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Rather than define the term using a bunch of boring jargon that would probably only complicate things further, perhaps the best way to get a clearer understanding of it is to break it down into simpler terms. To start, let's look at each word individually.

The 'social' part: refers to interacting with other people by sharing information with them and receiving information from them.

The 'media' part: refers to an instrument of communication, like the internet (while TV, radio, and newspapers are examples of more traditional forms of media).

From these two separate terms, we can pull a basic definition together:

Social media are web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with each other by sharing and consuming information.

Yes, it's a broad definition — but keep in mind that social media is a very broad term. This is likely as specific as we can get without zeroing in too much on a more specific subcategory of social media.

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The Use Social Media in Teaching & Learning

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The Use Social Media in Teaching & Learning

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The emerging role of social media in teaching-learning process cannot be ignored. It not only provides students access to useful information but also connects them with learning groups and other educational systems that make their overall learning process more interesting and engaging.

Social platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram are being used by almost everyone. These social channels are all about collaborating, networking, sharing and generating knowledge and content – something which is of great value in the context of education.

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How To Use Social Media in Teaching & Learning?

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How To Use Social Media in Teaching & Learning?

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Track student work over the course of the year. Take pictures of the progression of a student project or track their learning.

Use it to post homework. Ask them to write about the significance of a posted photo — perhaps a map, person, or document.

Share classroom news with parents and faculty. Showcase student work.

Remind students of upcoming class events.

Create out of class study groups using specific hashtags. Give the group a question and ask each member to contribute to the hashtag.

Flip the classroom by posing questions and asking the students to contribute. Students will be ready to discuss the questions in class.

Send out an occasional extra credit question.

Share field trips or extracurricular activities.

Create a tweet as a literary character. Give the students a topic and asks them to tweet as the character would.

Create a tweet as a historical character. Give the students a current event and ask them to tweet as a historical figure would have.

Use Instagram to feature a student of the week.

In language class, use Snapchat to take a picture of an item and label it in the appropriate language.

Take videos of real life examples of the content as a study guide or ask students to identify the video based on the content.

Ask students to annotate an image provided by you, identifying key elements on a map or a picture.

Use Twitter for extended office hours. Advise students that they can tweet you at certain times of the day.

Use Twitter to take a poll using a certain hashtag.

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Advantages & Disadvantages Social Media in Teaching & Learning

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Advantages & Disadvantages Social Media in Teaching & Learning

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Advantages :

Increased Student Collaboration

Increased Student Participation

Team Projects are easier to review

Rich eLearning Media available

Video Conferencing abilities

Disadvantages :

Student distraction can become issue

Lack of control for inappropriate content

Relying on Social Media for all contact

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Facebook

Twitter

Whatsapp

Instagram

Snapchat

Telegram

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Issues about using  Social Media in Teaching & Learning

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Issues about using  Social Media in Teaching & Learning

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Instructors cannot make assumptions about students’ proficiency with social media. Student proficiency must be taken into account when designing activities.  For example, they may be proficient at communicating informally, but may not fully comprehend what is required to critically assess information, engage with information and present findings in an academic environment. Other challenges include:

Lack of technology skills or support

Online abuse

Time required to monitor

There are steps that can be taken to help address some of these challenges. For instance, activities and assessments should be designed carefully, based on appropriate learning outcomes. Comments and posts on social media platforms are public. Have a discussion with your students about communication expectations, boundaries and what is not acceptable.

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Alternatively referred to as a video game, a game is software code designed to entertain or educate an individual. Today, computer gaming is a big business, and there are millions of different computer games that are enjoyed by people of all ages. The picture shows a screenshot of a computer game known as WarCraft II by Blizzard.

What is Games for education?

Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational purposes, or which have incidental or secondary educational value. All types of games may be used in an educational environment. Also Educational games are games that are designed to help people to learn about certain subjects, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand a historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play. Game types include board, card, and video games. An educational game is a game designed to teach humans about a specific subject and to teach them a skill.

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Alternatively referred to as a electronic game and video game, a game is software code designed to entertain or educate an individual. Today, computer gaming is a big business, and there are millions of different computer games that are enjoyed by people of all ages. The picture shows a screenshot of a computer game known as WarCraft II by Blizzard.

What are the genre of games?

There are many different genres (types) of games available today. Below are the most popular genre of games in alphabetical order.

How are computer games made?

The code for games is created using a programming language. The graphics contained in the game that are not created through programming are created using an image editor. If the game uses animation or 3D modeling animation software is also used.

Cooldown, Difficulty level, Gamer, Game terms, Gaming computer, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Software, Software terms, Stadia, Wii, Xbox

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Alternatively referred to as a electronic game and video game, a game is software code designed to entertain or educate an individual. Today, computer gaming is a big business, and there are millions of different computer games that are enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Students learn through the process of playing the game. By playing a game, students may be able to understand a new concept or idea, take on a different perspective, or experiment with different options or variables.

Through games, students can learn a variety of important skills. There are countless skills that students can develop through game playing such as critical thinking skills, creativity, teamwork, and good sportsmanship.

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Thanks to its partnership with publisher Eye on Education, Education World is pleased to present this blog post by Rebekah Stathakis, author of A Good Start:147 Warm-Up Activities for Spanish Class.
I have always enjoyed playing games. My family regularly plays board games when we get together, I play games with my own children almost every day, and (not surprisingly) I have used a wide variety of games* as instructional tools in my classroom. I have never had a student ask "Why are we playing games?" Instead, students usually ask, "Can we play this again soon?"

Some people may wonder, "Why play games in a class?" I think it is important to articulate the value of game playing for myself, my students, colleagues, parents and others. Over the years, I have come up with my own list of the top five reasons I believe game playing is a powerful instructional tool.
*(By "game," I am referring to learning through play, active engagement and fun).

1. Students learn through the process of playing the game. By playing a game, students may be able to understand a new concept or idea, take on a different perspective, or experiment with different options or variables. For example, in my beginning Spanish classes, I often played a card game the first week of school. The students were in groups of 4-5. Each person read through the directions to the card game; then, the game was played in complete silence. After the first round, one student from each group (typically the "winner") moved to a different group. We typically played three or four rounds.

What my students did not initially know is that each group had received a different set of rules. When a student moved to a new group, he often felt confused and was unsure as to why the other people were playing differently (students usually say "they were playing wrong"). We used this as a starting point to discuss the experience of moving to a new country. Having moved from Spain to Venezuela to the United States, I shared my own experiences of learning new cultural rules and, at times, feeling like others were "playing wrong."

Then, we played the game again, but I allowed all the students to talk. Through discussions, students explained the rules to "newcomers," and the game ran more smoothly (and students reported feeling much more satisfied). At this point, at least someone said, "I get it. You are trying to show us this is why we need to learn another language. So we can all explain the rules to each other."

2. Games provide a context for engaging practice. As a world languages teacher, I know students need a lot of practice to internalize important vocabulary and structures. However, for the practice to be meaningful, students must be engaged (and let's be honest, countless workbook pages or textbook exercises are not always highly engaging!). Through lively games of charades, $25,000 pyramid, or others, my students willingly use the vocabulary and structures, repeatedly gaining much-needed practice.

3. Through games, students can learn a variety of important skills. There are countless skills that students can develop through game playing such as critical thinking skills, creativity, teamwork, and good sportsmanship. For example, with my Spanish students, circumlocution is a very important skill. By playing word guessing games, I have seen my students' ability to use circumlocution improve dramatically. I love to watch my students' creativity during game sessions (we have used Play-doh, drawing, acting and many other activities in our games).

One of my first years as a teacher, a student commented that he loved the verb game we were playing (a variation of "Yahtzee"). I told him I was glad he liked it, but that it wasn't my invention-it was based on a game he might have played at home. He then told me that he had never played games at home and I was the only adult who had ever sat down to play a game with him. At times, I am surprised that students don't logically think through how to play "Guess Who?" Then, I remind myself that this 14-year-old had never played a game with an adult before he came to my class! I see this as an opportunity to teach a wide range of life skills that don't necessarily show up in my curriculum's scope and sequence.

4. While playing games, students develop a variety of connections with the content and can form positive memories of learning. Some of my favorite classroom memories are from game times. I will never forget watching Miguel jump around the classroom to help his peers guess the word "Mono" (monkey). Fortunately, the students won't forget it either (and they all got "mono" right on their assessments). The fun, silly or interesting moments tend to stand out in students' memories, and they latch on to the vocabulary/structures we are studying. A positive emotional connection can facilitate learning. Furthermore, many games feature a variety of different stimuli; some students might remember the vocabulary words from acting them out, others remember reading the clues, and other students remember hearing classmates call out answers. Games can provide a variety of sensory experiences for students.

5. Games grab students' attention and actively engage them. I find that because students really enjoy playing games, it is a good way tofocus their attention and actively immerse them in Spanish. This can be especially useful in a wide variety of ways. For example, after a fire drill students sometimes have trouble settling down and returning to class. A game allows students to quickly engage and transition back to the content we were working on. After hours of state-mandated standardized tests, I find my students are often tired of sitting and full of energy; an energetic game with lots of movement may be just what they need.

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Why Use Games in Your Classroom? | Education World

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Thanks to its partnership with publisher Eye on Education, Education World is pleased to present this blog post by Rebekah Stathakis, author of A Good Start:147 Warm-Up Activities for Spanish Class . I have always enjoyed playing games.

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Advantages & Disadvantages Games in Teaching & Learning

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Advantages & Disadvantages Games in Teaching & Learning

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Advantages :

Games are a great way to practice new vocabulary. They provide students a great context in which to use their target vocabulary. Instead of going home and memorizing word lists, they actually get to use them, which, in turn, helps them remember more.

Games help students get rid of inhibitions when it comes to actually speaking the language, which is a problem for many students. They find it hard to communicate even though they know a language well enough. Games help them be more creative and spontaneous when using the language, helping them overcome shyness.

Games help students enhance their communication skills in general. Communication is at the core of games. Many people think that adult students especially should have much less trouble communicating when compared to children, but that isn’t really the case. In facts, in many cases adults are even more nervous to children when it comes to communication and trying new things. In a friendly competitive environment, they become less afraid to ask questions or reframe their own thoughts. As a result, games help them better convey their thoughts and intentions to their teammates.

Games help keep up the levels of energy and motivation. Learning isn’t all about learning new grammar and vocabulary, then trying to quietly decipher the meaning of a new text. Playing a game is a nice break from that routine. The competition boosts energy levels and sort of pushes students to make a cognitive effort in the spirit of winning without them realizing it.

Although games are a great tool in improving oral communication skills, there may also be some disadvantages to this method of learning.

The first thing to remember is that games should be fun, controlled fun, to be exact. The instructor should be monitoring the progress of the game carefully in order to ensure that the students are indeed getting all the benefits intended by the game. Otherwise, it can become simply horseplay - too noisy and out of control.

Another thing to consider is that some students may not like games at all and prefer other activities instead. It’s the instructor’s job to take into account the student preferences and choose games that will benefit all participants.

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How To Use Games in Teaching & Learning?

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How To Use Games in Teaching & Learning?

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1. Determine the Purpose of Game-Based Learning

Deciding how you’ll use a game will narrow your search, helping you find an appropriate one.

Before researching, determine if you want to use a game for:

Intervention — If a student is struggling to demonstrate understanding of core material, you may consider using a game to address his or her trouble spots. The game you choose should therefore deliver content that adjusts itself to player knowledge and learning style. This should help the student gain a better understanding of difficult material.

Enrichment — As students master core material, you may want a game that presents content through different media. For example, it may give questions through text, audio, images and more. This should encourage students to challenge themselves as they explore new ways to process the content.

Reinforcement — Instead of using games to teach and engage individual students, entire classes can play to reinforce curriculum content. This can also make game-based learning a group activity. Some games have multiplayer features and students may naturally compete against each other to earn higher scores.

Keeping these factors in mind will likely hasten the process of finding a game that meets both teacher and student needs.

2. Play the Game Yourself, Making Sure It Is Aligned with Learning Goals

Playing the game in question will help you determine if it’s aligned with learning goals you’ve set.

After finding a game you think is appropriate, play it and make note of:

Teacher Control — Many educational games offer teachers the ability to control content and adjust settings for individual students. For example, some let you match questions to in-class material, delivering them to specific players.

Intuitiveness — Whether it’s a physical or video game, it should be easy to use. Students should challenge themselves by processing and demonstrating knowledge of the content — not by stressing over how the game works.

Engagement — Based on the content and how it’s presented, determine if students will enjoy the game. If it’s engaging, students should inherently want to play and, as a result, learn.

Content Types — To accommodate diverse learning styles, the game should offer different types of content. For example, an educational math video game may present questions as graphs, numbers and word problems.

Content Levels — To address diverse trouble spots and aptitudes, the game should use differentiated instruction principles to adapt content to each player. For example, a language video game may focus more on pronouns with one student than another.

Paying attention to these criteria while playing should help you decide if the game properly supports learning goals.

3. Ensure It Meets Expectations from Parents

Getting buy-in from other teachers or admins may be needed before finalizing your game selection, but parents should also know about your game-based learning plans.

This opens the door to parent participation which, according to oft-cited research from the National Committee for Citizens in Education, is one of the most accurate predictors of student success:

The family makes critical contributions to student achievement, from earliest childhood through high school … When schools engage parents and students, there are significant effects. When parents are involved at school, not just at home, children do better in school and they stay in school longer.

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5 Steps to Implementing Game-Based Learning in the Classroom [+ Game Examples]

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All Posts Many teachers struggle to smoothly incorporate games into lessons due to time and logistical issues, yet see game-based learning (GBL) as a way to engage students and appeal to diverse learning styles. Research has continuously shown such advantages.

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Issues about using  Games  in Teaching & Learning

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Issues about using  Games  in Teaching & Learning

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Games take time to learn and design properly

Wasted efforts will be the greatest administrative fear

Involve materials that range from the inexpensive to the costly

Design efforts are often funded via grants which have to be managed

Pedagogical and technical supports might be necessary (additional resources)

Issues of access and the digital divide

An examination is needed as to whether students actually prefer this approach to teaching

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Kahoot

FunBrain.com

Poptropica.com

arcademics.com

Examples of Games In Classroom Activity

Roleplay

Charades

Simon Says

Tic Tac Toe