Today’s children start using gadgets even before they go to school. Children start with games, and once they master reading and writing, nothing can stop them from creating their own accounts on any social network.
Often the support of parents for this historic action will not be required. And having received such treasured access to a personal profile on a social network, the child gets new opportunities. Still, the question is: how can these abilities be useful for students?
Social networks and their influence on students
According to researchers, 84% of teenagers aged 14-17 use social networks, and almost half of children aged 10-13 use them; young people spend up to seven hours daily on them.
They have less time for studying, and parents often buy finance essays for their children, who have no time to do it themselves.
In fact, hundreds of thousands of young people today cannot imagine their lives without daily visits to social networks; they draw information from news feeds and Internet sites and communicate through the comments of live magazines.
Network freedom is a factor that especially attracts young people, the ability to express their opinion (anonymously or publicly) to an audience of millions.
Indeed, this is a chance to be heard by many people from all over the world. This is freedom of expression. However, this freedom must know its limits.
The issue of the performance of its users was also of interest to one of the largest social networks – Twitter.
Three-quarters of the respondents answered that Internet communication no way affects their academic success.
Nevertheless, 25% admitted that online communication affects their academic performance, to put it mildly, not in the best way.
Using Twitter in the educational process promotes the exchange of information, increases students’ motivation in educational activities, and stimulates the development of their creative abilities and cognitive interest.
Each person independently determines how much time to spend on social networks, what information to absorb and what is more in social networks – benefit or harm.
Perhaps social networks help us find the right information, get a good job, meet interesting people and expand our social circle, but they will never replace live, emotional, human communication.
Top 4 ways of using Twitter for education
1 – Social networks as an interactive tutorial
The Twitter page for the subject can be an additional textbook. Working in it is easy and simple: children can throw off completed tasks and write comments in the discussion. Posts posted to the feed will be tutorial pages, and hashtags can be used for navigation.
So the student, when preparing for the test, can easily find all the materials of interest to him. To make it easier to find content, you can use multiple hashtags. It is better to post materials with a certain frequency, that is, to designate the timing of posts.
Thus, entries will regularly appear in the news of students, and the likelihood of viewing them will increase significantly. Some students can find people who help them with their studies or use cheap writing service.
2 – Communication with students
Twitter is a great way to stay in touch with students and post homework assignments, upcoming exams, or any other important information that a teacher may need.
Teachers use Twitter for everything, from giving reminders about what’s due next week to posting videos so you can watch them at home.
3 – Fundraising for development
According to a survey conducted in 2015, more schools and universities worldwide are using social media to raise additional funds. By connecting the “wallet” to the official community, the school can begin to raise funds to purchase missing equipment or for repairs.
We all understand very well how difficult it is to upgrade a computer base or equip a technology room with a new teaching concept. According to the study, funds raised through social media campaigns can account for up to 5% of a school budget.
4 – Elements of Gamification with Twitter
Choosing a suitable platform for social networking collaboration with students is critical. Twitter is an excellent platform for educational uses.
Then you must select how the work will be done: you can simply respond to student inquiries in messages, deliver assignments, contribute useful information in a group or general discussion, and so on.
You may also organize a game, provide incentives for social network activity, and make the learning process more gamified and intense by adding tasks like these.
The bottom line
Summing up, it should be noted that Twitter for education has become an integral part of a full-fledged student’s life and occupies most of his free time. Having displaced the methods of communication, the students replaced the hobby, verbal communication.
The social network, not a textbook or a teacher, has become their main assistant in preparing for exams.
Paying tribute to all the positive aspects of using Twitter in the classroom, such as an economical means of communication, audio and video material availability, and the speed of searching and exchanging information.
