Teaching and My Experience with Social Media

Teaching has come a long way; with Twitter, Facebook, Blackboard, and all the remaining electronic aids available to the teaching community and students.  In most cases this transformation has been positive. The odd thing I found was that even though I was prepared to utilize the technology, I found that the students were not.

This revelation was puzzling to me; until a colleague pointed out that there is a major difference in how we as 40 somethings approach using it compared to our students. Students are using social media to share photos, tweet out their dislikes, and follow fan pages that relate to more personal interests.  While professionals, and the organizations they belong to, are trying to find the utility in this new medium.

So, who has the right approach? I think no one has the right answer. The challenge is finding that common ground that will help to bridge the ever elusive communication gap. My suggestion is to take time to have an open dialogue with our communities. Find out what people are really expecting from their online connections. A friend suggested that a great start is by using the mediums we want them to connect with us on and ask questions. It sounds simple, but the challenge will be getting the students to actually respond.

What do you think is the best way to utilize social media in the classroom? How have you been successful with connecting with others using this medium?

Summer 2021

After reading this post from 2012, I think students have become more adept to using the technology we ask them to use, but they still prefer to just use the social media accounts where they connect with each other. I think there is still a digital divide, but since COVID-19 students have been willing to adapt to the new normal. However, I predict that when campuses open up in the fall that students will thrive on the opportunity to be in-person.