Twenty-sixth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

South Africa’s Basic Education has faced many difficulties such as infrastructure, students’ performance, and overcrowding. Many classrooms are not adequately equipped with furniture and a shortage of resources: such as textbooks and other important learning materials. While the shortage of resources has increased, the classrooms are continually being filled with a new grouping of children which are referred to as “Generation Z” (iGens). Social media has become an integral part of communication and has transformed how one communicates. Innovative technology provides opportunities to maximize creativity and innovative learning strategies in the classroom and a positive supplement to bridge the gap between education. The paper focused on how social media can be augmented in transforming the classroom of yesterday into a more interactive classroom today. The research was conducted through a quantitative approach using a questionnaire as an instrument and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that social media will assist and benefit the teaching and learning process. A total of 79% of the sample asserts that newer methods of teaching work better than older methods. This is largely due to the change of the classroom makeup. It is recommended that private schools in South Africa have already begun implementing ICT’s as part of the curriculum; learners at public schools are therefore at a disadvantage and this needs to be remedied so that we can prepare our youth to succeed both nationally and internationally. The education sector should earnestly embrace this and continue to keep abreast with developing social media technology.