Sharing, Communicating and Reflecting as part of Learning and Instruction through the use of Social Media

Social media has become a part of not only our social lives but our working ones as well. It has given us the chance to stay connected with those around us, the power to view the opinions of others and share our own thoughts and ideas. Most importantly social media has provided us with the opportunities to learn from one another, in ways that we could have only imagined. Isn’t this the main focus of teaching? As teachers aren’t we trying to show our students ways of expressing their ideas and learning from others and outside sources? Social media gives students and teachers the ability to learn so much more than solely books and paper can provide. It has created a network and unbelievable vast spread of knowledge in which we can all communicate and learn from.

I have become aware of so many more tools and resources that can be used in and outside the classroom that I have never heard of before. These resources broaden how teachers can teach material to students. It allows us to reach students at their own level. Students have grown up with social media and it is much more intertwined with their everyday lives than it may have been when me or other teachers were in school. It is our responsibility to teach students using resources that they are most comfortable with. It is not unprofessional to learn how to use these resources as we are embedding them into our student’s learning either. We have to learn from our students just as much as they are learning from us. This encourages further development and thinking which overall should be our ultimate goal.

I believe as teachers it is our responsibility to use social media networking cites as long as they are professional. There is a clear difference between personal and professional and we need to be aware of this difference. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and blogs should all be used and updated so that students have the chance to feel connected with your ideas and sources that you have shared. This allows students to gain knowledge and insight from your pages and can be encouraged to create their own as well. This also creates a way for students to become connected to information from the outside world through different sources that are found through social media. Videos, tutorials, talk shows, lectures, articles, experiments, news highlights and so much more can be shared through social media. It is important for students to be given the opportunity to relate and become aware of this type of information sharing in order to learn and grow. As a teacher I want my students to learn to their greatest potentials and I know that technology and the use of social media has provided the means to do just that. Social media is an age that will continue to grow and develop and I definitely want to be a part of this development because I feel that it has become a norm and very effective way to share, communicate and reflect as part of learning and instruction.