Social media use has expanded to include even the world's academic fraternity. College professors are suddenly using social media, mainly to connect with colleagues, to access news and appear in the buzz around it. What many don't appreciate about social media is the fact that it can be used within a classroom situation to create more value to learning. This article gives you tips on how professors and teachers can use social media to improve their work and students' academic performance and success.
Help them create blogs.
Blogs were weblogs in the past. This is in fact their real name. Helping your students create great blogs where they share ideas and perspectives is invaluable. There are many online platforms where your students could create their blogs. Mentor them on the need to publish real authentic and original content to ensure that they become a strong voice in the industry. You may be surprised at the interest some of them create, eventually. Plagiarism checker Plagtracker is online tool the students could use to remove plagiarism in their content for more authenticity and online authority.
Create virtual offices.
Let's face it, not many students love to come to your offices for consultation or advice. In most cases, students are scared or feel intimidated by you. Moreover, professors are busy people who have a lot to deal with in as far as work is concerned. This may end up limiting their ability to interact one on one with students, a feat that could be costly later on. With social media, students have access to their professor, wherever they are. As a professor, you can use social media platforms to create more hours for your students without having to seem serious, as is the norm.
Create Facebook Pages for your class.
Facebook is the world's largest social media platforms out there and if things were as they are, it's here to stay. If you want to create better interactions with your students, provide updates on class status and make announcements, a Facebook page is the best platform to do it. The advantage of creating a Facebook page for your class is that, you can tap new students into it whenever they fan it. using the page to spark more student interaction with your course will enable you make huge strides in as far as the learning objectives are concerned.
Teach them to network.
Social media has become the mouth communication of today. As a teacher, you need to care about your students interactions and whether or not they achieve their career goals later. With the immense networking benefits and opportunities that come with social media, you should be on the forefront of helping them network through it. Moreover, if you create networks in the field, you could use social media to make connections between them and industry leaders who know you. This will not only boost their mentorship opportunities, but it can also help them secure elusive employment in today's tough economy.