Successes and Challenges of Using Social Media in Teaching and Learning

Thursday 1:30pm-4:00pm TSU - Humphries: 222

Afternoon Mini Workshop

Leader

Alison Jolley (AJ), University of Waikato

Our students are increasingly connected and engaged with various social media platforms, e.g., Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook. How can we leverage this to build motivation and facilitate learning of earth science concepts? This workshop will explore considerations and approaches for integrating social media into teaching and learning environments. Participants will be introduced to different styles of social media, share resources and examples, and develop strategies for incorporating social media into their own classrooms.

No prior experience with social media is necessary for participation in this workshop. Please bring a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Goals

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Describe and compare the purpose and format of four types of social media: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
Identify preexisting or new learning objective(s) that could be met using student interaction with social media.
Develop a strategy for incorporating social media into your classroom.
Analyze the benefits and drawbacks of using social media in teaching and learning.