Speaking up in Class, Silently using Social Media

By Rimsha Ahmad

“Social Media is about being open, being a connector, being supportive and being yourself”. (Michael Q. Todd, @mqtodd, 12Most).

Being a part of 21st century means; to run yourself, to cop up with the modern world and modern world is the world of technology. In Education sector social media has done the miracle of presenting the world’s  knowledge in the hands of the students. Being a literature student I know the value and how much helpful Is the technology for the students in quick addressing of the queries regarding the work as whenever I need to know any meaning, background of the literature work I just google it and participate in the class instead of staying quiet. By using blogs now parents while sitting at home can get the feedback and check the progression of the kids. Students mostly stay quiet in the class as for them it’s the best way to escape from teacher’s eye, many students don’t participate as they are not that much confident about what they think or feel about the topic. So if the teachers appreciate and allow students to use Internet source the students will try to get answer might not the right one but something related to that by using it. This thing make their habit of speaking, participating and it’s a survey that when students start giving answers, they work hard to give correct answers next time. Some teachers think that using Social media; Internet in the class will distract he students from the main topic but I think it’s incorrect as teacher can’t even make that student to focus on the study who is really don’t interested in the lecture even if there is no social media as the brain itself is the social media with lots of random channels going on all the time. But if that student is allowed to use the Internet in the class if he won’t get all but he’ll get something as a learning may be it could be just opening or closing of the device or the site the least learning. Now this student because of social media at least getting 1% of learning. By using social media the learning won’t stick to just one book for the course students can learn more and teachers can teach them with as much new ways/things and researches as they want. Class and teacher teaches for the future successful life of the students as being in technology world now in every field at some point you have to use the social media even for the tests of anything they set the test by using Internet resources; so if teachers will teach them the use of social media it will help them for the outer world life. So all in all, students of even smaller ages learn more by social media and teachers should allow them to use it and every class should’ve social media as the learning medium of class. Blogs, websites, twitter, google etc can be used as best learning and teaching purposes.

Social media: Beneficial for Discussion

By Sameen Gul

Why students don’t speak in class? It is observed that sometimes students are simply shy or bored or unprepared. But it is also been noticed that racism, genders, and classism often work to silence some voices, and no doubt, sometimes students are quiet because they have a bad or uncooperative teacher. The vast majority of the students understand speaking in class to be a testing situation in which they are expected to provide a right answer.

The more pressure a professor creates through grading class participation, the more complicated it becomes for students to speak. By observing an instructor how he or she interacts with the class, the kinds of questions he/she asks, and how he/she responds to their voices. They determine whether they are expected to perform on an oral quiz. The students in the study also consider their self images, their knowledge, and their comfort levels with criticism and argument in the classroom setting when deciding whether to speak or to be silent. They understand that their classmates’ opinions of them will be affected, if not formed, by the opinions they offer in class.

Students who feel shy or uncomfortable to step forward in class discussions are shown as much potentiated on some social media discussion like Facebook, twitter or Google plus. It may be the reason that there they feel free to comment or speak as they are not being noticed by the class of 30, 40 students, and they know that even if they give the wrong point they will not have to face the criticism on face and later it encourages them and build confidence and undoubtedly enhances their knowledge.

Social networking has increased the rate and quality of collaboration for students. They are better able to communicate meeting times or share information quickly, which can increase productivity and help them learn how to work well in groups.

How Blogging can catalyze learning

By Aadil Raza Ch.

I have had the pleasure of reading through the article that advocates the benefits of incorporating the blog posting by the students to compliment their educational venture. I have myself been a consistent blogger at several blogging platforms and reading this article, I realize that usage of blogs from students will largely help the in the process where they get educated.

Blog posts can help students express their feelings, whether personal or how they feel about a particular topic, the teacher or the other mates and their responses to the lectures taught by the teachers.

Blog posting also helps students learn how to organize and better their blogs and so their lives. But, the questions that is constantly popping in my mind is that whether constantly expressing what they feel about the course or the teacher or else would give rise to any heated feelings or trigger grudges among the students or the other members of the class?

Thanks to Micro-blogging, I can now escape the Grammar Police

Micro-blogging, a relatively new and precise form of blogging, has become increasingly popular in recent years. Professionals in diverse areas such as small/large scale businesses, career services, banking, entertainment, media, libraries, and researchers, in general, are beginning to use micro-blogging as informal learning tool to enhance their skills and knowledge. Some well-known micro-blogging platforms include: Twitter, Plurk, Jaiku etc.

Numerous studies indicate that teachers too, across the globe, are frequently utilizing micro-blogging technology to facilitate the instant exchange of information and communication. Teachers, when surveyed (Costa et al., 2008), stated that micro-blogging is a ‘ready to go’ learning approach for students as most of them already are the regular practitioners of micro-communication (~ 140 characters) via text-messaging. Students, in general, find the concept of using cell-phones in classrooms as academic tools overly amusing. And one can see, why? First, it allows students to stay anonymous while posting any comment or question (‘handle’ identity can be shared selectively with the teacher while protecting it from the fellow students). This is ground breaking, in particular, for the students who feel apprehended in sharing their opinion in larger groups. Second, it provides students with an opportunity to focus more towards the quality of an idea to be shared without worrying about the accuracy of language (Grammar). It happens quite often that students who lack language skills, struggle to put forth their thoughts, even the good ones. Thanks to Micro-blogging, such students can now register their contributions with all fairness. Last but not the least, it allows every student in class to floor his/her view about the topic under discussion within no time. For example, utilizing micro-blogging technology, a teacher can collect 50+ responses to any given statement/question and then flash them on a large screen (SMART boards) in less than a minute.

Despite of some noteworthy benefits, the practice of incorporating micro-blogging in classrooms for teaching and learning purposes is not without criticism. Critics believe that micro-blogging maybe a fine tool to explore for students outside the classroom premises but in classroom it is more of a distraction. Classrooms are meant to serve as learning communities, where teachers primary role as leaders is to help students overcome their fears, how colossal they maybe. Micro-blogging may provide students the temporary shadow to hide the fears but it surely cannot eliminate them. For absolute success, teachers should conduct regular and frequent face-to-face teaching sessions.

Bearing in mind the above two perspectives, please address the following questions: Can micro-blogging help to improve interactions among students? Should teachers make a switch to digital discussions from face-to-face discussions? Should students, being the primary stakeholders, have a say in this decision?

 

 

Reference:

Costa, C. & Beham, G. & Reinhardt, W & Sillaots, M. (2008). Microblogging In Technology Enhanced Learning: A Use-Case Inspection of PPE Summer School 2008. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Social Information Retrieval in Technology Enhanced Learning (SIRTEL’08). Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Who Needs Pen and Paper?

By Rabeeia Saghir

In 21^st century we have access to technology so advanced that we even don’t need pen and paper to do our homework, assignments and even for our exams, we can use the over budding technology. While the trend of paper pen education is dissolving into mist, the eBook, tablet PC’s trend is coming with full force. Some countries, like Portugal has distributed tablet PC’s among all its elementary students, so to make education completely digital, the countries like Korea has the same type of project in the pipeline.

Not even our assignments are getting digital, but the ways we connect to our teachers (emails) is also getting advanced. And now with all the big digital companies introducing their more and more advanced devices, eBook readers is a new trend, it helps you to access any book from any where on very cheap rates and even there are many free ones too. Even the publishing name like Barnes and Nobles has developed their own digital devices from which you can reach books; you can even make your own digital library with as many books as you want. These advanced digital devices not only help to buy and read books, but they have taken education to another level, because now students don’t need to carry overweighing bags on their shoulders, because with just one device in their hand and they can perform their all types of education related tasks. There is a little doubt that in a time frame of some 10-15 years education over the world will have a touch of these digital devices virtually everywhere.

Smart Education: The Best Way To Teach!!!

By Komal Shamas

The concept of smart education is indeed a blessing to the students of 21^st century. Technology has changed the way of our life and by utilizing these technologies in education, students can learn more effectively.

Firstly, students don’t need to carry heavy backpacks. They just have to turn on their tablet or Pc to study in the class. By using online websites (e-book) they can read many books without carrying them. Smart classes are just like watching movies or animated visual that used to teach a lesson. This kind of visual are eye-catching and students can learn through it. Students also learn that how to utilize new technologies and it is kind of practical learning. Smart education saves the time of teachers. They don’t have to draw the diagrams on the board to show the students, teachers can show the students diagram from their smart board.  Pakistan should also take some steps to promote Smart education as Korea is promoting in these days.

Reference:

Retrieved September 21, 2013, from Technology in education: Smart Education in Korea: South Korea’s Making the Switch to Digital Textbooks

Smart Education: South Korea’s Switch to Digital Textbooks

By Ammaar Bin Salem

I have ardently been pleased to read about the swing, Korea is having from textbooks towards incorporating e-books in PC-tablets. Online lectures & aides and live classrooms on the student’s PC-tablets would vitally made the students’ lives comfortable where they would be able to catch all the progress the class would be furthering with while the student is absent due to illness or else.

In addition to above, the heavy load of holding the backpacks stuffed with weighty textbooks shall also be remedied by having just a single PC-tablet in the backpack.

Having numerous benefits, still the idea of using entirely PC-tablets for education instigates in me a thought to reconsider whether the devices would only fall for benefits to students in their educational venture or does it carry costs too. Because, in my point of view, in addition to the benefits it may produce, the availability of live lectures and online aides can make students use other websites like those popular for social networking while the class is in effect, distracting the learners. Even the availability of live lectures can also make students to stay at home, miss classes and catch the progress on their computers. And in the midst of all, then, where does the teaching, which according to me is a continuous two way communication process, happens???

E-books: Bright and Dark Side

By Naeha Sajid

In today’s world, there is no need for you to carry the baggage of voluminous books to and from the library. Through the e-book technology, you are able to carry your document in a low memory storage disk and use it anywhere you have devices that are able to read the e-books.

Having E-books is just like having a huge library with ourselves. Students can walk around holding a library of books larger than all those in the bookstores and libraries of their country. It’s a device that is bigger on the inside than on the outside. While it might not matter to the occasional or recreational reader, the E-book presents a host of challenges for the role of the book as transmitter, carrier, and shaper of our written word cultural heritage.

It would be a big relief to the students that they don’t have to carry their heavy backpacks. The low cost of E-book conversion is the driving spirit that makes people to start relying more on E-book than the printed press. The transfer of the e-book is very easy since they can be uploaded and downloaded at any location as long as the user has internet access.

‘One report also states that people who enjoy e-reading are also more likely to enjoy print reading as well’. As Mr. Baraniuk said:  “We’re trying to create the books that will save the most students the most money”.

In spite of so many merits of E-books, there are also some demerits. I am partially in favor and partially against it. It do not promises 100% reliability of its authentication as it requires registration. So, How can you trust the source??

There is a restriction on electronic equipment, internet reliability, fragment reading, compatibility of software, and unreliable life span in term of long term digital storage. When the electricity is out and the battery runs flat, you cannot read your book(s).

If in schools this system started then a flood of discrimination can come in the way, as students in every school are not from the same financial class. Also you cannot take notes on the e-books as u can do on the printed ones. Do you think if there was no image on the book would it affect your choice of reading?? As most of the E-books don’t have it.

Unraveling the Myth of ‘Free Education’

Unraveling the Myth of ‘Free Education’

By Ammar Husnain Khan

When we say and try to teach students that “Learn the new way”, is technology the only new way to learn? There is no doubt that technology with the use of internet is revolutionizing in education, but the point is whether that use of technology is of some worth or not?

Technology do works and assists students but only if used the right way and the right technology. It is the responsibility of the teacher to get their students use the right thing. But most of today’s education technology startups are doomed to fail because they’re chasing a trendy space without true, lasting passion for education, because they lack a business model that works in education and are afraid to charge their customers or because it’s easier to build novel technology than to deeply engage with students and teachers to understand their fundamental needs. There’s no free lunch in the world, why free education? Unless you do not have any share or interest in something, why would you feel the pain?

Free is without any question a wonderful marketing tool to get your product in the hands of as many students and teachers as possible. It’s an exciting time to build technology for education. There’s a revolution underway at every level of the ecosystem, one that will see a wave of new startups bringing tremendous value to students, teachers, and institutions. I hope that some of these startups actually respect & believe in educating generations.

First Identify the Barriers, and then Overcome

First Identify the Barriers, and then Overcome

By Sobia Safdar

Out of the 6 articles we were given I found the following article most interesting, ‘How the Internet is Revolutionizing Education’ by Courtney Boyd Myers.
This article was really helpful in the sense that it informed me about different online websites that could be helpful in education and attaining academic excellence. It also helped me understanding the role of technology in our life and also how technology could be used in the education. While going through this article one question was constantly disturbing me and the question was “is there any popular instruction-based website which says that it is being run through Pakistani professors or they are playing a role in it??” the answer was NO. ‘Khan Academy’ is an online teaching website that is recognized worldwide but Pakistan has none. Pakistan and India became independent at the same time but why is it so that India is more developed than Pakistan? Is it due to the lack of resources that we are lacking in education or we lack in education that’s why we lack in resources? What is the solution to this?