Our generation breathes social media; we cannot live without it! It is hard to control their craving for social media, but we can leverage it for their learning. Yes! With the help of some social media websites, it is possible to increase one’s knowledge and benefit learning— for teachers and students alike. Listed below are some of them:
1. EdConnectr
EdConnectr is a great website for reaching other educators. It provides students with a range of avenues with which they can search and connect with other like-minded educators. The users can also converge their search with a “Visual Mapping Engine” feature the website offers. This feature allows students to save their precious time and valuable energy.
2. TedEd
TedEd, as we all know, provides a plethora of TED Talks with brief, often-animated video clips of subjects, including but not limited to science, art, health, psychology, literature, technology, social studies, language, and economics and business. The website has a range of communities and clubs to facilitate effortless collaboration.
3. Edmodo
Edmodo is more like a fun platform for teaching and learning where users can connect, collaborate, share content, and post homework details, school notices, and grades. It links students and teachers and makes the whole communication process simpler and more efficient.
4. Google+
Google+ is no longer the platform for individuals and professionals. It connects teachers with their students via circles that facilitate the virtual communication. Students can also research and discover the particular lesson they did not understand earlier. Google+ Communities is where you find the best educators, instructors, and learners! Google+ houses hundreds of educational communities you can join and connect. Students can expand their professional learning network by participating in these communities.
5. Facebook
Facebook can be distracting too, but if used solely for getting an education, it is too resourceful. You can make educational pages or groups on Facebook, where teachers or class representatives can share the curriculum details, updates, and other useful information that students can easily access and are notified for.
6. Twitter
Just like Facebook, teachers can use Twitter as well for reminding students about the approaching deadlines and exam date. Moreover, the teachers can also share inspirational quotes or valuable information in the form of tweets. Moreover, the trending topics on twitter also enlighten the students with the current happenings.
7. Vimeo
Vimeo is mostly used for sharing videos on Facebook or Twitter, use Vimeo. But, it can be a helpful platform if used by teachers to deliver lectures online. Vimeo also guides its users at the Vimeo Video School using a range of lessons and tutorials.
8. WordPress
WordPress has been turning out as a great way for teachers to establish a platform of communication and lessons for the effective learning of their students. Chalkboard is a simple and easy to use theme designed for teachers. The theme flaunts the look of whimsy and is effective for a digital chalkboard or learning blog. This theme comes with widget sections in the sidebar and footer. You can customize it easily for the header, menu, and background.
9. Skype
Everyone knows Skype as a means to stay connected with anyone, anywhere, anytime. When used for learning, students cannot just use it to connect with teachers, but they can also connect with other coaches and mentors online. Fabricate virtual connections by connecting with other teachers and also get connected to other students of your batch for group learning.
10. Pinterest
One of the widely used platforms for pinning pictures can also be employed as an effective teaching and learning platform. It can be used for quick collaboration among instructors and students on different subjects. Teachers can make a Pinterest page for a class or a collection of classes with Pins that concentrate on themes or subtopics essential to the lessons available.
11. Edu
For researchers whose want to share their research papers, Academia.edu is the right platform that draws a traffic of more than five million visitors. It can help the researchers to keep an eye on the effect of their research and stay updated with the work of other academics. It is a great platform for people who need data and information on different subjects and interests.
Many students are using these platforms to learn new things, even the working professionals are leveraging them to hone the skills they already own. Social media has been constantly integrating into our lives and students can harness its power for good. However, students should remember that their online behavior could result in real-world consequences. Therefore, they need to be very cautious about what they do and post online.
Author Bio:
Linda Sean is a blogger in Austin. She previously worked in high school as a student advisor. Linda likes to write on topics that are in any way useful for students. She has also delivered lectures on how students and working professionals can earn college credit for their life experience. She is also a part of an NGO aimed to keep education accessible to underprivileged children.