Social Media
Millions of people actively use social media platforms on a daily basis to communicate, find new information, express themselves, and promote their businesses. These platforms allow users to creatively portray messages, images, and videos in a way that not only reaches massive audiences, but builds one's personal brand. Whether it is realized or not, everything one posts on social media portrays a specific message about themselves. In the long run, building one's brand on social media can help set them apart from other individuals when it comes to any career-related opportunities. Utilizing social media in education is a great way to help students learn about personal branding early on, provide them with creative expression opportunities, encourage making connections, and to teach them 21st century skills.
Kemp, C. (2015). Social Media and its role in establishing a ‘successful’ classroom. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from http://mrkempnz.com/2015/10/social-media-and-its-role-in-establishing-a-successful-classroom.html.
Ways to Use Social Media in The Classroom
“Social media and technology are integral parts of daily life, and integrating the use of these into the classroom is more natural than before, given how acclimated many students are to them." -Chloe West (2021)
There are many different ways that teachers and students can use social media in the classroom to enhance learning experiences. When teachers have a strong understanding of how social media can impact education, they can use it effectively to increase engagement, participation, and motivation for their students. I am now going to dive deeper into some of the different ways social media can be used successfully in the classroom.
1. Classroom Blogs
Classroom blogs are becoming a more popular means of incorporating social media into the classroom, and they can be quite simple to create or manage. Classroom blogs provide students with opportunities to improve their reading, writing, and research skills on a digital platform. In addition, "writing blog posts gives students another outlet for digital content that they can then easily link back to class social channels" (West, 2021). Students can use build upon blog posts for future assingments or even create their own blog in higher education. There are many platforms available to create classroom blogs such as Wix, WordPress, or SquareSpace that are easy to navigate for both teachers and students. Classroom blogs also encourage students to connect or discuss with one another, which can help them gain a deeper udnerstanding of lesson contents. Students can learn new technological skills through the process of creating, designing, and researching their blog posts. Using blogs in the classroom allows students to creatively express their thoughts in a digital format and establish an understanding of how they can build their own brand. Classroom blogs are a simple, yet efficient way to icnorporate social media into the classroom, while also setting students up for future successes in the digital age. Below, I have linked some great examples of classroom blogs created by teachers in K-12 education.
Examples
2. Instagram Photo Essay
Joyce, P. (2017). Instagram Photo Essays. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://medium.com/@IamPhilipJoyce/instagram-photo-essays-3ea3f03aa2ca.
A second way that social media can be utilized in the classroom is by having students create photo essays on Instagram. This can be done on newly created accounts for education purposes or through one classroom account. Students can post a series of photos or digtal grpahics followed by a written text which can be accessed by a "Read More" button on the post. The most significant benefit of this activity is that "Instagram allows students to practice digital storytelling in ways that other social media platforms may fall short" (West, 2021). Using Instagram provides students with a more creative means to share information, one that is seamlessly embedded into the Instagram platform. This strategy can also be a great opportunity for students in visual heavy classes as they can better learn how to portray messages online. Once again, using Instagram in the classroom encourages students to think about who their audience is, what they want to portray about their brand, and how they can do so in the most effective way. Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today, and using it in the classroom now can benefit provide students with necessary technological skills for the future.
3. Twitter Message Boards
Another strategy for incorporating social media into the classroom is to create a Twitter classroom message board where students can create posts and respond to their peers. Teachers can pose questions for students to respond to and create a personalized hashtag for the class to use. In doing this, all students posts will be easily accessible through the class hashtag for the teacher and students to find. On twitter, students can like, comment, or share others posts will will encourage them to make connections and discuss their posts. Twitter is a great platform to use in the classroom because it not only allows for the posting of images and videos, but its "280 character limit makes students think critically on communicating concisely and effectively, a beneficial skill to develop" (West, 2021). These unique aspects of Twitter will benefit students in learning how to effectively portray their personal brand. In addition, Twitter provides students with an opportunity to connect with those in different classes. Teachers can share class hashtags, which students can use in their posts to reach different audiences and grow their connections. Educators can use this opportunitiy to teach students about safety and privacy when using social media. Overall, Twitter is a great platform to incorporate into the classroom as it connects students' personal use of social media at home to their experiences in education.
My Experience Using Social Media in The DCIM Minor
Below are some examples of how I have utilized social media throughout my journey in the DCIM minor. These unique experiences provided me with greater knowledge about how I can use social media to portray my own personal brand in the digital age.
References
12 ways to use social media for Education. Sprout Social. (2021, November 11). Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-for-education/
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