Social Media In Education English Language Essay

complaisant Media In raising English Language EssayIn todays tech noogical environ ment, it is outcomeant that instructors try their best to sack engage of this innovative engineering science. As explained by Thaker, this technology brook be employ to facilitate conversation amongst the students and the teachers. However, this new form of communication preempt also table service p bents in getting involved in the learning of their children. One way of enhancing this communication is through the genial function of mixer media (Bienstock, 2012) (Thaker, 2011).There be a tot of social networking sites that place be intentd. Facebook1, Twitter2, Edmodo3, LinkedIn4, Twiducate5, Classroom 2.06and Google+7 are just few of the active social media that matchless tooshie clear up commit of in bringing up.These media are being constantly utilize by al approximately e very(prenominal)one on everyday basis. The results obtained from Pingdom (2012) on the demographic s of 24 various social media sites show that these media are being used by different persons in different age groups. In fact, the study shows that level(p) teenagers are making use of such media (Pingdom, 2012). However, one might argue, should we use such media in education, level off though we whop of the problems and issues related to such media? However others might reason that we commode non just eliminate the use of such a valuable and easily accessible resource. Bienstock (2012) makes reference to the New York Times article in which Ms. Pust states I bet that we would do more good keeping kids safe by teaching them how to use these turncocks and navigate this online world rather than locking it down and pretending that it is non in our realm. (Preston, 2011 in Bienstock, 2012)In the following sections, we will discuss the advantages that social media offers in the area of education. However, we are also going to place out the problems that these media might present and how to cope and manage them.Social Media Benefits in EducationStudents(Parent Further, 2012)Develop communication skills students dissolve gain social confidence from online interaction, which may help them feel more secure in new eventsIncrease skill in technology students become more familiar with new and acclivitous technologies, as well as increase their media literacy through exposure to many different types of online mediasuch(prenominal) technology is already common with students and this will surely engage them even more if it is utilized.Online communities green goddess be very diverse and expose students to many new view points, ideas, and opinionsSocial media can also be a source to increase talent to work on group projectsStudents can develop an optimistic characterization of themselves by putting best qualities out in that locationEnhanced coactionism acquiring information can be accomplished by students alone. But a collaborative environment certainly he lps students to work unneurotic in trying to achieve their aims.Teachers and Schools(Parent Further, 2012)Increased access to resources since learning materials can be divvy updCollaboration amongst teachers and exchanging of lesson plans and informationCan reach parents who are incapable to come to school in a low-priced and effective wayCan form partnerships with schools in other states or countriesEnhanced Flipping The teachers role is that of a tutor. The students access the coursework material outside the classroom, and then within the classroom the teacher helps the students with any problems. In this situation social media can be used to boost the relationship between the teacher and the student.Modernize Discussions through social media teacher can credit students for in-class participation.Communicate Between Classes Teachers can send out announcements, share ideas or pose disbeliefs to pupils, especially when classes are spaced several days apart.How well are school s employ social media?(Harrison, 2012)SuccessesChallengesMaking safe communities some sites allow teachers to control online environments thus reducing dangers associated with social media neglect of association a schools social media impaleer should be managed by someone who understands social mediaEncouraging collaboration students can critique and comment on each others assignments. They can easily work in teams online and enquire teachers questions or starting a discussion is easyLack of features lack of engagement for students can make them feel as if the school doesnt care. Features should include one-on-one connectionInvitation to produce content social media can invite students and schools to produce content for two enrolled and prospective students. This can show the schools personalityMore than a presence a social media profile requires daily maintenance and interaction with studentsThe NCF (Ministry of Education, Employment and Family 2011) argues that literac y, numeracy and digital literacy are the foundations for further learning. (Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family, 2011). Our students are digital natives whether we like it or not. For us as teachers we baffle to take up this and exploit it to deliver the subject content to our students.Students and Social MediaOur students are continuously communicating through social media, in Malta the most popular one being Facebook. Can we drive away this? No we can not as out students are equipped with laptops, tablets, iPads, smartphones all providing easier access to social networks. Introducing social media in education is not an easy step, as mentioned before students are continuously using it with most of them ignoring the possible consequences. When the thing is approached only on a theoretical level students think that it will never happen to them, for them there is nothing wrong uploading any kind of characterisations to appear cool with their friends. They can not per ceive that in one case a photo is available on the Internet is available to anybody even though they select the wholly Friends option.Social Media Problems and How to Minimise Them?The only way to deal with this problem is through educational videos that illustrate assorted situations which teenagers found themselves in because they didnt know it could happen to them. A teacher can start by show these two videos http//viewpure.com/nOUu1fldBbI and http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5OeGeudBMfeature=channel and discuss a set of questions with the students to elicit important points from both videos the uploading of photos, anyone can watch your photos without you being aware of it. Students need to be educated towards social media. They have a tool in their hands, they think of knowing how to use it but most of them dont. Teachers and parents have to understand we cannot stop the social media hype. We as teachers have to educate round this tool.What can go wrong?Many students imply the questions What can go wrong? These are some of the answers that we as educators need to provideCyber determent (CEOP, 2007) This kind of bullyrag is different from the school bullying we are accustomed to. Our students are constantly using mobiles, the internet, so bullying can affect someone at home as well. Since cyberbullying takes place in the virtual world, it has a 24/7 effect and can make someone feel depressed or menace in their own home. Students should be educated that this kind of bullying can be evidenced. With cyber bullying they can save text/emails/WebPages, print them and used as a proof to catch the bully.Sexting Sexting occurs when someone takes an innapropriate photo of themselves, and sending it to their friends via a mobile phone, computer, tablet and so on. The problem is that students do not realise that erst these images have been uploaded on the Internet they can end up anywhere. They could be seen by friends and family, schoolmates who can make fun o f them or worse in the hands of pedopheles. This also puts that person who originally sent the images in a vulnerable position (CEOP, 2007), as somebody they may or may not know now has these images and could use technology to bully, harass or threaten students with these photos. Students have to be educated to think Do I want my schoolmates to see these photos, my family?Hacking Students should always choose the Log Out option so their account can not be hacked.False Identity It is very easy to lie on the Internet because there is not difrect face to face communication, hence people can lie about their age and appearance. Students have to be sure of whom they are confirming as a friend and barely they have to be educated not to meet people they encountered over the Internet.Addiction One has to be aware of the cartridge holder and effort spent in establishing connections. It is very easy to become addicted, for some, these sites become one of the major concerns (CEOP, 2007). This can have adverse effects on a persons ability to work expeditiously and affects ones health as well.Sometimes the best lesson to educate our students is not through theory but providing them with veritable facts. For example this article http//www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2201064/Man-murders-girl-16- turn up-raping-years-agolured-death-posing-teen-Facebook.html narrates the story of a girl killed by her rapist before she could testify against him. He posed as a teenage boy on Facebook and told Shania Gray (the victim) he had a crush on her and they agreed to meet. He took her to a secluded park and shot her (Pullman, 2012).Everyone has a Facebook account why shouldnt I?Our society, educators, parents cannot hide from the reality that social media are part of our culture. The future generation are approaching their lives differently as they integrate digital technologies- such as computers, the Internet, instant messaging, cell phones and netmail throughout their daily activit ies. As educators we can propose the following simple but effective bracing Rules (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2012)Keep your personal information like address, mobile number safe. Make students think this question If I meet a stranger on the street would I give him my mobile number? The same reasoning has to be applied to a stranger met on the Internet.Dont Meet Up. Social networks can be a place to encounter with new people. Students must always know who you are public lecture to. If an adult they do not know asks them to meet up, they have to be educated to say no.Accepting (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2012) Educate students to think before they accept something from someone over the Internet as it might contain viruses with the sole purpose to steal information from someones computer used by a hacker to keep data on people perhaps engaged by paedophiles. If students do not know from whom it is and it has an attachment, they have to delete it.Reliable (UK Safer Internet Centre, 201 2) Not everyone online can be trusted. Older men tend to lie about their age and who they are to meet female adolescents. This is a point we as educators need to stress onto students have to know who they are talking to.Tell (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2012) Students should not be afraid of talking if someone is harassing or stalking them over the Internet. They have to talk with their parents, or a guidance teacher or any other trusted adult if someone makes them worried or uncomfortable online. Moreover if a student knows about a friend who has these kinds of problems he/she has to tell someone. It is not betraying him/her friends trust, it is helping and in some cases saving his/her friend.The Issue of No Physical InteractionSocial media is a medium that enables communication between people from all over the world through the use of technology. Such interaction can be done from the comfort of your own home and this can facilitate the work on tremendously.Some may argue that socia l media may present a challenge since the students are unable to socialise properly. This may be due to the fact that the interaction between peers is not presented in a physical manner.On the other hand, social media allows people to meet in ways that other than would have not been possible. Social media not only allows easier communication but eliminates the issue of geographical barriers. It allows students to form and (Tomaszewski, 2012) (Connolly, 2011) (Williams, 2011)maintain friendships, that otherwise would have been difficult or impossible.Such friendships allow students to learn and interact with other cultures other than their own. It allows wider knowledge sharing from people all over the world. Such interaction would not have been possible or would have been difficult and more costly if it had to be done physically.Therefore, when used with properly and with caution, social media allows not only learning to occur, but also friendships and knowledge sharing to take pla ce.Avoid these when using Social MediaWe do not want more rules but as any other important tool Social Media should be used responsibly. We are in the day and age, were Social Media is used all the time by everyone and this is the main reason why we should be careful of what we do. We should educate our students how to use Social Media sites responsibly. Stephanie infract on Mashable gives us a few rules to follow, which if applied, help us appreciate the power of Social Media when used in the classroom. affix Illegal Activities (Buck, 2012) Although your profile may be set to private there are other ways and means how this content can become public and be view by anyone on the web. Once public, it will be impossible to remove that content from the internet.Trash Your Teachers (Buck, 2012) Bullying can also include interactions done on posts where teachers or school administration are mentioned. This can be a grave offence even if certain things may seem harmless to who posted th em.Post Objectionable Content from School Computers or Networks (Buck, 2012) Do not use the school computers to post objectionable information. Some school networks can track this activity.Post Confidential Information (Buck, 2012) This is very important as already mentioned before everyone can see the information you post so be careful not to post any personal information where people can track you.Overly Specific repair Check-Ins (Buck, 2012) Do not use Social Media to say that you are home alone or in a remote location this will help even persons who are not willing to help to find you.Lie/Cheat/Plagiarize (Buck, 2012) If a lie is shared on Social Media it is most probably that everyone will get to know. There can also be investigations regarding cheating and plagiarism.Threaten power (Buck, 2012) When a threat is posted online even if anonymous, there will be investigations by the police and last will trace the offender.Ignore School-Specific Policies (Buck, 2012) Al ways abide by the policy of your school regarding Social Media. inexpert Public Profiles (Buck, 2012) Students should be thoughtful of what to post online. Certain content might not be pleasant for an employer, who in the near future might go through ones profile. Do not say or put anything on your profile which you do not want a future employer to see.Never believe on Privacy Settings 100% (Buck, 2012)- Students should never rely on privacy settings over good judgment, (Buck, 2012) says social media specialist, Andrew Moravick in (Buck, 2012). Some Social Media networks have very good privacy settings but some are updated very often and not everyone can keep track.Post Emotionally (Buck, 2012) Do not post anything on Social Media when feeling emotional about something. Thing may seem very different when analyzing the same scenario when feeling calm.As we can see, these are very simple rules students and everyone using Social Media can follow. We just have to keep in mind that a nything posted irresponsibly on Social Media networks can have very negative effects.ConclusionSo far experts remind us that there are clear dos and donts for integrating social media in the classroom. Social technologies are here to stay and it is import to help students learn how to used social media. Guide students in how to think deliberately about their use and consider the outcomes of proper and improper use of social media. This goal can be appropriately reached when teacher have received appropriate training on the use of social media. Full backing and give of the school administration is mandatory to fulfill this objective. Turning social media into an educational tool can be used to further a students education and enrich it.