not use the internet at all for homework assignments or papers. Then around high school my teachers started incorporating occasional assignments on that utilized the internet. Then around senior year in high school and continuing into college my teachers started using not only the internet, but social media profiles for homework assignments or class supplemental material.

Social media and the internet are powerful pedagogical tools for two reasons. One is because the world is becoming more internet-driven every single day. The landscapes of business, trade, networking, communication, recreation, and more are all being guided more and more toward the internet. Because of this, is extremely important that students not only be proficient in their usual day-to-day internet activities, but learn the more powerful tools that the internet offers for creativity and upward mobility.

The educational community is having mixed responses to this changing landscape. Some teachers I have had do not allow any sort of technology to be used in the classroom, be it computers, cell phones, mp3 players, tablets, etc. And in other classes, we spend the entire class period using computers, or students are encouraged to take notes on their devices. However, when it comes to social media specifically, these sites and services are usually barred from the classroom. But should they? This is a difficult question. Because on one hand the students could get all kinds of distracted from the lecture by surfing their social media news feeds, but on the other hand these tools are incredibly powerful for brainstorming, group thinking, debating, and networking with others in the same area of business or study. In my opinion, social media could be used effectively in the classroom if the teacher sets up some kind of group or profile where all the class activity takes place so he or she can monitor the activity of the students to an extent and make sure they are engaging in activities that are relevant to the class. Alternatively, the teacher could develop homework assignments that use social media so that student do them in their study time instead of risking getting distracted during class.