How Social Media Can Benefit College Learning

BY SAMANTHA BROWN

 In today’s world, the role of social media has evolved a lot and it has become instrumental in not only helping a student to learn more about the world but also to get higher education. In this digital era, students can connect to social media easily and can assimilate stuff related to different subjects very fast.

As we know the human mind is more drawn towards visuals than anything available in writing. Social media is fun but various social media platforms can be utilized to ensure a higher and better education for students. Teachers are now connecting with their students increasingly on various social media platforms, which is why social media is becoming a healthy environment where teachers and students can share their thoughts and insights. Tfacilitating an uninterrupted flow of knowledge. Many professors are nowadays resorting to social media because these platforms facilitate free marketing.

Let us now look at some of the major benefits of social media in education and how they can improve the process of learning…

• Communication is the key here – As stated earlier students and teachers can communicate freely on various social media platforms which are helping them to bond well. A student can easily connect with his/her teacher or professor to clarify a doubt on WhatsApp or Facebook messenger. Students can connect with other students to share their thoughts and insights on a particular topic; this way they can take part in healthy collaborations which not only help them to learn better but also help them to develop as a whole. The communication skills also improve a lot which makes social media a highly effective communication tool.

 A lot of question answers help a person to gain a lot of knowledge and this happens on social media platforms. Many students have stated that they felt hopeless in class and didn’t understand much about the subject. But their problem was solved when they joined the social media groups where students and teachers discussed various topics at length, about a certain subject and that helped them a lot. Moreover, several applications have made sharing documents easier such as Google Drive, Inbox, etc. Some mentors have taken this connecting part to another level altogether by trying to make things happening on Facebook live.  This cool and funky way of teaching students is indeed working in many countries and is yielding positive results!

 

• A never-ending source of updated information – Many websites and social media platforms are incorporating important information about different important topics that are helpful for students. Students can follow important sites and accounts having essential information so that they can keep themselves updated. Whenever some new information is uploaded they get the notification. There are various question-answer forums as well on various social media platforms where students can get appropriate answers related to their questions. These interactive sessions are very much beneficial for students.

 

• Allows parental guidance and participation – Parents can take part in the learning process as well and keep an eye on what their children are doing on social media. Moreover, nowadays even schools and colleges have their Twitter and Facebook accounts and pages respectively where latest updates are posted, this way parents get information about different things happening in schools and colleges and can communicate with the educational institutions in a better way. A parent can even see Instagram activity of a school or college to stay updated.

 

• Higher levels of engagement – The online information available on several social media platforms tend to attract students more. They learn yet don’t get bored. The animations and attractive visuals have the ability to grab the attention of students more. Children tend to interact on social media platforms more which make their reading habits stronger. The concepts of various difficult topics get clarified easily on social media platforms where proper and latest information regarding that topic is available.

 

• Distance learning opportunities – Nowadays, many schools, colleges and universities have started their distance learning programs which have facilitated underprivileged students to gain an education without having to attend regular classes and training programs. Skype is an amazing social media platform where live lectures are hosted to enable students to learn better. YouTube videos and tutorials are utilized by millions of students worldwide to clarify doubts about a huge range of topics, starting from literature to mathematics to physics to chemistry and what not… Social media is becoming an integral part of our modern education system. To invoke the interest of a student is very important and social media has done that efficiently.

 

• Helps in research – Social media helps many research scholars. There are several subject and audience monitoring tools from which data can be extracted. This way a researcher understands the views or feelings or perceptions of a group of people regarding a given topic or idea… This data helps in the process of compilation and useful research material is created. Many research students use social media platform to get a vivid idea about a particular subject by analyzing the useful information available online.

Thus we can conclude that social media platforms are not always negative or destructive. If a student is using social media judiciously, nothing like it. Parents too must know the benefits of social media and keep themselves updated to help their children grow and develop into becoming great human beings.

By-line

Samantha Brown is a freelance writer who specializes on carrier guidance, she is also motivational speaker and author