PLN in Education

Using social media in the workplace can be beneficial but also detrimental to one’s career. Therefore, when using social media, we should pay extra attention to what we do and avoid commenting, sharing or making inappropriate remarks on the topic.

Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?

With the increasing popularity of social media, most teenage students are starting to spend more of their time on those platforms. Therefore, if teachers can find ways to integrate social media platforms into their teaching methods, they will likely increase students’ interest in learning content that would otherwise be boring, thus achieve better teaching outcomes.

According to education experts (2022), there are a few social media platforms that are likely to be beneficial in education. 1) TikTok is extremely popular and easy to use, and most students are familiar with it, so teachers can easily create a class group to share educational video projects and assignments. 2) Instagram’s enduring popularity has made it a natural choice for many teachers. Teachers can create class accounts on it, use it to present lesson ideas and student work, and even communicate with students and their families. 3) As another of well-known social media platforms, Facebook provides an easy and free way for teachers to keep up with the latest education news, and to share ideas about lessons and programs with students and their families. 4) TED-Ed is also great a social media platform for sharing educational videos, the platform offers free pre-made lesson plans, and it also has the ability for teachers to create, customize and share their own video lesson plans.

When working with the vulnerable sector, how does social media fit into professionalism and regulations?

I think we should be extremely careful about how they use social media when working with the vulnerable sector. From a professional standpoint, we should first get to know the vulnerable groups and avoid accidentally making offensive remarks and comments about them. We should also stay up to date on the latest regulations, avoid actions that violate requirements or even laws.

Discuss in the Mattermost group aspects of education outside of the traditional classroom, include dialogue about how education in the workplace in any capacity can consist of social media & what boundaries should be considered before encouraging discourse in a professional environment.

Teaching outside the traditional classroom has become popular in recent years, the most common of which are online teaching and face to face tutoring, and I think they both have their advantages. Teaching through online platform is usually more convenient and flexible for both teachers and students, it also reduces their time and transportation costs. Students can also learn knowledge through the Internet since there are various tutorial videos and articles can be found on the internet. In person tutoring usually refers to a tutor tutoring one or a very small numbers of students, so tutors can adjust lessons for different students more easily and students can also conveniently ask questions.

Even though the internet can be a great platform for education outside of the traditional classroom, we should also pay attention on what to comment and share on there. Because commenting and sharing or even liking controversial issues can negatively affect your online profile and reputation.

References:

Restifo, D. (2022, April 19). Best Free Social Networks/media sites for Education. TechLearningMagazine. https://www.techlearning.com/news/best-free-social-networksmedia-sites-for-education