The Impact of Social Media on Today’s Education System
Social media has made so much growth and changes over the past years. This spiked over the period of the coronavirus pandemic. People spent the most time on social media creating content, interacting with others, and working or studying.
This has brought a lot of transformations, especially to the educational system. Some positive and others negative. Students and teachers can easily tell all benefits they have gained from using social media for their studies. On the other hand, parents can also tell the effects they have seen on their children.
So now we are starting with the advantages and positive impacts of social media on the education system.
Encourages online learning
Class sessions can be held on social media platforms, encouraging online learning. This method of studying is most convenient for tertiary levels of education. Here, tutors can share links with students via their common groups and easily hold conference meetings.
During such sessions, helpful educational material can be shared or downloaded. The advantage of online learning is, one can record the sessions and save them to be watched later.
Allows student interactions
Students who have a hard time with physical crowds can easily fit in and interact with other students online. Those who are physically challenged and could face discrimination are likely to have a peaceful time with online interaction.
Student groups can be formed and include everyone, where important updates and communications can take place.
Encourages self-discipline in students
Unlike a physical school with bells to remind students to shift from one activity to another, social media encourages students to have their personalized learning routine. One has to keep time to attend a class and know when it is appropriate to shift from one activity to another.
Tutors are also encouraged to keep time so that they do not interfere with the student’s schedule.
Encourages research
Through direct links that tutors send to students, there is a high chance that students can gain more knowledge from the downloaded information. If let’s say, an assignment is given to students, and the tutor wants them to have specific knowledge on the topic, it is easy to achieve this where social media is involved.
Disadvantages of social media on the education system
Causes distractions
It is easy for one to be distracted if they are doing online learning. Especially with social media, one can be tempted or prompted by ads to visit other sites that are not relevant to studies.
Unhealthy
Staring at screens for a long time, especially during long learning sessions, can cause health problems. These can be factors such as back pains, itchy eyes, and fatigue. However, if healthy and interactive breaks are included in between, it is easier to have outstanding learning sessions.
Low-quality learning
Using social media as an educational tool does not give students the quality education they need compared to physical learning. Especially with subjects that entail mathematical formulas and computations. Some students would not have a good chance to ask questions related to the subject to avoid facing discrimination.
In conclusion, social media can be a beneficial tool when it comes to education. However, some factors hold this back, making it hard for every student to learn online.