The power of social media in education

According to South African Social Media Landscape 2011 study done by Fuseware and World Wide Worx, more South Africans have embraced social media as a core pillar of Internet activity, along with e-mail, news and banking. MXit and Facebook lead the way in user numbers, followed by Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger. It is therefore clear that Social media will be part of our world for a long time, it is better to integrate it than to fight a loosing battle.

Stimulating

Mindset Learn, an NPO that creates and distributes multi-media educational content for teachers and learners mainly in Grades 10 - 12, joined the revolution and encouraged its audience to interact on Facebook for the past two years. The exercise paired well with the fact that most of the organisation's target market; learners who normally receive broadcast content via DStv and Top tv (channel 319) are already on Facebook.

Viewers of Mindset Learn channels found it stimulating that they can not only receive updates of broadcast schedule on Facebook, but will be able to interact with presenters and most importantly with their peers from different schools. Learners use the opportunity to share resources, questions, ideas and reflections with others. It become apparent those educational benefits of social media far outweigh the risk.

Mhlope takes the initiative

To date, Mindset Learn has over 7000 followers on Facebook and even more on MXit, one of the platform regular users was Masoi Mhlope from the Mampoi Secondary School in QwaQwa (Free State province) who achieved 100% in Physical Science. Mhlope started a study group with friends in their community; they were vocal 'Mindsetters' on its social platforms, Facebook and MXit. The group even got prizes such as Physical Science and Mathematics DVDs, print notes, etc. from Mindset Learn during the year.

Mhlope is now at UCT studying towards a Chemical Engineering degree.

Mindset Learn Facebook and MXit pages encourage learners to post problematic questions in critical subjects, and allocated experts to responds within 48 hours. Often when a question is posted another learner will answer before the Mindset Learn team can even get there, this shows the power of social media. It generates quick responses, has no geographical boundaries, and is cost effective. Mindset Learn team now only moderate responses instead of 'teaching', which gives learners room to share experiences and knowledge.

Pupils can use mobile - to become upwardly mobile

Teachers and parents should encourage learners to utilise cell phones for educational purposes, that way, we are likely to see more top achievers like Mhlope from under-privileged communities. Through social media platforms, learners are able to view videos of complicated science experiments, which would otherwise be left to imagination.

Grade 10 - 12 learners of Mathematics, English, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Maths Literacy, Geography and Accounting may join Mindset Learn community on the following social platforms: Facebook: Mindset Learn Xtra, Twitter: @learnxtra, MXit ID: learnxtrahelpdesk, PEPtxt group code: mindset.