In todays technological environment, it's important that teachers try their best to employ this progressive technology. As described by Thaker, this technology may be used to facilitate communication between your students and the instructors. However, this new form of communication can also help parents in getting involved in the learning with their children. One way of enhancing this communication is by using social multimedia (Bienstock, 2012) (Thaker, 2011).
There are a number of sociable networking sites you can use. Facebook, Twitter, Edmodo, LinkedIn, Twiducate, Class room 2. 0 and Google+ are just few of the existent social advertising that one can utilize in education.
These media are being constantly employed by everyone on every day basis. The results extracted from Pingdom (2012) on the demographics of 24 different interpersonal media sites show these press are being utilized by different persons in various age groups. In fact, the study implies that even young adults are making use of such advertising (Pingdom, 2012). However, one might claim, should we use such marketing in education, even though we realize of the issues and issues related to such media? However others might reason that we cannot just eliminate the use of such a valuable and easy to get at tool. Bienstock (2012) refers to the brand new York Times article in which Ms. Pust areas "I feel that we'd do more good keeping kids safe by teaching them how to use these tools and find their way this online world somewhat than locking it down and pretending that it's not in our realm. " (Preston, 2011 in Bienstock, 2012)
In the following portions, we will discuss the advantages that social media offers in the region of education. However, our company is also going to indicate the problems these advertising might present and exactly how to deal and take care of them.
Social Press Benefits in Education
Students
(Mother or father Further, 2012)
Develop communication skills - students can gain public assurance from online connections, which might help them feel better in new situations
Increase skill in technology - students are more familiar with new and rising solutions, as well as increase their advertising literacy through contact with many types of online media
Such technology is already normal with students which will surely engage them even more if it's utilized.
Online communities can be quite diverse and expose students to numerous new view details, ideas, and opinions
Social media can also be a source to increase expertise to work on group projects
Students can form a good image of themselves by adding best characteristics out there
Enhanced Collaboration - acquiring information can be achieved by students only. But a collaborative environment certainly helps students to work together in trying to achieve their goals.
Teachers and Schools
(Parent Further, 2012)
Increased usage of resources since learning materials can be shared
Collaboration amongst professors and exchanging of lessons ideas and information
Can reach parents who are incapable to come quickly to school in an inexpensive and effective way
Can form partnerships with colleges in other expresses or countries
Enhanced Flipping - The teacher's role is that of a tutor. The students gain access to the coursework material outside the classroom, and then within the class room the instructor helps the students with any problems. In this example social media may be used to boost the romantic relationship between the educator and the scholar.
Modernize Discussions - through social media educator can credit students for in-class contribution.
Communicate Between Classes - Teachers can distribute announcements, discuss ideas or pose questions to pupils, especially when classes are spaced several times apart.
How well are institutions using social press?
(Harrison, 2012)
Successes
Challenges
Making safe neighborhoods - some sites allow teachers to regulate online conditions thus reducing hazards associated with communal media
Lack of knowledge - a school's sociable media bank account should be managed by somebody who understands public media
Encouraging cooperation - students can critique and comment on each other's projects. They may easily work in clubs online and asking teachers questions or starting a dialogue is easy
Lack of features - lack of engagement for students can make sure they are feel as if the institution doesn't worry. Features should include one-on-one connection
Invitation to produce content - cultural media can ask students and academic institutions to produce content for both enrolled and potential students. This may show the school's personality
More than a existence - a public media account requires daily maintenance and connections with students
The NCF (Ministry of Education, Work and Family 2011) argues that "literacy, numeracy and digital literacy will be the foundations for further learning. " (Ministry of Education, Occupation and the Family, 2011). Our students are digital natives whether we enjoy it or not. For us as teachers we have to acknowledge this and exploit it to provide the subject content to your students.
Students and Social Media
Our students are continually communicating through cultural marketing, in Malta typically the most popular one being Facebook. Can we stop this? No we can not as out students include notebooks, tablets, iPads, smartphones all providing easier access to social networks. Bringing out social media in education is not a fairly easy step, as stated before students are continually utilizing it with almost all of them ignoring the possible results. When the topic is contacted only on the theoretical level students think that it'll never happen to them, to them there is nothing wrong uploading any sort of photos to appear 'cool' using their friends. They are able to not perceive that once a photography is available on the web is open to anybody even though they choose the 'Only Friends' option.
Social Mass media Problems and How exactly to Minimise Them?
The only way to cope with this issue is through educational videos that illustrate various situations which young adults found themselves in because they didn't know it might eventually them. A instructor can begin by showing these two videos http://viewpure. com/nOUu1fldBbI and http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=hK5OeGeudBM&feature=channel and discuss a couple of questions with the students to elicit important factors from both videos; the uploading of photographs, anyone can observe your photos without you being aware of it. Students need to be educated towards public media. They may have an instrument in their hands, they think of knowing how to utilize it but almost all of them don't. Professors and parents have to comprehend we cannot stop the sociable media buzz. We as instructors have to educate concerning this tool.
What can fail?
Many students ask the questions: What can fail? These are some of the answers that we as teachers need to provide:
Cyberbullying (CEOP, 2007): This kind of bullying differs from the school bullying we are used to. Our students are constantly using mobiles, the internet, so bullying can affect someone at home as well. Since cyberbullying takes place in the electronic world, it has a 24/7 impact and can make someone feel stressed out or threatened in their own home. Students should be informed that this kind of bullying can be evidenced. With cyber bullying they can save text message/emails/WebPages, print out them and used as a proof to catch the bully.
Sexting: Sexting occurs when someone calls for an innapropriate image of themselves, and mailing it to their friends via a mobile phone, computer, tablet etc. The problem is that students do not realize that once these images have been published on the Internet they can wrap up anywhere. They could be seen by relatives and buddies, schoolmates who is able to make fun of these 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 might not exactly know now has these images and could use technology to bully, harass or threaten students with these photos. Students need to be educated to believe "Do I want my schoolmates to see these photographs, my family?"
Hacking: Students should choose the "Log Out" option so their account can't be hacked.
False Individuality: It's very easy to rest on the web since there is not difrect face to face communication, hence people can lie about how old they are and appearance. Students have to be certain of whom they can be confirming as a pal and moreover they have to be educated not to meet people they came across over the Internet.
Addiction: One must be aware of the time and effort put in in establishing cable connections. It's very easy to become addicted, for a few, these sites become one of the major concerns (CEOP, 2007). This can have undesireable effects on a person's ability to work proficiently and influences one's health as well.
Sometimes the best lessons to teach our students is not through theory but providing them with actual facts. For instance this post http://www. dailymail. co. uk/news/article-2201064/Man-murders-girl-16-testify-raping-years-ago--lured-death-posing-teen-Facebook. html narrates the storyline of a woman killed by her rapist before she could testify against him. He posed as a teenage young man on Facebook and informed Shania Gray (the sufferer) he previously a crush on her and they decided to meet. He needed her to a secluded park and taken her (Pullman, 2012).
Everyone has a Facebook bill why shouldn't I?
Our society, teachers, parents cannot hide from the truth that social multimedia are part of your culture. The near future generation are getting close their lives in another way as they integrate digital technologies- such as computer systems, the Internet, instant messaging, mobile phones and e-mail throughout their daily activities. As teachers we can propose the following simple but effective SMART Guidelines (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2012):
Keep your individual information like address, mobile quantity safe. Make students think this question "EASILY meet a stranger on the street would I give him my mobile amount?" The identical reasoning has to be put on a stranger satisfied on the web.
Don't Meet Up. Internet sites can be a place to encounter with new people. Students must always know who you are talking to. If a grown-up they do not know asks them to meet, they need to be educated to say no.
Accepting (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2012): Educate students to believe before they allow something from someone online as it might contain infections with the sole purpose to steal information from someone's 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 need to erase it.
Reliable (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2012): Not everyone online can be trusted. Older men have a tendency to lie about their age and who they are to meet female adolescents. This is a point we as teachers need to stress onto; students need to know who they are speaking with.
Tell (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2012): Students should not be afraid of speaking if someone is harassing or stalking them over the Internet. They need to talk with their parents, or a information teacher or any other trusted adult if someone makes them concerned or uneasy online. Additionally if a student knows about a pal who may have these varieties of problems he/she must tell someone. It is not betraying him/her friend's trust, it is aiding and sometimes saving his/her good friend.
The Problem of No Physical Interaction
Social multimedia is a medium that enables communication between folks from around the globe by using technology. Such interaction can be done from the comfort of your own home which can facilitate the procedure tremendously.
Some may dispute that social multimedia may present an issue because the students are unable to socialise properly. This can be due to the fact that the relationship between peers is not provided in a physical manner.
On the other hand, social advertising allows people to meet with techniques that otherwise could have not been possible. Social networking not only allows easier communication but eradicates the problem of geographical barriers. It allows students to form and (Tomaszewski, 2012) (Connolly, 2011) (Williams, 2011)maintain friendships, that often would have been difficult or impossible.
Such friendships allow students to learn and connect to other cultures other than their own. It allows wider knowledge posting from people all over the world. Such interaction wouldn't normally have been possible or could have been difficult and more costly if it needed to be done in physical form.
Therefore, when used with properly and with caution, social media allows not only understanding how to take place, but also friendships and knowledge sharing to take place.
Avoid these when working with Social Media
We do not need more guidelines but as any important tool SOCIAL WEBSITES should be utilized responsibly. We are in your day and time, were Social Media is used constantly by everyone which is the key reason why we should be careful of what we do. We ought to inform our students how to use Social Multimedia sites responsibly. Stephanie Buck on Mashable offers us a few guidelines to follow, which if applied, help us appreciate the energy of Social Media when found in the class.
"Post Illegal Activities" (Buck, 2012) - Although your profile may be place to private there are different ways and means how this content can become general public and be view by anyone on the web. Once public, it will be impossible to eliminate that content from the internet.
"Trash Your Teachers" (Buck, 2012) - Bullying can likewise incorporate connections done on articles where instructors or school supervision are mentioned. This can be a grave offence even if certain things may seem safe to who uploaded them.
"Post Objectionable Content from School Computers or Systems" (Buck, 2012) - Usually do not use the school computers to create 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 private information where people can monitor you.
"Overly Specific Location Check-Ins" (Buck, 2012) - Do not use SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING to say that you are home exclusively or in a remote location - this will help even individuals who are not willing to help find you.
"Lay/Cheat/Plagiarize" (Buck, 2012) - If a lie is distributed on SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING it is almost certainly that everyone will get to learn. There can be investigations regarding cheating and plagiarism.
"Threaten Violence" (Buck, 2012) - When a threat is published online even if private, there will be investigations by the police and finally will track the offender.
"Ignore School-Specific Insurance policies" (Buck, 2012) - Always abide by the insurance policy of your institution regarding SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING.
"Unprofessional Public Profiles" (Buck, 2012) - Students should be thoughtful of what things to post online. Certain content is probably not suitable for an company, who soon might go through one's profile. Do not say or put anything on your account which you do not need a future employer to see.
"Never Depend on Privacy Configurations 100%" (Buck, 2012)- "Students should never rely on personal privacy settings over good wisdom, " (Buck, 2012) says communal advertising specialist, Andrew Moravick in (Buck, 2012). Some Community Media systems have very good level of privacy settings however, many are updated frequently and not everyone can keep track.
"Post Emotionally" (Buck, 2012) - Do not post anything on SOCIAL WEBSITES when feeling psychological about something. Thing may seem completely different when inspecting the same scenario when feeling calm.
As we can easily see, these are very simple guidelines students and everyone using SOCIAL WEBSITES can follow. We have to keep in mind that anything posted irresponsibly on Social Media systems can have very negative effects.
Conclusion
So considerably experts remind us that there are clear "do's and don'ts" for integrating public media in the class. Social solutions are here to stay which is transfer to help students learn how to used interpersonal press. Guide students in how to think deliberately about their use and consider the outcomes of proper and inappropriate use of social advertising. This goal can be properly reached when teacher have received appropriate training on the use of social marketing. Full backing and support of the school administration is necessary to fulfill this aim. Turning social multimedia into an educational tool may be used to further a student's education and enrich it.
