How To Make Classrooms More Social

I'm sitting in my history class, without a laptop (my professor doesn't allow us to use one in class), zoning out because the class is 2 and 1/2 hours long (and I have the attention span of a five year old), when this idea pops into my head, "How can I make this class more social?"

Instead of focusing on the professor for the rest of the class, I was trying to come up with ideas to make classrooms more social. My professor banned laptops because he knows we're likely to spend more time on Facebook than we are listening to him. But it doesn't have to be that way. What if we could use Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks to learn?

Social media can be such a wonderful, powerful tool. Case in point, after class I went home, I popped open my Google Reader, went to the Mashable feed, and there was an article titled, "The Case For Social Media In Schools".

The writer Sarah Kessler, makes some interesting points for why social media should be used in schools.

1. Social Media is not going anywhere.

I would have to agree here. I understand why my professor bans laptops, but in this day and age, a laptop is a powerful tool for taking notes and learning. Kessler makes a good point about how when the internet was first created, there was a similar debate in schools about whether it should be allowed. Nowadays, there's no denying that the internet is an important, if not crucial component of learning in schools.

2. When Kids Are Engaged, They Learn Better.

I can only imagine how much more productive and entertaining class would be if I didn't have to sit and listen to my professor lecture to me. Although there is an emphasis on discussion between students, near the end of class discussion fades because we're all bored to tears.

3. Safe Social Media Tools Are Available - And They're Cheap

This is probably one of the better aspects of the social media - its free to use. Schools nowadays are strapped for cash anyways, and social media is something that could easily be employed at no cost.

4. Replace Online Procrastination with Social Education

If you're a college student, then you understand how much time students spend on social networks, updating their statuses, chatting with friends, tagging pictures, all while they're sitting in lecture. Instead of taking notes for that midterm next week, you're studying up on that cute girl on Facebook. Not productive.


5. Social Media Encourages Collaboration Instead of Cliques


This right here is the biggie. People learn better when they collaborate. Study groups have been around for a long time now. Can you imagine the possibilities of collaborating in real-time via Twitter with say, someone in China?

Or, what if during class, students selected a hashtag, like #ushistory, and for class, tweeted important events that happened in U.S. history. Not only would they be learning together, they would also be adding more information about U.S. history on Twitter. Then if someone had a report to write, they could search Twitter for information relating to U.S. history.

There are many opportunities for social media in education. Bill Gates recently said that the best education will soon come from the internet. Think about when you're writing that history paper on medieval warfare, but you can't find the sources you need for your thesis on the internet. What if you could, with a social network like Twitter or Formspring, ask a question and get a response in real time? And what if the source was a reputed historian living in Britain? And what if you could quote him in your paper?

Now those are some possibilities right there. Education seems poised for an upheaval soon. What will social media's impact be?