How to use Social Media as a Learning Tool?

Use Social Media as a Learning Tool

Most students are occupied updating their Facebook statuses, and uploading their photos on Instagram. However, have you ever thought seriously about using Social Media as a learning tool? Social Media is now an ingrained part of the entire world. It’s no secret that social media is at the core of most people’s lives. It influences how we live, how we work, and now more than ever, how we learn. No matter how much one tries, it is extremely difficult to stay away from social media. While most people are busy criticizing and counting the ill effects of social media, we must not forget that every coin has two sides.

According to a recent study, more and more teachers and professors are incorporating the use of social media in education. The primary goal is to engage students and support their overall development. This can be online or in person. In short – social media for students acts as a tool to learn and interact in the current era. Therefore, instead of running away, deleting, and deactivating all your social media accounts, you must get started with your GATE, and ESE preparation.

Try to inculcate the use of social media platforms in education to your advantage as the collaborative environment and open forum that social media encourages. Along with the rapid pace of information sharing that it facilitates, social media can accelerate your preparation and prove to be a helping hand for your examination.

Students, especially competitive exam aspirants must emphasize on the role of social media in education. Try to inculcate the use of social media platforms in both teaching and social media. This will help in accelerating your GATE and ESE preparation and prove to be a helping hand for your examination.

Today, we would like to discuss different social media platforms that are available across the world and how they can be used as a learning tool.

1. Facebook:

Facebook is a platform normally used by users to upload photos, add friends, and interact with people. Well for the students who are preparing for an examination, this social media for students will prove to be highly beneficial for other fellow aspirants. You can join groups on Facebook that are dedicated to the preparation of GATE or ESE. The official MADE EASY page on Facebook is also very important as it updates you about all the latest job vacancies, and exam schedules. Apart from this, it is also important to know about new batches or test series that the institute is starting for the students. Several initiatives help the exam aspirants to practice good quality questions and simultaneously interact with fellow exam aspirants. There are also groups where students discuss questions related to different competitive exams. If you are stuck in any question, you can post it on the page and you are sure to find the solution to it on the same day. You can also connect with experts on a particular subject. By connecting with these experts, you learn more and gain useful content from them, this empowers you to produce better results.

Therefore, instead of wasting time scrolling through people’s profiles and photos, Facebook can be used to keep yourself updated on all the new vacancies. It will be also beneficial to connect with other aspirants and experts to solve any issue or problem you face during the preparation. This signifies the role of social media in education.

2. WhatsApp/Telegram:

WhatsApp is a tried and tested platform now. Telegram has come into the picture during the critical times of COVID. It is especially applicable in the case of the education sector. Well, these platforms have groups for different examinations such as GATE, ESE, UPSC, or CAT. Joining any Whatsapp or Telegram group helps you connect with other students. The groups post daily news, PDFs of books, any important PDFs from coaching materials, and exam results, to name a few. Being a part of such groups not only makes you aware but also the students in these groups conduct various quizzes and tests. Participating in such groups helps you revise and practice any topic or subject that you think requires more practice during the exam preparation journey.

On the other hand, Telegram has still not reached several students in the education space. However, there are dedicated channels on Telegram, where you can find the study material for any competitive exam via this platform. Due to the larger strength of students available in a single group, Telegram has now become a one-stop app for most competitive exam aspirants. Therefore, while preparing for GATE, ESE, or IES, you can join Telegram groups for study material, test series, books, and connect with your fellow aspirants. Additionally, students also have the option to share large media files within themselves. Therefore, sharing any video or study tutorial for students is also just a click away. As per your need without any invitation or approval, you can join the group of your choice.

On these social media platforms too, sometimes there are subject experts or toppers of examination, which help clear your doubts and instill confidence in you for the critical phase of preparation. This reflects the role of social media in education. You must keep in mind that WhatsApp has a limit on the number of members that can join a group on this platform. However, telegram is a great platform to reach out to thousands of students and form your own study group.

3. Quora:

As a learning platform, Quora is one of the most amazing and beneficial social media platforms in the present times. It is a very interactive platform, where one can ask questions, and anybody who feels they are the right person can answer it. Several aspirants use Quora’s app and website to get a clear picture of the exam they are preparing for and how should they prepare for it. For eg:

• What books are important for GATE?,
• How many hours should one study?
• The rank needed for selection in various PSUs
• Best coaching for ESE PreparationThese questions are often answered on the social media platforms. Although most of aspirants have different questions while preparing for the respective competitive exams where the role of social media in education gets sufficed. With the help of Quora, you can also connect with various toppers that are available on Quora and ask them any questions that have been making you inquisitive. Therefore, one can use Quora much more effectively before starting the preparation to know how to start and while preparing to check if you are on the right track or not.

Therefore, Quora also possesses a blog option, where various toppers describe their journey to excellence. They share their preparation strategy, books one should refer to, the best coaching one can join and any important technique or method one can use to crack the exam. Following these toppers and reading their blogs can help you get better insight about the respective exam and know what toppers do differently that brings them success. They also write about how their life has changed and what life is after they crack GATE or ESE Examination. Reading those blogs will inspire you to work doubly hard to live the life you have dreamt of.

4. YouTube:

YouTube has become the new study platform for students. While studying, if you are unable to understand a particular topic, all you need is to search for it on YouTube. Within a few seconds to minutes, you have expert teachers who can explain it to you in just a few minutes through visual media in a systematic format. Therefore, YouTube is an amazing platform for all GATE and ESE Aspirants. Any doubt you have about the exam, syllabus, preparation, or how your life will be after clearing the examination, all is contained in this little Pandora’s Box. The use of social media in education promotes self-directed learning, which gives you the independence to search for answers and make perfect decisions. Therefore, the use of social media in education such as YouTube broadens your perspective on various subjects and gives illuminating, instant content that is new.

National Programme for Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) is a joint initiative from IITs and IISc to offer online courses and certification in various topics. With courses of most engineering branches available on the NPTEL’s YouTube platform, it is easy to learn and understand social media tools as GATE and ESE aspirants. This platform is a clear indication of the combination of teaching and social media. The branches are subdivided based on the subjects and topics. Along with written lectures on NPTEL’s website, it also provides the students with the best lecture classes about various expert professors of IITs and IISc on this eminent platform. Both college students and competitive exam aspirants use the GATE and/or ESE examination to understand any concept in a better way. Additionally, students and aspirants also have the facility to practice the questions that are available at the end of each subject.

5. TED Videos:

TED is a huge community where several professionals and winners display their success stories. This platform serves as a famous platform to know about all the ideas worth sharing. TED has highlighted the role of social media in education with its amazing platform. It has videos describing new scientific inventions, different methods to learn better, inspirational videos, and videos for almost every question about which one has during their study sessions. This platform helps spark the light of success among students and other exam aspirants. One can use the videos to learn about time management, speed learning, and maintaining calmness, to name a few. On this platform itself, we also have TEDx videos, where the organizing committee conducts speeches from different educational backgrounds such as Civil Services to share their real-life thoughts and actions. These videos are much inspiring and motivate one to work harder and reach the top of the success ladder.

In this video, you also have the option to ask any question and leverage the role of social media in education. If you are confused about what you have read in your sessions, you must understand that each session is worth appreciating. Along with this, you must also remember that YouTube is also your friend in distress along with an effective study companion. With the immense amount of videos on YouTube, one can also find toppers’ videos, and how their lives have changed after scoring the desired marks in the exam. Several other inspirational videos are also present on this prominent platform, which can boost your confidence and get you back to studies with even more dedication and focus. Therefore, instead of roaming around with a book or notes in hand, one can make use of smartphones, and watch educational videos on this eminent platform.

6. Twitter:

While Twitter has become a controversial platform these days to post your views and opinions, most individuals, often miss the fact that most individuals can find the latest and updated information on Twitter. Therefore, if you want to keep yourself updated with the news and any opinions that people possess about the latest development, Twitter will turn into your dear friend, thus reflecting the role of social media in education. You can follow different news channels, orators, and anchors across the world. Therefore, one can use Twitter as a learning tool, and go through it whenever you are free. You can keep yourself up to date with any new invention with the use of social media in education and changing landscape across the country or around the world.

7. MADE EASY Student Portal:

The student portal of MADE EASY is a platform that offers different opportunities for students to interact with each other and with the senior faculty and toppers of the institutes. It is an interactive platform, where students can post any question that they want to know about and interact with other students on this interactive platform. The role of social media in education is highly determined by the expertise available on this platform.

This platform is also a one-point stop for all the students after each candidate completes their respective examinations. The platform will provide the exam aspirants with an insight into the exam, the type of questions asked, the answers, and the expected cut-off. Depending on the number of students’ available, one can also predict their rank. Therefore, this platform will act as a friend in your preparation, which will answer all your queries, thus helping you reach your goals effectively.

8. edX:

This online learning platform is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) provider. It hosts free online university-level courses across a wide range of disciplines, thus serving worldwide. If you have confusion regarding any subject or if you want to learn something new, then edX is the platform for you. This platform has professors from reputed universities like MIT, Harvard, and Princeton. These top-teaching faculties offer various courses through video lectures, thus proving to be highly beneficial for the students. This turns the role of social media in education into a positive one.

Social media has both positive and negative sides to it. However, it is completely on the user to decide which one he/she wants to experience during the core learning phases of life. Some people believe that being on social media during preparation hampers your study and distracts your mind. However, it can completely add to your preparation, if used with utmost care and discipline. Platforms like YouTube, MADE EASY Student Portal, and Telegram are actually go-to apps for students preparing for competitive exams such as GATE or ESE. Social Media also allows students more freedom to connect and collaborate beyond the physical classroom, which means students anywhere can start to experience the globally connected world much before they enter the workforce.

Now, let us talk about the most commonly asked questions associated with the respective learning tool:

1. What are the positives of social media?

Ans. The positive points associated with social media platforms, include finding your voice, reflecting empathy and kindness, better communication, offering support, and establishing authority.

2. What are the top platforms that showcase the role of social media in education?

Ans. Some of the top platforms that showcase the role of social media in education include Facebook, Twitter, edX, TED videos, and YouTube, to name a few.

3. Is it possible to learn from social media?

Ans. Yes. You can definitely learn from social media if you choose the right part of the respective social media platform. This will help you balance teaching and social media from a student’s point of view like a pro.

4. Are there any disadvantages of social media for students?

Ans. Yes. Like there are different advantages associated with social media, it is important to understand that several disadvantages are also linked with the usage of social media. Some of these disadvantages include increased chances of cyber-attacks, decreased confidence levels, sleeplessness, and lack of focus and concentration. Along with this, there is a huge chance to get into the trap of information that often misguides students and exam aspirants during their exam preparation phase. Lastly, you will have unrealistic expectations from yourself, if you indulge a lot with different social media platforms.

5. Can teachers collaborate with students over the platform?

Ans. Yes. Teachers can collaborate with students over different social media platforms. This includes active learning via different features available on social media associated with the learning activities.

Although Social Media can never replace conventional classrooms, they are always going to act as a catalyst to accelerate the preparation of the aspirants. So with the changing world that is going towards digitization, it is also necessary that students make the best use of smartphones and implement the role of social media in education. Instead of using it as a tool of distraction, it must be useful for students from the study point of view. Make the best use of social media for students and use it to the best of your ability.

All the best for your exam preparation!

Dear Aspirants,

Take your GATE exam, ESE exam, and PSUs Interviews preparation to the next level with the MADE EASY YouTube channel. This popular YouTube channel comprises a lot of content for exam aspirants preparing for the ESE and GATE exams with PSUs interviews. It includes Current Affairs, Previous Years’ Questions (PYQs), GATE through Questions (GTQs), Toppers Talk (ESE & GATE), Tips and Tricks, and Job Notifications (Job Box).

So, hurry up, subscribe to the MADE EASY: ESE, GATE, and PSUs YouTube channel now, and never miss an update on new videos.