Students openly use social media websites in their free time. Even parents do not oppose it these days since they know it has become a norm with today’s generation. Teachers, though, do oppose the use of cell phones in classrooms due to the same reason. Social media websites are too enticing for some students to wait until the end of the lecture. However, the proper use of social media at the right time can yield brilliant results for the learner. Social media can effectively provide a real-world scenario to aid the students in emphasizing the practical aspect of studying rather than only the theoretical version. With proper guidance from parents and teachers, social media can be the most useful tool.
Here are the top 5 ways of using social media as a helpful tool if you are an online high school student:
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Explore the power of Blogging
Blogging can also serve as an effective tool for the completion of homework or assignments. Maintaining personal blogs to share what each student has done with a specific topic creates an environment of healthy competition. It also helps or inspires certain students, especially those who lack the “drive”. The idea of showcasing talent in front of others excites the students. They go through an invincible urge to prove their strength and get accolades in return. They can take up blogging writing their views and opinions on different subjects. Writing a personal blog should be followed by a group evaluation done by the children. Freshers prefer easy-to-use platforms like WordPress that allow them to create and customize the privacy settings of their blogs. Students with a knack for blogging can also team up to create collaborative projects. You can use blogs for various purposes such as discussion forums or listing all the doubts or major critical points of a lesson that cannot be overlooked.
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Take a ride of YouTube
Sharing educational classes in video format is perhaps the best idea to make students go through the study material intently, especially for visual learners. Popular YouTubers create and post various educational videos on every possible topic. Most of these creators might have been or are professors themselves. These videos are free and just a click away.
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Have fun with Pinterest
When students work on collaborative projects, each student tends to have multiple ideas which might be contradictory to those of other students in the group. To avoid unhealthy collisions within the team, Pinterest can be used for all students to present their individual views, making it much easier for all the students. Pinterest is a great platform to present educational resources and can also be used as a search engine for educational material.
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Be a part of Facebook and Twitter
Creating a closed group on Facebook is very common today. Establish a clear set of rules for what is prohibited in the group, and regulate it. Healthy discussions deepen the bonds among students, leading to brilliant teamwork. Useful ways to use Facebook groups include posting guidelines for working on important assignments, reminders for assignment submission deadlines, reference links to meaningful online resources pertaining to the curriculum, doubts or mind-boggling questions for a particular lesson, and mind-stimulating discussion topics. Twitter is also an awesome place for students to stay connected, share resources, and engage in fun-filled activities or insights.
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Hold on to Skype
Trip to a thousand places from the classroom is made possible by Skype! Skype’s convenient video chat sessions enable students from different parts of the world to interact. Students can experience different cultural aspects through tours organized by certain educational destinations, involving substantial interactivity.
In addition to the above five ways, honorable mention of Google Hangouts should also be made! Students can interact among themselves or with professors from any part of the world through Google Hangouts as well.
Social media might be a blessing to today’s students. It can efficiently hone a student's learning skills if used properly. In fact, social media is misused more than it is properly used. It is the responsibility of teachers, parents, and students themselves to explore the various means lying within social media that might enhance learning skills. Social media brings colors to the black and white learning schedule of the student, rejuvenating interest in learning that might have been lost due to monotony and pressure. It emphasizes being creative, authentic, and innovative. Students today are well aware of social media as most of them create a friend circle via social networking sites. However, most of them do not know how it can be a trustworthy tool in augmenting learning skills. Social media directly affects the growth of the online community. When things go online, there are limitless opportunities, resources, means for self-analysis, and ways to expand real-world knowledge. After all, theoretical knowledge does not go a long way. Practical knowledge, the implementation of theoretical knowledge in the real world, is what matters and makes one hit the jackpot!
