A practical classroom

There are many ways in which technology and social media can be used in our classrooms to enrich and facilitate teaching. As with anything else, we just need the right tools for the job. I myself hope to use some of these apps and networks in my own isiXhosa and Life Orientation classes one day.

Twitter is a great way to share and connect with students. Tweets are short, to the point, and can be sent from virtually anywhere. As a teacher, it would help me remind students of homework, assignments, or any changes in school related events. Students can also create a pseudonym and discuss topics anonymously. This would be great in a Life Orientation class where we sometimes discuss sensitive topics such as sex, STD’s, drugs, and violence. Students could then use Twitter to ask questions they were too shy or uncomfortable to ask in class. By making use of hashtags, students would also be able to keep up with current events and follow trends or discussions about topics we handle in class. For Xhosa, it would be great if we could follow a prominent Xhosa celebrity or engage with an online Xhosa community.

 Blogs are another great form of social media to use in the classroom. It would be a fun way to teach students about social media and all you can do with it – how fun would it not be to write an essay in the form of a blog instead of just handing in a hard copy. Creating a blog for our class would also be a good way to keep parents informed of what is happening in class. That way, if we discussed some serious or sensitive topics in Life Orientation for example, parents could read what was said and which questions were asked and follow up with their children if necessary. For our Xhosa class, we could read some Xhosa blogs to practice grammar and sentence structure – the students can see it being used in a real way. Blogs could also be the modern version of connecting with a a pen pal – instead of writing letters and sending it once a month, students could read each other’s blogs and comment in real time.           

Youtube is another great tool to use in the classroom – you can do so much with it! I would use it to show educational videos, introduce a new topic, or simply to give my students a quick break between classes. There are so many videos out there about different communities, cultures, and teenage issues, problems and solutions – I would have no trouble finding a way to use it in any of my classes. It would also be great to show a video on Xhosa culture – sometimes a ritual can’t be properly explained in words – especially if students have nothing to compare it to – and is best understood when you can see it happen. It would also be fun to give students video homework – instead of doing a group presentation in class, they have to make a video and upload it to Youtube. This way, their pen pals can also see what they are getting up to.

These are just a few examples of how I think social media and technology can b used in the classroom. I am sure there are many others I am not aware of…and when I start teaching, who knows what else might be available!