In every lesson I teach, I'm faced with the same evil; and evil which
doesn't exist in body, but in the mind of nearly everyone in the Western world.
Social Media. Not a lecture goes by where I don't catch someone Tweeting, or
taking SnapChat of their mate doing a funny pose. However, is there a place for
social media in teaching?
In my PCET course, we have shared Facebook page which helps me in every
aspect of the course. From explaining how to tackle an assignment, to sharing
helpful journals, it's definitely something which is a vital part of my
learning. As a teacher, I encourage the students to talk about their work, and
to help each other in their quest for success. Some of my classes have Whatsapp
groups designed specifically to talk about college work, which can only aid
their learning.
However, social media obviously isn’t just used to aid learning. In my
class, due to a lack of resources the students sometimes have to do research on
their mobile phones. As I walk around the class, at least 90% are checking
Facebook, and quickly changing to another tab when I get near them. It’s
frustrating to try and teach a vital part of an upcoming assignment, when the
students are more interested in the latest funny cats video (which I admit, is
usually hilarious).
The question is though, is social media much more interesting than my
teaching? Once you’ve been on Facebook for two minutes you’ve seen it all, I
often find myself aimlessly scrolling through my timeline for no reason. Would the
students not find it more interesting (and definitely beneficial) to
concentrate on me teaching them things that will help them succeed academically?...
...Probably not. Those videos are really funny I suppose.
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