The many creative uses of social media in learning

Kirstin Bernabe

Gone are the days when teachers and students cannot be “on the same page.” Today, they
are most likely to be on the same Facebook page.

Maricar Francia, a teacher at Los Banñ os National High School, found herself playing
Facebook and online games to get her students’ attention.

“I was curious. I wanted to know why students were so fond of these things. Instead of
doing their homework, they would go online,” said Francia, one of around 250 teachers who
attended the recent digital education conference at PNU.

Instead of scolding her students, she sought a way to bring social media into the classroom.

“A teacher has to be innovative and creative to counter these distractions,” she said, adding
she was surprised to learn that even cash-strapped students sometimes spent hours on
Facebook at Internet shops.

“I created a page for my students and, since Filipino has always been boring for them, I
made the class more interactive online,” she said.

Digital icebreakers

For three years now Francia has been posting announcements and reminders on the page,
demonstrating concepts through information from her news feed and using trending topics
as icebreakers or introduction to the day’s lesson.

“Every day, before the class starts, I ask them to share what they have read from the page,”
she said.

Teachers should accept change, she said, to meet the youth halfway and make the learning
process a lot easier. Her advice to fellow teachers: “Huwag ninyo silang ikahon sa kahon na
pinanggalingan ninyo (Don’t box them up in the same box you came in).”

Rochelle Miguel, who teaches at De La Salle Santiago Zobel (DLSZ), said social media
provided students an avenue where they could publish their work, share them with
teachers and classmates and get instant feedback and comments.

Changing experience
Meaningful collaboration happened through Facebook and Twitter, and changed the
classroom experience at DLSZ after the Pearl mobile-learning program was implemented
recently, she said.

Using iPads, DLSZ students discussing a group project tended to instant-message

information to each other, instead of talking face to face, she said.

“They even have review sessions on Twitter,” Miguel added.

Teachers could be more creative in using social media to attain certain goals, she said.

Miguel cited social studies as one subject that could be made more interesting through, say,
a Facebook timeline of historical events, or a character page where students could guess
what Crisostomo Ibarra, a lead character in Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere,” would have to
say about current issues.

Teachers could stream YouTube videos to break the ice in class or jazz up a lecture, Miguel
said. Educational YouTube videos could supplement discussions, she added.

K to 12 goals

Social media, Miguel said, could help achieve the goals of K to 12, which is supposed to be
production-centered and project-based.

“Instead of just giving information to students, we are asking them … to create something,
to collaborate on stuff,” Miguel said.

The Wiki, a website that allowed everyone to produce, edit or delete information, has a
great potential for collaboration. But, while the Wiki is popular, it seems too public for
classroom use.

Miguel suggested instead that teachers have students sign up on Wikispaces, a Wiki that
could be exclusive to a class. Teachers could post lessons for the class to read, edit and
comment on, Miguel said.

Good workspace

It is also a good workspace for student group-writing projects. Aside from allowing
different users to modify content, it also allows teachers to monitor changes and students’
contributions in real time.
Class papers could be uploaded on blogs for peer critiquing through the section for
feedback, Miguel added.

But access to social networks can be a major distraction for students. Facebook offers
various games and activities while Twitter is a source of celebrity gossip. Because of such,
some schools ban access to social networks during class hours.

Miguel recommended the use of Edmodo, a free sign-up site that is like Facebook but can be
purely academic.

In Edmodo, a teacher moderates the page and monitors posts. He/she can also upload
documents like lectures, post homework and set deadlines. Edmodo notifies teachers when
a student submits an assignment. Teachers can schedule examinations and other reminders
using the calendar feature.

Miguel added that parents could join their children’s Edmodo accounts, too.

Another concern at the conference was: Could an educational system perennially bugged by
shortages make the shift to high-technology instruction?

Cherrylou de Mesa, Department of Education (DepEd) regional education program

supervisor, admitted that, with as many as 80 students in a class, it would be hard for
teachers to bring their learners into social media. Also, not all schools have computers.

But De Mesa said the goal of innovating the learning system should not be given up.
“Teachers have to look beyond the limited resources.”

She cited a public school in Antipolo City that used to have just one computer: “Students
started learning about computers by using keyboards drawn on illustration boards.”

Rosario Ayuson, a teacher at San Jose National High School in Rodriguez, Rizal, said that
although her students did not have their own computers, they were able to use social media
in discussions through one laptop and a projector.

De Mesa advised teachers to think of ways to incorporate new technology in teaching and
worry about resources later.

Salvacion de la Cruz, a 66-year-old elementary school teacher, admitted she was still
learning the nuts and bolts of the Internet but, with the help of younger coteachers, she
could now send e-mail, use Google and maintain a Facebook account.

Right values
Francia cautioned that social media were not all fun and games. Going over her students’
posts, she noted their language and behavior in the digital world.

She realized she had to instill the right values in her students and help them become
responsible netizens.

She would check for bashing, harsh comments or unsavory word wars in her students’
posts and discuss them with the persons responsible, although it was not easy because of
her large class and the fact that students could hide their identities.

De Mesa said students had to be taught discernment especially with the rising number of
child abduction linked to irresponsible use of social networks. DepEd was also swamped
with complaints of cyberbullying and stalking, she added.

While advising vigilance, De Mesa said “social media land mines” were no reason to reject
new technology.

The bottomline is: Teach the young to be decent and smart users of all kinds of media.
 SUMMARY AND REACTION

The article discussed about social media being a powerful learning tool. According to
the article, teachers should accept change and make the learning process a lot easier by
using social media in teaching. Showing YouTube videos could supplement discussions.
Twitter became a place where the students have their review sessions. Giving feedback on
class papers became easier since it was uploaded on blogs. But it was also discussed in the
article about the negative effects of social media. It could be a distraction for students. But
as said in the article, this problem could be solved through teaching students the right
values to help them become responsible netizens. Another concern discussed is the limited
resources since not all schools have computers. But as Den Mesa said, teachers should think
of ways to incorporate new techniques in teaching and worry about the resources later.

Social media is an ingrained part of today's society. Educators incorporating social

media can help the learning process easier. When used carefully, it could be a useful tool
rather than a distraction. It could positively influence the way individual learns and absorbs
information. The negative effects of social media could be solved through teaching students
about the right values.