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Janet De Wilde: Pedagogical rationale behind using social media in learning

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Janet De Wilde: Pedagogical rationale behind using social media in learning

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I find Laurillard's work helpful for example when using social media in learning, we (I) need to pause to consider the differences between discussion, co-operation and collaboration (Laurillard 2012). Learning can happen via each of these social interaction approaches but we must be clear about our rationale of which social media platform we are using and what learning we are aiming for.

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Hi Janet! Any thoughts yet about which 3 sources on social media we want to share with other group members? There's loads of good stuff here. :-)

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Hi everyone! Loads of really useful contributions here.

I find it fascinating how divided people can be about the use of social media. Some colleagues love it. Others view it with a mix of disdain, suspicion and fear! I think understanding the cultural context into which new technologies are being introduced is critical to nurturing their incorporation into practice, and that might be particularly true for the very public and 'slippery' world of social media.

Feeling Better Connected is a report that emerged a couple of years ago from the University of Canberra (Lupton, 2014). It reports on quite an extensive international survey that was undertaken into how academic staff and postgraduate students were using social media in their work. One of the really interesting aspects of the research is that it goes into quite some detail about the fears and misgivings people have around the use of social media (key elements of the cultural context) as well as the advantages they feel it offers.

https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/arts-design/attachments2/pdf/n-and-mrc/Feeling-Better-Connected-report-final.pdf

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Janet De Wilde: How are social media used in your discipline?

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Janet De Wilde: How are social media used in your discipline?

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In my discipline of professional development social media has a significant role to play. It can be used in the social constructivism approach by creating knowledge together for example on a wiki, I use twitter in learning how to market research, how to connect people, we use LinkedIn groups for extended learning and connections, we use blogging for consolidation of knowledge. There are so many uses - I just love social media as it brings knowledge and people together :D

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Janet De Wilde: What Social Media is available out there?

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Janet De Wilde: What Social Media is available out there?

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I found this question interesting and thought I would investigate if I knew all the social media. This article is helpful in that regard, it includes the obvious ones I know about and use: twitter, facebook, instagram, snapchat. However it does have others I don't know about such as Digg -so there is still some exploration and learning to do.

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-social-media-explaining-the-big-trend-3486616

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Janet De Wilde - What are the challenges and opportunities in using Twitter for learning.

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Janet De Wilde - What are the challenges and opportunities in using Twitter for learning.

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This article analyses students' perception of twitter for learning. This is very interesting for me as I  ask postgraduate students to use twitter during some courses and I have found the majority do not use twitter. However we still go ahead and use twitter and blogging during courses and have found students get really engaged.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751616302780

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Janet De Wilde: What are the challenges and opportunities: Student identity creation in social media

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Janet De Wilde: What are the challenges and opportunities: Student identity creation in social media

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I am thrilled to have found this article which explores curriculum design and students identity creation in social media - I teach postgraduate students to enhance their social media profile for professionalism and this  article (very recently published 2016) addresses the challenges and opportunities of doing this

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131516301993

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A framework for using social media to support Self-RegulatedLearning (SRL) in Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) - MS

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A framework for using social media to support Self-RegulatedLearning (SRL) in Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) - MS

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To assist higher education faculty and instructors in scaffolding student self regulation skills in the creation of PLEs we developed a pedagogical framework for social media use based on the levels of interactivity that social media tools enable. These levels are: (1) personal information management, (2) social interaction and collaboration, and (3) information aggregation and management

Dabbagh, N., Kitsantas, A., 2012. Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning. The Internet and Higher Education, Social Media in Higher Education 15, 3–8. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.06.002

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Why use social media to support learning? - MS

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Why use social media to support learning? - MS

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An article by The Learning Systems Team of the Open University.

Excerpt
Here are some of the reasons of why we support the use of social media here at the Open University, covering:

Making learning more social

Encouraging deeper reading and discussions

Being a catalyst for creation and collaboration

Putting us closer to where the students are

Also, the article suggest to read this article about using Periscope and other streaming tools to engage students.

Monika: Do you think that this aspect of putting yourself close to the students is important in HE?

https://medium.com/@GoTeamLTS/why-use-social-media-to-support-learning-db0534ef48ec#.gaj08pnvv

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The Learning Systems Team of the Open University, the UK's largest university and a distance learning specialist, talk about why they support the use of social media in learning with the OU, and offer some practical tips on its use.
Can using social media support learning? Or is it simply a distraction? Well, judging by how long it's taken me to write this blog perhaps it can be considered a distraction. But, here at the Open University, we also know it can be useful in supporting learning. It can give students a richer, enhanced learning experience. An experience that can give students a broader perspective on issues covered in their studies. And it can help them feel that they're a valued part of a learning community. A community that provides additional support and motivation to students throughout their learning journey.

It doesn't need you to be a full-time Facebook posting, Instagram snapping, Periscope streaming, snapchatting, tweeting superhero to get started in giving students that enhanced experience. It just a takes a bit of time to understand what you want social media to achieve for your students, and a bit of time to think about how much effort you can afford to make in this area.

Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

You might be thinking 'Yeah, that sounds okay. But I need to hear more. How exactly could it bring these benefits? And have you got any examples of social media being used for these purposes?'. Well, funny you should ask. Here are some of the reasons of why we support the use of social media here at the Open University, covering:

Making learning more social

Encouraging deeper reading and discussions

Being a catalyst for creation and collaboration

Putting us closer to where the students are

We've also included some examples and ideas of how to use social media in the learning context, such as:

Setting up your own accounts

Platform advice

Increasing visibility

Creating special events

Twitter chats

Curating lists

Using hashtags

Live streaming

Creating retrospective collections of social media posts

Oh, and we include a bit of advice on things to be aware of. We're nice like that.

So, here goes...

It makes learning a more social experience

Helping learners to exchange thoughts, beliefs and to give and receive feedback encourages the sort of social interaction that can really motivate learners. Social media enables easier discussions between a wide range of learners, each with their own backgrounds, cultures and experiences. This is great for sharing a broad range of perspectives. At the same time, the fact these learners all share the same learning aims, can foster a great sense of community.

And that community can be an incredibly supportive to a learner. The OU Students Association make fantastic use of social media to create an online community for the diaspora of distance learners of the OU. In doing that they have discovered that the peer support aspect of social media is really appreciated by students. Students are able to help each other through those tricky periods giving advice, offering support and having a laugh.

Great for encouraging discussion and reading about real world events

Social media is a natural platform for discussing world events and situations, both serious and not so serious, as they happen. Many students will be using it in that way already. From the bamboozlement of the blue/black/white/gold dress to the concerned discussions as the Paris attacks unfolded, social media has been 'the water-cooler' that people have gathered round to discuss these events.

Discussing real world events connected to their course adds context to their studies, highlighting the relevance of what they have learned. It allows them to explore different avenues, hear new perspectives and hone their viewpoints. With social media these conversations can involve, not just other students and academic staff, but a global community with a shared interest.

The scientific adventures of the Philae Lander which which left the Rosetta spacecraft to land on comet 67P in November 2014 is a great example of this.

The Philae Lander's social media presence on twitter, and its associated account ( ESA_Rosetta), its hashtags (#philae2014, #cometlanding, #lifeonacomet, #67P etc), and its video logs are a great example of social media enhancing the learning experience, giving rich additional content for those who want it.

A world wide audience converged on this one presence and discussed various related topics whilst experiencing the roller coaster of emotions associated with the mission.

Allows students more opportunities to be creators and collaborators

Social media platforms are also natural environments for students to create and co-operate; curating collections of links they've found engaging, sharing their ideas through blogs, posting motivating images. The very platform you're reading this on, Medium, allows people, or groups of people, to create and share content. This content is automatically shared , through the use of recommendation algorithms, to other users worldwide. This global audience, outside of the students' natural network, raises the potential for useful feedback covering varied points of view.

You might be surprised at how much people on the internet, who you've never met, are willing and able to help you.

An increased personal network (a fundamental aspect of social media) doesn't just offer a greater range of feedback, it could also offer students greater opportunities through ' the strength of weak ties '. Which is good. These networks that are built online can transform into real world networks which can be useful for work opportunities, developing interests and...er...sourcing replacement deely-boppers at short notice. You might be surprised at how much people on the internet, who you've never met, are willing and able to help you.

Lets us be closer to where the students are

A large proportion of people are now social media users. For many this is where online conversations are happening naturally. So it's no surprise that some students are starting communities and groups related to their learning on social media. It's just a natural thing to do. These student-led groups often focus on what the learner needs, more that just what is required from the course. They offer emotional support for other learners, technical help, advice on dealing with the institution. They can be a bit more personal. A bit more friendly.

As well as supporting personal learning activities should we also be in these spaces to support these broader aspects of their study journey? Not to force our way into the conversations of learners, but being available if they want to talk with us there. Join in the conversation on their terms. After all, it's their learning experience, not ours.
For more of an insight into this you could look at this nice bit of research from Tony Coughlin and Leigh-Anne Perryman of the OU, "Are student-led Facebook groups open educational practices?"
There's also the question of, dare I say it, 'customer service'. Expectations have changed in how people contact organisations. It's not often we hand write and post a letter, waiting weeks for a response. We're even moving past the stage where we type an email and wonder why we haven't got a response within days. Our expectations are shifting to the point that we expect a social media query to have a response within hours.

If we expect that ourselves, shouldn't we look into offering that to our students?

Some practical examples of using social media.

We've mentioned a few of the benefits social media use can bring to learning. But how could you actually use social media to achieve these benefits? Well, here are some more examples to get you going.

Twitter is great for sharing information, dealing with queries, and interacting with those outside of your normal group.

Facebook is good for having a specific group area where interested people can get together and talk and share.

Instagram is perfect for sharing those occasional photos.

Set up your own account

It could be an account for the course, a course team account, accounts for specific academics or even a mascot! Or perhaps not a mascot.

Course team social media accounts are a nice opportunity for the team and students to interact. Students can get an insight into the department, the people, the ideas behind the course. This interaction can help motivate both the team and the students.

Which platform?

But which platform to use? Should you be on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or something else? Well, it depends.

As a very basic rule of thumb:

An example might help, and a great example, as mentioned earlier, is the use of social media by the OU Students Association. They have a presence across several platforms which are used to motivate, inform and give a voice to students.

Have a look at:
Question for readers: Should learners on online courses be actively encouraged to take an active part in course related activities on social media?
They've even got an online radio show. See how they adapt their use for each different platform. Now this level of presence obviously requires time and resource so it's not going to be possible for everyone. But a limited presence, done well, can still be very effective.

Make social media activity visible to all

At the OU we can make use of embedding twitter or facebook feeds within a course site in the Moodle virtual learning environment (VLE).

This is useful as it allows students to view social media activity without having to seek it out, and without even having to have a social media account. It raises visibility of what is taking place in the social media accounts and lets students choose whether they would like to participate.

You don't have to actively take part in a social media conversation to benefit from what is said.

This means students who don't have social media accounts, or who have accounts but don't want to use them for their studies, can still see what's being talked about. You don't have to actively take part in a social media conversation to benefit from what is said.

Special events can be run to act as a catalyst for further, deeper discussion.

One of our favourite examples of this is the ' Friday Thinker ' run by our colleagues in the Social Sciences department here at the OU. Each Friday has a different member of the academic staff raise a question, which is discussed by members of the group. What makes this so good? Not only does it generate some great discussions but it also gives students visibility of academic staff. This helps build a feeling of community and strengthens connections between students and the OU. This is really useful in a distance learning environment.

Twitter Chats

making a list of members of the academic team who are happy to be listed. Useful for making online learning more 'human'.

building specific community lists around certain topics related to the course. This can add an element of personalisation to the learning experience letting the students follow the lists that interest them the most.

seeing if students want to be on a list of course participants. A simple way of starting an online community based around the course.

Twitter chats are another popular method of generating discussion around a specific topic. A group of Twitter users meet at a pre-determined time to discuss a certain topic. A designated #hashtag (more on these below) is chosen and each post in the Twitter chat will include this hashtag. A host will pose questions, identified with the prefix Q1, Q2 etc, and the group will respond to the questions, with the answers prefixed A1, A2 etc accordingly. This is a great way to explore a subject and build a community at the same time.

Set up curated lists of interesting social media accounts.

Twitter lists are a great. They are an easy way of showcasing the tweets of group of people or organisations you find interesting. You can as many lists as you want (as long as you don't want more than 1,000 lists) and these lists can have up to 5,000 people on them. And these lists can be shared with, and viewed, by others.

Setting up and sharing interesting lists is a useful way of ensuring a steady stream of engaging content is being generated without you having to commit much, if any, time to tweeting yourself. That can be very handy!

Here's an example of a small list showing OU related twitter accounts.

So what can you do with Twitter lists? How about:

Sound interesting? Want to know how to set up Twitter lists? Then look no further. Here's how to set up Twitter lists.

And, as a bonus, some additional ideas for how you might use Twitter lists.

Use #hashtags to allow to build conversations around topics

On many social media platforms the # symbol turns any word or group of words that directly follow it into a searchable link. This lets you organise content and track discussion topics based on keywords. Click on a keyword to see all the posts that mention the subject in real time.

This can be handy for joining in with world events or conversations that are taking place e.g. as I type this currently trending hashtags on Twitter include #WorldPoetryDay, #HumanRightsDay and #NovakDjokovic.

And you're free to create your own hashtags based around course or community content.

Here's a decent list currently used #hashtags for education. There are a lot of them.

Live streaming

As well as posting text, links or images and videos, it is now possible to live stream events through video over social media. This allows you to broadcast anything as and when needed. It can be scheduled or it can take place on the spur of the moment, with your social media followers being notified of the start of the broadcast.

Viewers of the broadcast can interact with those broadcasting during the event. Eric Stoller, who's a bit of an expert with the whole social media in education thing, covers this far more eloquently than I ever could in his Medium article Live-streaming Apps Engage Students and Staff. Have a look. After you've read this obviously.

Curating social media posts into a story

Social media can be of the moment, recording people's views and actions as events unfold and discussions take place. These moments can be curated after the event and presented in one neat package. This is a great tool for reflection or for taking the opportunity to catch up with an event or discussion you weren't able to attend.

Tools like Storify are built specifically for this purpose. Using a range of social media posts you can put together great coverage of things like conferences, open days, special events, twitter chats...the list goes on.

Want some examples? Have a look at these examples from the OU's coverage of education day and JISC's coverage of Digifest 2016.

Let's be careful out there

Let's not kid ourselves. As great as it is, the internet can be a weird place and some strange things can happen there. We can't avoid this if we use social media, but we can be aware of it and do what we can to make it a lot less weird for our students.

Here are some things we think you need to be aware of:

You can't control what other people post

Social media gives people the tools by which people can amplify their voice, and speak to the world. Unfortunately some take this opportunity to say something stupid. Or offensive. Or just odd.

It's worth taking the time to ensure staff and students are aware of how they are expected to act when using social media in relation to their learning activities. And for those outside of the academic circle it might be useful to make yourself aware of what tools the social media platforms have to moderate those who are being inappropriate. There are some useful tips in this link

Hashtags can have mixed meanings (and don't always go the way you want)

The cool hashtag you come up with might not be unique.

For example, does #U101 refer to the OU's Design Thinking:Creativity for the 21st Century course?

Or does it refer to the 1996 collector's card for Tommy Vardell, the San Francisco 49ers unforgettable running back (actually I know very little about US football so have no idea whether anyone stateside does remember Tommy Vardell)?

A pre-planned hashtag can benefit from a little bit of thought and a little bit of investigation to see if it will be suitable.

Other hashtags will form spontaneously from the users and might usurp the hashtag you had intended. If so, just run with it. Social media is the learners' space.

Oh, and hashtags can occasionally go a little bit wrong.

People may also use a hashtag to vent a frustration. But it may be better to allow that, and to deal with any issue effectively, rather than leave a learner unhappy.

Tools and platforms change.

We know which social media platforms are big today. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are incredibly popular and have been for several years now. It makes sense for us to think about having a presence on these platforms.

But we need to be aware of changes in this area. What other platforms are becoming popular? How is social media use changing on these platforms? At what point should we consider having a presence on them? What would that presence look like if we did?

For example, did you know that Snapchat now has 100 million active users and 7 billion daily video views. That's a testament to how much the network is growing, and also to how much people (usually young people in Snapchat's case) are willing to consume content through this medium. But does it have any use in teaching?

And then there is Slack, the group messaging tool that has seen massive growth and is changing how businesses and groups communicate. What is the future potential for supporting learning on a platform like this?

It's not for everyone

Although social media might be a massive global phenomenon it doesn't mean everyone is active on social networks. And those that are using social media might not necessarily want to use it as part of their learning experience. It's important not to exclude these people or put them at a disadvantage.

Social media can enhance the learning experience, adding elements of peer support, tapping into global communities, making the learning experience more personal, giving motivation and acting as a catalyst for deeper exploration of a topic. But these things are optional. If they choose not to engage in social media they should still receive a rewarding and beneficial learning experience.

You represent your institution

Now I'm sure you're a very sensible and professional person so this probably doesn't need saying, but if you start behaving 'strangely' on social media it might just reflect badly on your institution. By the same token, if other people start engaging with your social media accounts, then they are interacting with the institution. The nature and timeliness of your responses should be inline with what people would expect from your organisation.

Having a non-responsive, non-posting zombie social media account is worse than having no presence at all.

Oh, just one more thing...

Have a reason for doing what you do. Don't just do social media because everyone else is. Do it because you have an idea of how you feel it will enhance the learning experience.

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Why use social media to support learning? - OU Learning Systems - Medium

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The Learning Systems Team of the Open University, the UK's largest university and a distance learning specialist, talk about why they support the use of social media in learning with the OU, and offer some practical tips on its use. Can using social media support learning? Or is it simply a distraction?

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3 Ways to Use Social Media in Education - MS

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3 Ways to Use Social Media in Education - MS

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This article explores the use of social media throughout the process (steps) of student experience. Social Media could be used to (1) attract prospective students in a more aggressive market driven by tuition fees, (2) communicate with students constantly during the learning process as students expect a more immersive experience, and (3) learn using social media as a medium.

Monika: The third use, the one dealing with teaching and learning is probably the one that would be most useful to us. The authors mention VLE and how VLEs don't support learning. Do you think social media do a better job at that?

https://medium.com/learn-ium/3-ways-to-use-social-media-in-education-21121e120b88#.gtk4ksdgs

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Mahdi: Recently, I attended a conference on Carbon Capture and Storage. They were asking sponsored attendees to prepare blogs from events. I think this is very good method for immortalizing the conference talks. Here are mine:

[T1] Technical Blog: Talk given by Brian Allison, An update on UK government CCS policy. UKCCSRC Biannual Meeting, Edinburgh, 15th September 2016, (link).

[T2] Technical Blog: Talk given by Andrew Chadwick, Update on investigations into development of UK onshore test injection sites. UKCCSRC Biannual Meeting, Edinburgh, 15th September 2016, (link).

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100+ examples of use of social media for learning

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100+ examples of use of social media for learning

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from: Social Learning Handbook 2014, by Jane Hart

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Here are links to Jane Hart's currently available books. These will be phased out once the MWL series 2018 becomes available.
Learning in the Modern Workplace 2017 Modern Workplace Learning: A resource book for L&D (2015)
This new book - presented in the form of a number of short, succinct sections - builds on the material in the 2015 Modern Workplace Learning book to provide new models, frameworks, guidance and examples as well as links to 140 new resources for you to delve deeper into how to support learning in the modern workplace. It also contains a 30-page Appendix containing the Top Tools for Learning 2016 lists to provide a complete set of resources.
Find out more here
Find out more here Social Learning Handbook 2014
This book is packed with practical advice and guidance to help L&D transform their workplace learning practices both through the provision of modern training content and the promotion and support of continuous, everyday learning in their organisation.

When we consider what social learning means inside an organization, it's not just adding social media to instructional programmes or letting people interact with one another. It's more about helping people learn from one another as they work together - enhanced by collaborative enterprise social tools. This book looks at some of the key ways that organizations can start to support social workplace learning.

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Here are links to Jane Hart's currently available books. These will be phased out once the MWL series 2018 becomes available.

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The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual) – A literature review

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The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual) – A literature review

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Mahdi: a comprehensive review paper:
Paul A. Tess. The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual) – A literature review. Computers in Human Behavior, 2013, 29 (50), A60–A68.

Monika: I've added a link to the paper.

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Mahdi: Here is an interesting article

Monika: This is good because it shows a link between social media and a theory you discussed in How students learn. In this module we are also looking at a new theory - connectivism (you have a video from George Siemens and an article to read in the online session folder on Blackboard), do you think this theory explains learning better?

Mahdi: Yes, I think the limitation of constructivism (even in its social-oriented statement) is that it assumes the learning process to be an internal process. It ignores the effect of learning accommodated through technology, within an organization or a database. In addition, the life-time of knowledge is significantly shorter when it comes to connectivism theory. In the new connectivism theory information is being supplied continually and the foundation of our knowledge alters frequently.

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Constructivism & Technology/Case Examples/Social Networking Tools - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

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In today's day and age, social networking sites, such as My Space and FaceBook, seem to reign supreme when it comes to social interaction amongst the peers of today's digital generation.

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How Do Engineers Use Social Media? [INFOGRAPHIC]

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How Do Engineers Use Social Media? [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Mahdi: Statistics on how engineers use social media

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Did you know that a recent study revealed that 61 percent of engineers use social media for work-related activities?

Facebook is, as usual, the platform of choice, with more than two-thirds (67 percent) of engineers favouring that channel, ahead of LinkedIn (43 percent), Google+ (33 percent) and Twitter (22 percent).

Learning is cited as the main reason for using social media, and 60 percent of engineers use these tools to help find new products or solutions.
(Source: Cal Gavin. Social media image via Shutterstock.)

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How Do Engineers Use Social Media? [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Did you know that a recent study revealed that 61 percent of engineers use social media for work-related activities? Facebook is, as usual, the platform of choice, with more than two-thirds (67 percent) of engineers favouring that channel, ahead of LinkedIn (43 percent), Google+ (33 percent) and Twitter (22 percent).

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Mahdi: This article suggests 5 methods for using Social Media As Learning Tools

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If you ask students who their favorite teacher is, they will probably name the one who's constantly present on Facebook, answering their questions and posting links to content that makes learning fun. You can become that person if you start using social media as learning tools. Read on; we'll show you 5 tricks that will reveal the new face of education thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms you can use.

1. Create a Facebook group for your class.

This is where the magic starts. Almost every teacher has created a Facebook group for their class, but not everyone knows how to use it. There are few ways you can put that group to good use:

Share something that will make your students laugh.

Post notes to remind your students about the instructions of important assignments, as well as the submission deadlines.

Encourage your students to post links to great online resources related to the curriculum. You can give extra points for this activity.

Set discussion topics every week. Think of a topic close to the most engaging lesson of the week, and invite everyone to discuss. You have to motivate the students to participate, so ask relaxed questions that will make them think, but won't stress them out.

Allow and encourage the students to ask any question they have. If they don't know how to handle the assignment, help them surpass the difficulties they face.

Discover motivational TED talks and post them in the group. There are many successful people who made progress because they had great goals and worked hard to achieve them. There is hardly a better motivator for learning than a great TED talk.

Constantly search for new online resources that make learning fun, and share the links in the group. Then, ask your students to watch/read/listen to those materials and share their opinions during class.

2. Use blogging for students' homework assignments.

How about using blogging as a tool for homework assignment submission? Each student can have a personal blog where they will share book reviews, history research papers, and other assignments they usually submit in print. This is a much better option, since everyone will be able to see what the others have done with the topic, so the healthy competitive spirit will drive them forward.

When you assign team projects, you can ask several "bloggers" to collaborate within a group and publish different parts of the finished paper on each blog.

Of course, you should also have a blog. You can use it for posting discussion topics and inviting everyone to comment. In addition, you can post weekly updates for the lectures you just went through, so the students who missed the classes will keep up with the coursework.

3. Use Twitter for bringing fun into the classroom.

Most educators interested in introducing social media into the teaching processes are focused on Facebook. They perceive Twitter as a network that's mostly used for fun. The fun aspect of Twitter is not necessarily a bad thing.

You can introduce a daily hashtag related to a certain topic you elaborated in class, and ask each student to discover a fun fact related to it. Then, they should post a tweet under that hashtag, and the entire class will follow the activity. This is a great way for the students to realize how the things they learn at school are being implemented in the real world. For example, you can set #spiders for a daily hashtag and start posting fun facts like no 2 #spider webs are the same. Then, ask your students to dig through online resources and discover their own fun facts about spiders. You can all discuss the information you find the next day in class.

Twitter is also a great place for you to get connected with other teachers. You can support each other and share tricks and resources that help you do your job.

4. Pinterest for pinning educational resources.

You know how hard it is to keep all important online content in the browser's bookmarks. You keep losing the resources you need no matter how hard you try to organize the toolbar. Pinterest is a great platform for organizing educational resources. When you browse and locate something you could use - you just pin it in a board you created for the relevant category.

You can also use Pinterest as a search engine for educational content. Just write your topic in the search bar and you'll discover some cool resources you can present in the classroom.

Needless to say, you can share the boards with your students, so they can explore them in their free time and expand the knowledge they gain in the classroom. Ask them to create their own boards with educational resources, so you'll understand what each individual is mostly interested in. For example, one student will mostly pin resources from the area of history, and others will be interested in literature. From then on, you can encourage them to explore their strengths further.

5. Use YouTube for the flipped classroom concept.

This video sharing platform is a great option for introducing the flipped classroom concept into your teaching methods. You can share educational lectures and resources in video format, and expect your students to watch the material instead of writing homework. Then, you can discuss the lecture and do the homework in class.

This concept requires more work on your part, since you'll have to record the lessons and edit the videos. However, you can substitute that effort by telling your students to view free educational videos that have been published by popular YouTubers.

Here is another way to become the coolest teacher at the school thanks to YouTube: tell your students to film themselves making presentations of the projects you assign, and then post the videos on the channel.

Social Media Platforms Are Useful When Teachers Know How To Use Them

The above-listed tips probably gave you a new perspective on the way you can use social media as learning tools that fit into your teaching methods. These activities will require you to invest some of your free time. Of course it's easier to show up in the classroom, present the lecture and expect the students to do their part of the work.

However, the efforts you put into social media activity will yield great results. You'll finally start seeing enthusiastic faces in the classroom, since your students will realize how fun learning can be. Start using social media platforms as learning tools, and you'll soon notice you're making a big difference into the way your students perceive education.

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5 Ultimate Tricks Of Using Social Media As Learning Tools

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If you ask students who their favorite teacher is, they will probably name the one who's constantly present on Facebook, answering their questions and posting links to content that makes learning fun. You can become that person if you start using social media as learning tools.

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Mahdi: Mendelly facilitates teamwork on joint publication through sharing references and resources. Here is a video explaining that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47NOI5HQ5m4

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Mahdi: When I have a technical problem in computational programming, I just Google it. Almost in all instances, I find some solutions in on-line Forums. Here is the one that I use for an open-source optimization programming software tool called Pyomo:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/pyomo-forum

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Mahdi: Social media can facilitate communicating our research with other researchers around the world. Here, is my profile:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mahdi_Sharifzadeh
It also enables discussions between authors and readers on technical matters.