New Media and Education

Just like in other areas of our lives, social media seems to be making its way into our education system. While there are arguments both in support of and against the use of new media tools for education, it all depends on who you talk to. Whether it is the district, the school, or the teacher, there always seems to be some sort of policy or rules relating to the usage of social media. For some, new media tools are seen as an asset, as an improved tool for learning and even that they belong in the classroom.

The NBC NEWS blog “Education Nation” speaks to social media belonging in the classroom in a post by Jason Falls.

In this post, Falls claims “Teachers that resist using social media in the classroom are stripping their students of an essential component of their future success. Avoiding – or worse, banning – social media platforms for students prohibits them from being successful professionals in fields like accounting, chemistry, the arts and more.” Later, Falls even goes on to state that those who lack knowledge of social media are at a disadvantage to those with the knowledge.

Not to say that choosing social media or banning it in the classroom is the right choice, but there seems to be a clear argument for why social media should be used and taught. Some teachers choose to use social media not only as learning tools, but as new and creative ways to engage their students.

Take a look at this list of 100 ways to use social media in the classroom and see why some teachers find this to be useful.

Then again, maybe it’s easier to take things one step at a time. Let’s not jump in and attempt to incorporate every kind of new media into the curriculums at once. Maybe it’s better to start slowly and work our way up from there. So let’s go back to the basics: reading and writing. We still use traditional textbooks as learning tools in the classroom but at home, we no longer sit and read novels or books the same way as before. With the digital platforms that we remain tied to and the increasing popularity of micro-blogging, our attention spans seem to be shrinking and we no longer sit and read the long paragraphs that our long lost novels provide.

E-books have contributed to this shift. In his article, Neary points to e-books and Twitter as reasons why this shift has occurred. (Click here to read the full article) If this shift continues, we may soon see more students walking around with e-readers or iPads instead of the traditional textbooks that we all know. This could be the shift that brings technology and new media into the classrooms in full force. But just as Neary points out, it could be another 10 years until we find out where we are heading.