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Is Social Media a Practical Method for Learning?

 In this week's readings, one of the articles I read was about the case study done on high school students and how they use social media platforms for informal learning. The article, titled "Teens and Social Media: A Case Study of High School Students’ Informal Learning Practices and Trajectories," found that students can potentially learn through non-traditional methods, such as social media when it aligns with their interests. The primary themes found within the research were that there are three sorts of informal learning that include "career/future planning, entrepreneurship, and hobbies" (baggy et al. 242).These themes came as no surprise as we are aware that there are algorithms on social media for a reason. However, it was interesting to see career planning as one of the main ones that came up. 

When I think about the concept of learning through social media, I think more about entrepreneurship and hobbies. There have been several instances where people have gone viral for their unique start-ups for their businesses and have grown from there. However, when I think about traditional careers, it's not often that we see the day-to-day of those types of people posted on social media or even glamorized. For hobbies, social media. The younger audience tends to look at the more unconventional artistic type of careers for inspiration and sometimes aspires to be like those people. For example, celebrities, singers, content creators, and others are some of those not as common career paths that can be seen online. 

Given how influential social media is in our society, it can certainly be used as a tool for learning. To discover what's trendy and find ways to engage learners in the classroom. I still think that there should be limitations, though that can be avoided by having structured informal learning for students. 


Comments

  1. S. M. TrupianoJune 1, 2024 at 6:18 PM

    My husband loves using social media for learning! Although not a teenager, he uses YouTube and Instagram to learn about finance, real estate, and history in a manner that is convenient and easily digestible. It can be a great tool!

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    Replies
    1. KeniaJune 2, 2024 at 7:12 PM

      Nice! I am love YouTube and constantly seek out help in learning how to do just about anything. I have especially been interested in learning how to cook new recipes that I am unfamiliar with. There are countless experts on YouTube though that makes it worth looking at when it comes to many topics.

      Delete
  2. BridgetteJune 2, 2024 at 9:52 AM

    Hey! I'm also not a teenager, but like to use YouTube to learn about things. I'm sure younger people engage in learning with Social Media differently than I do, but I think it's cool how many options there are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KeniaJune 2, 2024 at 7:16 PM

      Hi Bridgette,
      I'm glad to see that you also enjoy using online medias like YouTube for your own learning. I think there is content for everyone on there and the algorithm will guide you according to what you like.

      Delete

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