Nowadays, the ever-evolving informational technologies have probably affected every aspect of our everyday life. And education is no exception here. A growing number of various educational establishments were seeking new digital ways to enhance the education process and find the right approach to every student. The pandemic became a real game-changer in this regard, and the impact it made on the education sector is immense. Before, digitalization of education was more of a trend or experiment for progressive educators rather than a necessity. Yet, the pandemic-related restrictions had almost completely paralyzed academic systems, traditional teaching practices and learning techniques and processes worldwide. In turn, this served as a powerful acceleration for digital learning in the broadest sense. The consequences of this shift appear to be very reaching and one may go so far as to say that the way we see and understand education has changed completely. According to recent research, more and more students prefer to use all possible kinds of digital tools not only during their classes, but outside of school as well. In all likelihood, this tendency will remain relevant even in post-pandemic times.
Education Space for User-Generated Content
Perhaps, the most direct way to use social media for educational purposes is to share user-generated content supplied by teachers, professors and educational leaders. After sharing such type of content in the form of videos, images, transcripts, a considerate increase in engagement and reach rate was observed. This fact highlights the need for a platform for teachers and educators to share challenges and solutions. The biggest advantage of user-generated content in this case is the possibility for teachers to adjust solutions that are specific to their context. Yet, if needed, it can be easily adjusted for use in other contexts by their colleagues. Another crucial point here is that such kind of content is free to produce, unlike one created by expert teams and examining organizations. At the same time, free content does not mean boring or of poor quality. Today, there are many graphic design tools available online for free, with the help of even an inexperienced teacher is able to develop eye-catching professional designs that pupils will appreciate for sure. For example, if you make a TikTok video and incorporate it into learning materials, it will definitely add vividness and dynamics to the educational process.
Education Marketing Campaign
Social media is an excellent tool not only to provide educational content, but also to promote education in general, and concrete schools and courses in particular. There are many options on how to do it effectively and efficiently – anyone can choose the one that suits their current needs best. Social platforms come in very handy when you need to provide information about your educational offers, employ images and video to show prospective students around or to provide some practical tips and instructions. Social media are also indispensable when it comes to student feedback, questions and comments.
Leverage Community Feature
From the educational perspective, one of the most powerful methods social media offer is communities/groups feature. Firstly, they are good for the purpose of clustering educators into small communities based on a number of factors: location, role, demographics, context etc. For instance, math teachers can gather in a group to share specific resources and to discuss the key challenges pertaining to their field of study. Secondly, such communities can be the bridge between educators and a broader audience of relevance (education officials, trade unions, parent communities etc). Being able to have a direct dialog and voice their concerns contributes greatly to establishing a high level of trust. Moreover, in the age of fake news and false reports on critical information that affects people’s personal and professional wellbeing there is an ever-growing need for a virtual space for up-to-date information that has been fact-checked and is relevant to helping educators solve immediate problems and plan for the future.
Space for Bootcamps
Bootcamps have been a dominating educational trend for the past years. Basically, it’s a short and intensive vocational program that in many cases can become a complete career changer. Having graduated from such a program, successful graduates qualify to apply for entry-level jobs within new disciplines without having to earn a Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees. There many different types of Bootcamps, but usually a bootcamp implies partnering with an educational institution or business. In either case, social media can be used to spread the word about such opportunities and as a further communication ground for the participants and trainers.
Wrapping Up
Though the benefits and advantages of social media use for educational purposes is undeniable, it would be wrong not to mention the potential threats it poses to everyone involved. Among the most important concerns are those pertaining to the area of information security, personal data protection, mental health issues, bullying and abuse. Some schools even decide to switch off social media to help student’s well-being. Yet, the best option is to use its advantages and mitigate any potential risks it may entail.