Authors: Brian Charboneau, Mickinzie Johnson, and Jessica Kuohn
Company:
Bessemer Venture Partners
How/Why is it used in Ed?:
Teachers can get lesson plan ideas
Students can organize their thoughts
Students can pin their projects
Pinning could be integrated into a lesson to collect data/information
Offers students a visual
Advantages:
Lots of traffic, so lots of resources available
Built-In search engine
Diverse tool for a multitude of references
Disadvantages:
Anyone can post, so sources aren't always reliable
If used outside the classroom, copyright issues could occur
More geared towards women than men at the moment
Stars (rating out of 5): 4.5/5
Company:
How/Why is it used in Ed?
Used to customize lessons with videos
Offer an opportunity for a flipped classroom setting
Advantages:
Students can watch videos anywhere
Students can access differentiated videos to meet individual learning needs
Easy to use for all ages
Free
Disadvantages:
Not all links are reliable
Content may not be filtered to be age-appropriate for younger students
Stars (rating out of 5):
4.7/5
Company:
Edmodo
How/Why is it used in Ed?
Edmodo is a form of social media geared specifically towards schools
Teachers and students can stay connected by utilizing this platform
Advantages:
Students can check-on with peers and their teacher at any time
Great way for students to collaborate
Assignments can be scheduled
Disadvantages:
Does not offer group message feature
There have often been reports of user-glitches (as of 2020).
Reports of difficulty navigating the site
Stars (rating out of 5): 3.5/5
Company:
How/Why is it used in Ed?
Teachers can post resources, lessons and homework assignments for students
Higher ed students could also use Blogger to create their own blogs and websites
Advantages:
free
easy to use
easy to integrate with Google
Disadvantages:
Lack of versatility
Must be versed in HTML and CSS for personalization
Stars (rating out of 5):
4/5
Company: TED
How/Why is it used in Ed?
Instructors can use videos, animations, and interactive questions on subjects they teach
Instructors can share their own videos for use on the site
Advantages:
Instructors have access to videos to use in lesson plans
Instructors can create customized lessons for their students based on the videos
Compatibility with YouTube
Free
Disadvantages:
Only has video lesson capability; instructors need to build additional content for use in classrooms
Videos may have accessibility issues
Limited interaction platform
Stars (rating out of 5):
4/5
Company: Facebook
How/Why is it used in Ed?
Used by instructors, extra-curricular activities, student governments, and other organizations for group management and advertising
Allows for video and file sharing as well as group and private messaging platforms
Advantages:
Most widely-used social media platform in the world
Easily accessed
Ability to manage large groups
Free
Disadvantages:
Advertisements and social connections can be distracting from the learning environment
Privacy issues
Stars (rating out of 5):
3.5/5
Company: Zoom
How/Why is it used in Ed?
One of the largest video conferencing platforms
Heavy use began in Spring 2020 when courses moved to virtual platforms due to COVID-19
Advantages:
Easy to use via computer, tablet, or phone
Chat functionality in addition to video/mic options
Can have up to 300 participants
Screen-sharing capability
Free version available
Disadvantages:
Security issues
Accessibility issues for students not using a school email
Stars (rating out of 5):
4.5/5
Company: Twitter
How/Why is it used in Ed?
Great communication tool; can give students a voice
Can use to share videos, lessons, conduct polls, custom hastags, etc.
Advantages:
Easy to use via computer, tablet, or phone
Highly interactive
Use from anywhere/anytime
Connects with young generation
Instant feedback
Disadvantages:
Limit to 300 characters
Doesn't archive content
Direct messages to one user at a time
Stars (rating out of 5):
4.5/5
Company: Remind (Formerly Remind 101)
How/Why is it used in Ed?
Class communication tool
Send information easily
Advantages:
Easy to sign up with or without downloading app
Parents can have access
Can be used with text, email, or through the app
Teacher can schedule in advance
No student to student communication
No Cost
Disadvantages:
Company does gather user information
Not for inter-class communication
Stars (rating out of 5):
4.5/5
Company: Diigo
How/Why is it used in Ed?
It is an online personal library for students/teachers
Students can store an infinite amount of resources
Advantages:
Easy to setup and use
Share resources
Can find resources on topics already researched
Can organize by category
Accessible from any computer device
Disadvantages:
Not widely known
Need internet access
Some searches can turn up questionable content
Stars (rating out of 5):
4.0/5
Jessica Kuohn
"I have used several platforms of social media with students over the last decade. Social media allows teachers to stay connected with students and families, and it also gives students another outlet for information and learning opportunities. When I was a science and math teacher, I loved using YouTube to provide flipped classroom opportunities for students who needed enrichment. Additionally, my students were always very excited to learn anything with a Ted Ed video."
Brian Charboneau
"Social media has its purpose in education and should be used with students. First, students are comfortable with the platform; second, students are more likely to communicate with a platform they are used to using; and lastly, it can provide students, who might otherwise stay avoidant, to participate with some level of protection."