Thoughts on Social Media

Social Media may have begun as a platform for people to express ideas, share thoughts, post videos or photos, and say just about anything that comes to mind but it has developed into much more. Can websites like Facebook, Pintrest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Vine be useful for myself or for students?

Will social media damage my professional appearance online?

While applying for jobs and graduate school, many people delete their social media accounts or change their names so they become less searchable. I think that if used properly, Having an appropriate and well-designed social media presence can demonstrate responsibility and well-roundedness as a professional. Not only does it reflect mindfulness of what others are seeing on your social media sites, but it also provides examples of your personal interests and desire to share interesting information with other social media users.

There is so much information on the internet. How will I ever discover the hidden gems?

This is where social media is most valuable. People do cool things in their lives and share it with the world by posting online. Some news is just gossip, but many ideas, questions, experiences, or even mistakes can benefit others. By connecting with specific socail media sites that will be more likely to provide useful information rather than just gossip (ie: expand your Facebook friends to organizations or news services). I have recently started bookmarking interesting articles and videos from Facebook and YouTube that might be useful in a future science classroom. I only wish I had begun this collection of media sooner.

Can social media be used as an educational tool?

In our evaluation of tech tools, one of the most important criteria for a good learning device is that the tool provides an experience that is otherwise unattainable. The internet isn't necessarily a tool. It is more like a library of information. Social media can help student navigate the library by finding information that is current and relevant to the topic of study. Most students are already involved in social media and can nagivate sites for personal use. By teaching students to navigate sites for educational purposes, each student will be able to focus on topics that he/she finds interesting and may be more likely to continue leanring outside of a classroom.

Don't get stuck in a social media hole. Learn how to use it, teach students how to use it, and make the most out of your media links.