Social Media in the Classroom?

How would social media fit into the classroom? I know many people who would say "that would distract the kids," or "there is no benefit for the students." Both of these statements are false and social media can work in the classroom. The true question is, which social media outlets would best suit the classroom? And the answer to that question is different depending on the content area to the needs of the student.

So for those who say that social media would "distract kids," I say that it would distract them... from not wanting to do work. If anything, social media would engage students in wanting to learn more. And to those who say "there is no benefit for students," I have provided examples below on how social media could work in the classroom.

Art/Photography: students can easily post up their digital work on Instagram to show off their work to peers and possible future clients. They can view other's photographs/artwork and get ideas on upcoming assignments. Students can comment on other student work and provide positive feedback to each other.

History: students can create a Facebook page relating to historical events they are learning. Students can role-play by posting status updates in a timeline of events that occurred during a specific era. Students can also have discussions relating to the material. This can allow the teacher to assess students understanding of historical events.

Science: teachers can use Youtube in the classroom to show different models/structures in biology and chemistry. Students will get a better understanding through the visuals and audio from videos on this social network.

English/Government/Journalism: students can set up a Twitter account and follow news sources. This should give students story ideas and allow them to follow up with local stories for their school newspaper. English/government students can express themselves on current controversial topics and post their ideas about important topics.

There a hundreds of other social media sites teachers can use. Its just the matter of how creative you can be with them. I've actually redefined what social media is for me... a platform for a learning network.