1. 74|29 october 2015 www.drum.co.za
I
F YOU’RE in matric, you
should be gearing up for
your (gasp!) final exams.
But before you start
stressing about all the studying
you have to do, consider using
your social media sites.
Yes, that’s right! Social media
– if used correctly – could give
you the boost you need to
perform at your best, says
Wonga Ntshinga, Senior Head of
Programmes: IT at The
Independent Institute of
Education. “Social media is
no longer just good for fun
and games,” he says. “[It]
has stepped up to become a
resource for learners who
are serious about their studies.”
But how can you use it
to study?
Hey Teens! uncovered
Social media isn’t just for gossip
– you can use it to help you
prepare for your exams, too
SOCIAL
STUDYING
WhatsApp
WhatsApp can be
used as a cross-
platform mobile
messaging application to create
study groups.
For instance, a group can be
created called “G12_Science_
Class_Emdeni_High_School”.
Members of that group then
discuss issues concerning study
material, questions, papers
and even admin issues around
particular exams, Wonga explains.
Tip WhatsApp also allows users
to send each other unlimited
images, video and audio
messages. Create a video of how
you solved a maths equation or
science experiment and share it
with your group. Or, record a
tutorial and pass it on to them.
Facebook
Creating a
Facebook group
is another popular
way of working with your peers.
“Your study group can share
possible questions that could
come up in the examination
papers,” Wonga shares.
“Or use the group to post
previous question papers.
Each time your peers post an
important subject matter you’ll
get a notification.”
Tip Mute your notifications while
studying as incoming messages
could be distracting. Catch up on
your notifications when you take
a break.
Twitter
Some people believe
Twitter is a waste
of time, as you can
only send messages containing a
maximum of 140 characters.
“Follow interesting topics and
users,” Wonga advises. “For
example, if you search #biology,
you’re presented with the user
@Molecular, who tweets about the
latest news, research, books and
journals in molecular biology, cell
biology, genetics and stem cells.”
Tip If you’re interested in a topic
but don’t know a hashtag that will
help your research, simply do a
Twitter search using a keyword
rather than a hashtag. Then scan
the results to see which hashtags
people are using when they discuss
that particular topic.
YouTube
This video-sharing
service allows you to
view videos on your
cellphone, TV or laptop.
“It has many videos related to
Grade 12 content,” Wonga adds.
If you search for “Grade 12
Physical Science”, for example,
you’ll get an extensive list of
videos that might be helpful in your
preparations.
Or you could narrow your
search to a particular area you
find challenging.
Tip Downloading videos can
be expensive because of data
charges, so rather view them in
libraries or other areas where
free Wi-Fi is available.