Social Media and the Student

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Social Media and the Student
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Connectivity works wonders for mankind. The very
essence of communication, connectivity eases the
flow of thoughts and emotions among entities.
Social media is in relevance today with its
abilities to connect us and more. What began as a
means to stay in touch has evolved into a hub for
sharing information and staying abreast with the
latest in the world. News spreads vigorously and
topics trend at the drop of a hat. Companies have
embraced social media and it remains their de
facto mouthpiece to the rest of the world.
Social media is seeping into learning and
education The challenge for social media is to
bring utility to our lives beyond friends and
candy crush saga requests. Banks are exploring
the use of social media as a platform for opening
accounts and for financial transactions. Hashtag
banking is a reality today and many such avenues
are under consideration. What about education?
Schools could have communities for alumni
relations or learning management systems which
can act as walled gardens for networking,
communication and academics. Learning management
systems exist for sharing lectures, assignments,
grades and records. They can however be tweaked
to allow blog posts, discussions, videos and
comments. They can mimic what Facebook and a
clutch of other social networks do in the public
domain. Such aspects help foster a sense of
community among students and also allow the
participants to share information seamlessly with
each other.
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Social media for teachers

• Although students take to social media like fish
  to water, teachers may be a little reluctant in
  incorporating it in their mode of delivery.
  However, that might change as instructional in
  the form of blogs and videos continue to emerge
  in the world of education. The newness of content
  delivery and the forms of content serve as major
  points in favor of teachers adapting to the world
  of social media for delivering their lectures.

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Social media for students

• Social media has emerged as a vast pool of
  learning resources for students to gain immense
  knowledge in the fields of their interest.
  YouTube is a favorite place for anyone to get
  videos on various topics. Blogs are a staple as
  knowledge material on key subjects and theories.
  Moreover, websites such as Coursera have given
  online learning a facelift by attracting scores
  of interested learners to seek knowledge on a
  multitude of domains ranging from coding to
  marketing. Add to that the ubiquity of mobiles
  and apps and we have a generation of well
  informed individuals. Plus, alumni networks have
  received a shot in the arm as they exist over
  Facebook and even LinkedIn.

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What learning management systems can learn?

• Social media piques interest among individuals as
  far as assimilating information is concerned.
  Learning management systems could be better off
  without their drab interfaces by incorporating
  the nuances of social media. Emphasis could be
  laid on developing and sharing interactive videos
  to students for clearer understanding. Wikis on
  key topics could be posted with provisions for
  comments and discussions. Parents can be included
  in the thick of things by hosting video
  conferences as substitutes for parent-
  teacher-student meets. Having said that, there
  should be adequate checks for profanities,
  trolling and bullying of either teachers or
  students. A hygienic learning management system
  replete with the agile functionalities of social
  media will be the next big thing in online and
  digital education.
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