The majority of us use social media to keep in touch with friends and family. Some of us even us it professionally. But how many of us are using it as an educational tool?
A few teachers do try to use YouTube as a way of making lessons more “fun” and to help explain topics in a more visual, engaging way but generally that is as far as it goes. Increasingly though, sites such as YouTube are being blocked by tightened school filters.
Yet social media could go a long way towards engaging with and encouraging children and young adults alike to be creative, outspoken and to more actively participate in group discussions compared to traditional classroom teaching.
So what about education specific social media?
What sites are available that won’t be blocked by your school filters?
Below are just a few of the education-specific social media channels available to pupils and teachers….
- EDU 2.0. (http://www.edu20.org) and SymbalooEDU (http://www.symbalooedu.com) – Are e-learning platforms that allow teachers to share each other’s lesson plans, quizzes, videos and other materials with each other. They are also credited for teaching students how to manage their time and work/projects more effectively.
- Online Discussions are increasingly popular and are effective in moving or continuing class discussions online. There are a number of educational apps available online specifically aimed at this e.g. ‘Collaborative Classroom’ (http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/). Online discussion facilitators such as Collaborative Classroom’ are credited for not only removing the situation of certain students dominating a discussion but also gives quieter or more intimidated students the opportunity and encouragement to join in. This particular app also actually has the facility to use multiply choice questions, quotes and images to prompt comments and discussion.
- Educational Blogs – are blogs specifically aimed at students and teacher and are intended to be viewed in a safe, secure and easy to use educational blogging environment. There also tend not be blocked by school filters.
There are two main educational blogs which stand out:
- Edublogs (http://edublogs.org/) –via online educationally-focused magazines, brochures and class web pages, it encourages parents and students to discuss what they have done at school. Using blogs in lessons also introduces students to how to write in this medium in the same way they were traditionally taught to write in newspaper format.
- Kidblog (http://kidblog.org/home/) – was developed by teacher Matt Hardy for his Year 4 and 5 pupils. By not asking or needing a child’s personal information, broadcasting no adverts and giving control of content to the teachers, Kidsblog is safe enough to be allowed and encouraged in schools.
Other tools worth looking at....
- Edmodo (http://www.edmodo.com/) – Is an education version of facebook with the advantage that is password controlled by the teacher. It allows students and teachers to post projects, homework, suggested websites of interest, idea and photos and in turn encourages interaction between students and teachers.
- YouTube (inc TeacherTube, SchoolTube) – Most of you are familiar with YouTube so it needs little explanation but it is problematic in schools as it is often blocked by the school filters. TeacherTube (http://teachertube.com/), however, is basically YouTube for teachers proving a great resource for both lesson plans and actual lesson content. Unfortunately it is also amass with adverts. SchoolTube (http://www.schooltube.com/) on the other hand is specifically for schools and due to its school based nature is not generally blocked by the school filters.
The social networks you use also depends on the age of your students and their own accessibility to the various social media networks. But if you want to keep your students engaged then social media may the answer you’re looking for.
