How Can Teachers Disrupt Education Through Social Media?

Social networks, the most popular means of communication today, are considered to be one of the main responsible for students’ distractions. There are those who question the effectiveness of the virtual environment as a tool for intellectual incentive. So, would it be possible to adapt this medium to the teaching and learning process? How could the school, in general, appropriate this means to involve its students in situations that effectively contribute to their academic advancement?

Social Media in Virtual Learning

Although there are many theories and studies that support the joint work between media and school, many educational institutions still do not know how to deal with the media and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, or blogs in general.

These networks have a significant influence on the lives of their users, whether in fashion trends, professional choice, lifestyle or even positioning themselves against controversial issues such as religion, politics, and sexual options.

In reality, these social media offer a range of learning opportunities for students. Technology has shaped the world including the educational sector and students tend to love this environment. Thus, to innovate the learning process, the teacher must program himself and have time to achieve the desired result.

1. Promote Network Discussions

Shy students find encouragement on the internet pages. Propose to them a subject based on news from your daily life, inviting them to speak up. Thus, they will be able to develop a critical sense and maintain the connection with current aspects punctuated by social networks.

The choice of the topic to be debated is very important. Try to promote debates so as not to lose control of the situation, even if there is no final position for the proposed subject. Prevent conjectures from being understood as a definitive idea about a given theme.

2. Establish the Rules of The Game

As in the classroom, organization and definition of limits are indispensable for a good relationship between those involved. That is why it is necessary to determine conduct criteria, in order to avoid vulgarity and obscenity in comments. Make it clear to students how each stage of the program will work and be firm about complying with and respecting the agreements made. It is common for them to spend part of the class accessing the Facebook news feed or chatting with friends via WhatsApp, counting a lot of distraction time.

3. Organize Events Using A Calendar

The organization is everything. Developing a schedule with the activities to be carried out over the two months, with recurring notices, can be a great asset for good learning. Many apps already bring reminders of birthdays and anniversaries. Therefore, it is something that students already live with daily.

4. Interact During Classes

Mention what is being discussed in extra-class moments, during classes. For students, it is very important that there is harmony between the environments in which they are inserted.

Try to involve them in such a way that the moment of study is pleasant. An important precaution is not to exclude students who, for some reason, do not have access to social networks.

As well as facilitating communication between teachers and students, when mismanaged, the virtual environment can cause distance and resistance from those who are not involved. Therefore, try to extend to the room everything that is approached online.

5. Answer Questions and Exchange Ideas with Students

In numerous situations, students feel constrained to raise some type of questioning in the classroom, preferring to seek the help of the teacher in particular. So, find moments for them to communicate with you. Creating a chat can be a good option.

Organize an agenda and set times and days for students to connect. Thus, they will have time to organize their doubts and refer them to possible clarifications. The teacher can also take a moment to feed a blog or suggest reading some news that will enrich the students’ academic life.

6. Separate Personal and Professional Life

It can be said that the teacher is a public figure, so some precautions must be taken with respect to any and all exposure. A good way to protect yourself is by creating different access profiles. Use one of the profiles for your personal life, in which private photos will be posted, information on trips taken, issues involving family members and content of personal interest, and another profile for professional use. Avoid making posts that could hurt your image as a teacher.

It is very important to separate the “actor” from his “character”. If you prefer, you can use a name that portrays you as a teacher. For example: “Professor Léo” as the teacher profile and “Leonardo Silva” as a personal profile. Or maybe you can also create a page with what you can run your professional content flow.

Conclusion

Much more than arousing curiosity and increasing the interaction between teachers and students, social networks, when used correctly, offer better use of time and allow students to experience what is worked in the classroom. The biggest challenge is having the courage to enter the world known to our students. Unveiling knowledge is necessary and requires an investment of our time, as well as overcoming obstacles.