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Students are already on social media outlets! Use them!

There is a competition going on for everyone’s attention. Teachers often lose the battle for their students’ attention because they refuse to compete in the arena of new media. Modernize. Engage students where they already spend so much of their time.

You’d think by now that most teachers could see the value of creating social media accounts for the purpose of interacting with their students, but so few seem to take advantage of the opportunity.

Look at it this way: Any social media account (whether YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter) is like having your own TV channel. Students can “tune in” whenever they want. Americans spend a huge percentage of their internet time browsing social media websites. By creating your own social media outlets, you can capture students’ attention and get them thinking about learning when they least expect it. The more time they spend outside of class considering associated topics, the more likely they are to perform well in class.

“Never underestimate the value of a smiling face…”

Believe it or not, students often find it cool when teachers interact with them on social media websites. It can reduce any sense of authoritarianism in teacher-student relationships and cultivate feelings of familiarity and amiability. Even if you don’t want to directly “friend” students with your personal Facebook account, you can still create an account purely for professional reasons. You can even create a Facebook “page” or Twitter account just for the sake of blasting out education-related messages or short lessons.

If nothing else, you can share semi-relevant, humorous, and entertaining content that will keep students in good spirits, which in itself helps with engagement. By going as far as making a YouTube account and posting videologs, you can begin to interact with your students on a more “real,” personalized basis. Never underestimate the value of a smiling face looking directly into a camera.

With the new media of smartphones and tablets spilling over into the classroom, it’s time that teachers allow their content to overflow into the media of the home (not just through homework).  By creating valuable, interesting content and posting it on venues students are already using, teachers shift to the new paradigm of communication. Engage students in settings where they naturally gravitate: engage them on social media outlets.

Still hungry for ideas on how to engage digital natives? Our professional development course: Technology Driven Classrooms (TDC) is designed specifically for you. TDC provides educators with essential teaching techniques, ideas, and suggestions for educating and inspiring today’s students.

Remember to come back next week for a new tip on engaging digital natives! And if you didn’t catch it, have a gander at last week’s post on the power of “Prezi!”

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