If you had to guess what the greatest, most common deficit
of recent hires in the Green Bay area, what would you guess? Not punctuality!
Not even work ethic! The greatest area of concern stems from interdependence –
the ability to work on a team with others and communication. Perhaps you can
guess one of the major causes of communication set-backs in a young work force;
Yes social media!
While social media has drastically changed the landscape in
which we communicate with each other, we still need to build communication into
our classrooms. As instructors, we need to challenge our students to
communicate in teams, while understanding how to give constructive criticism. Yet, as many believe social media is the sole demise of communication, there
are plenty of benefits to social media to discuss and explore with your
students.
For example, social networks offer professionals and
students a platform to showcase their expertise in a given area. Likewise,
social media can offer passive, often silent student an opportunity to have
their voice heard in a non-threatening manner. Education now has a chance to
reach newer and broader audiences now more than ever imagined.
For more ideas and strategies about using Social Media in
your classroom, check out the following article from Inside Higher Ed.
