Social Media & eLearning: Two Peas in a Pod

A year ago if you were to ask if I see any commonalities between social media and elearning I would respond with, “absolutely not - they’re total opposites.” Initially, when most people think of elearning they envision education, compliance courses and maybe a quick way to learn a new computer skill. On the other hand, social media is used for connecting with family and friends, posting photos and making status updates. Despite these obvious differences, elearning and social media have a lot in common and can benefit from one another. Below are four ways to utilize your favorite social media outlets and enhance your elearning experience.

Microlearning via Instagram:

Instagram is a social media application where you can connect with friends, send direct messages, and share photos and videos. In the past, Instagram videos could only be 15 seconds long, but after a recent update you can now post a video up to one minute. What’s the benefit of this? Microlearning. In today’s society, tons of people are motivated by time. “If I can grasp the concept of something in one minute opposed to an hour I’ll take that route,” said every teenager ever. Thankfully, Instagram can be used for just that. Users can search different topics or utilize the discover page to find microlearning videos in a matter of seconds.

Blogging via Wix:

Wix is a social media outlet where users can blog about a variety of topics. There are tons of blogs out there created by Marketo, eLearning Industry, and The eLearning Coach, where individuals can post about their experiences, trends, and the future of elearning. These popular blogs usually have a team of developers who created their site. However, the benefit of blogging via Wix is it’s simplicity. Wix does a great job of making the design aspect very simple so users can focus solely on the content they create.

Hashtagging via Twitter:

Twitter is a social media application primarily created for “microblogging” within a 140 character restraint. One attribute that stands out to users is the hashtag feature. Users can create, search, and discover thousands of topics by simply clicking the hashtag. This is a beneficial tool when it comes to eLearning because individuals can learn or post about topics all through their favorite app.

Connecting via LinkedIn:

Some people reference LinkedIn as the “workforce” Facebook. But to be more exact, LinkedIn was created to help people network professionally. Whether that includes potential employers, old colleagues, or the manager of your dream job - you can connect with them all on this one platform. In regards to elearning, it is a great way to network with buyers, sellers, and marketplace providers. There is also a feature on LinkedIn to add your interest. Therefore, if you are interested in elearning you can add it and LinkedIn can provide suggested connections geared towards it.

If you have not realized by now, I mentioned these four social media outlets in a specific order for a reason and here’s why:

• If you’re interested in eLearning but want to get the microlearning version, utilize Instagram. You will be able to find and eventually post one minute elearning content.

• Found a course you find interesting? Blog about it via Wix. Also, not to worry, there are tons of templates you can choose from if you consider yourself not the most “design-savvy.”

• There’s always more to learn! Utilize the hashtag feature on Twitter to find more elearning related content.

• Lastly, after you’ve found all these interesting posts follow the creators and companies on LinkedIn to stay in the loop.

So next time you open your favorite social media application remember it can be used for way more than just posting selfies.