Social Media: Aid or Destruct?

Social media a life said by other millennial. . Is it a destruction or a helpful tool for

students? 96% of students report using Social Networking Sites. Of those, 59% of students

use the sites to talk about educational topics. Currently, the education system is at a

standstill in what direction to move for teaching and learning in the 21stCentury. In one

corner there are those who support the idea of not reinventing the wheel, which means they

prefer to continue with the classic model of a teacher in front of the class and students in

their desk reading. In the other corner, we have those who believe in innovation; they

believe we need to challenge the method we’ve been using for hundreds of years and change

the dynamic of the classroom. Although the latter support a lot of changes to the education

system, one of the biggest changes is integrating technology into classrooms and

introducing students to online learning.

Taken multiple classes for K-12 technology integration, done ample amount of

research, collaborated with teachers who are both for and against integration and with the

push of integrating technology into classrooms and online learning, those who are against

learning with the internet sound like a broken record when trying to prove their point of

distancing learning from the internet. Their reasons include “Our students will learn to just

copy and paste”, “There is no need for teachers then.” and “Students will just be distracted

with social media the whole time”.  It is astonishing to me that social media has such a

negative connotation when it comes to students.Social media can be used as a great

communication tool for students to chat with each other about assignments, asking a teacher

questions, and a way for a teacher to communicate with parents. There are 936 million

people who actively go on their Facebook each day (Smith, 2015). Facebook can be used for
teachers to post assignments, big events, homework help, etc. for both parents and students

to access easily. A teacher can simply create a private Facebook group for students and

teachers, this allows for teachers, students, and parents to use Facebook without the need to

become Facebook friends. Apart from students using social media for school, there is also

an opportunity for educators to come together to grow and learn using the same tools.

Teachers can become connected educators just by using social media to bounce ideas of

each other, collaborate, participates in educational discussions, etc. Just as students can

benefit from social media, so too can educators. 

Social media is not going to go away. Not only does social media increase

communication amongst students and the teacher, but it also creates a valuable learning

environment that encourages writing, reading, critical thinking, and research. Social media

is not just a media but it is a helpful tool we can use in everything we do no matter what it

is. It is in our hand how can we use it in a good or bad way. Controls are in our hand.