Netiquette: A Guide for Students About How to Interact Online

By Nida Javed

In online classrooms, you communicate with your teacher and instructors, so behavior matter a lot. The guideline for online behavior and interaction is called netiquette.

Some general rules to interact online like, treat instructor with respect in mail, or any online communication, avoid the use of emotion icons, don’t share your personal information etc.  In email netiquette, (when you send to your teacher) write your name, and return e-mail address, write a subject line, check it before send it. In netiquette discussion (online) make sure post on the same topic and material you use is reliable. Be brief and always respect the other’s opinion. Don’t make the personal insulting remarks and don’t repeat the things. If you are not clear about something then wait, let other person clarify you avoid assumptions and judgments.

As the classroom is online, you have the classmate from all over the world, so try to be collaborative and appreciate your peers. Be professional; make the correct use of grammar, spellings to avoid miscommunication. Never make the fun of others post.

While, as in online classroom, students give their ideas that enhance online learning experience. But as diversity comes students start ignoring online rules, like use of language (wats up, gonna, wanna etc). So to avoid these situations, it is highly recommended that instructors include in their syllabus an outline detailing his/her netiquette expectations.

Use of Tablets in the Classroom

By Momina Hassan

As the technology is upgrading day by day, the method of teaching is changing as well, Instead of blackboard and chalk, now instructors use projector screens and laptops to show and write the content, it’s much easier to read and understand for the students. Tablets have taken over the attention of the world for quite a few years now. The IPAD was released a few years back, and since then many other companies jumped into making different kinds of tablets. It’s the most portable and easiest way out there now to connect with the rest of the world. It is being used in the world of education as well, though there are still many questions and concerns about this method but I believe it’s a great product which has more pros than cons if used the right way. Technology is infinite in all senses. Anyone can have the world in the palm of their hands by being connected to the Internet, a tool that can take you anywhere in a second. A very efficient way to use it, probably the most popular one, is for education. Textbooks and encyclopedias are beginning to be outdated and replaced by computers. Technology goes even further with the introduction of tablet computers, which are even more useful now that they are more practical and portable. The world is taking advantage of these new devices by using them to teach in many more ways than a textbook is able to.

Though tablets are a recent phenomenon, many students in high school and college have been using smartphones for years, and are already well-acquainted with touchscreen technology. Because they’ve become so accustomed to using these devices, students are increasingly expecting to use them in the classroom setting. When classrooms don’t implement what has now become “everyday” technology, we’re doing students a disservice.

The appeal of tablets to a college student is obvious: They’re thin, lightweight, and spring to life without delay, making them much easier to take to (and use in) class than a laptop or netbook. Longer battery life means that students don’t have to worry about carrying a charger with them. Forgot what the professor said at the end of class about the mid-term? Launch, tap the lecture and replay it in just seconds. That’s faster than texting a half-dozen classmates and waiting for what might be an inaccurate response.

It’s a great invention and we need to encourage its use in our education system, it has more pros than cons. We need to create a system which is useful for both students and the instructors, So both can take advantage of the modern education techniques and catch up with the rest of the world.

The Way of Improving Teaching

By Kiran Younas

YouTube have collection of many video related to education on every topic by experts.TED which is non-profit website of online courses is utilizing all that videos for the teaching purpose. People from all around the world are getting benefit from this website. They offer courses from all the disciplines including basic to advance level .They used YouTube videos for flipped classrooms and professors use them to enhance their lessons.TED also allows to professors edit videos according to their wish. They can add titles or subtitles, images and whatever they want to do with the videos for making better. I think it is the best way of improving the process of teaching. When professors recorded videos, they can watch them anytime and can make changes.

South African teens get virtual mentoring from all over the world

Dear Team 2 members,

Please know that your assigned team member for this week did not send in the post as yet. Therefore, for this week, you will read and comment on the post titled “South African teens get virtual mentoring from all over the world”. Read this post here and then come back to this very page to record your comments.

– Muhammad Adil Arshad

Why Students Use Wikipedia?

By Iram Saleem

Wikipedia is one of the most useful source of information .But why Wikipedia? Most students first prefer Wikipedia source because it gives complete information while they doing their research paper. Wikipedia provides students a summary of a topic, the meaning of related terms, and also get students started on their research and offers a usable interface. Students who are majoring in architecture, engineering or the science are more likely to use Wikipedia than other majors. According to research, students from these majors are almost three times more likely to be Wikipedia users, compared to social science majors. College and universities students although use Wikipedia extensively, but they do so knowing its limitations. They use Wikipedia just as most of us do because it is a quick way to get started.

Personally I also use Wikipedia while doing my assignments because all the information given in Wikipedia is mostly helpful and basic. I always start my literature search about any new topic from Wikipedia and then I also use other sources to counter check the reliability of information. I recognize the fact that Wikipedia is probably the richest source of information for students but it is not the most authentic, therefore while searching for new information one should multiple sources in addition to Wikipedia. What do you guys think about it? Do you also visit Wikipedia pages to do your assignments, even if your instructor suggests that you should not?

Are Video Games Really Powerful Tools for Learning?

By Shahrukh Khan

One good memory from our childhood is stuck with video games. This proves that a part of human mind development is constituted by the practice of playing various video games. The referred article states the notion of development by usage of video game “Peacemaker” in the class which assisted students to learn foreign policy, geographical national boundary tactics, and opt for various determinations for the state. Moreover, the game provides a platform to act as a negotiator or a politician which is immensely beneficial.
One can believe that it is a substantial commodity to nourish tactical skills for students. It also assists students to extend critical thinking skills. The intriguing storyline in modern video games form an essence of emotional attachment. I remember I played a video game named “The last of us” and I literally formed an emotional bond with the riveting plot line.
There are various impediments and drawback regarding video games which can’t be omitted is that the cost of console gaming is quite expensive. The argument is not merely elucidating that it is the only source of learning but also a source of entertainment. So, is the cost invested in console gaming for learning provides adequate comparative advantage? Secondly what positives do we acquire from games like Grand Theft auto (which includes violence, raving, abduction and salacity)?

Summary: In defense of my Stupidphone

By Warda Khan

When we speak about the technological aspect from the cellular point of view, we find that the cell phone users have fallen into two distinct categories; those who have smartphones and those who don’t. As the numbers show that 55.5% of the cell phone users in USA have smartphones it can very well be observed that it comprises of more weightage. Yet the other 44.5% cannot be ignored as well. This 44.5% crowd either doesn’t own a smartphone or doesn’t even want to have one.

Mainly it has been observed that people who avoid purchasing smartphones, especially the iPhones from Apple are majorly of the view that they are better off without them. While most addictive smartphone lovers continue to pursue the upgrades and latest releases, there is an amount that also considers it foolish and stupid to go crazy for something like an iPhone. People have even responded saying that Apple is merely trying to invent a meaningful cell phone that actually is something amazing, and so far it has launched 5 models.

The sole purpose of a cell phone is to connect you to people through distances, however the smartphones are blamed to have been destroying your personal time. People are even of the view that they don’t want to receive mails regarding work or bank credit while they are enjoying a recreational time at the beach. Cellphones must remain within certain aspects and should not become such intruding elements in life. Yet we also observe extra-long queues outside stores for purchasing upcoming releases. Amazingly, one portion of the cell phone users thinks that it is stupid to purchase such technically advanced and expensive cell phones that you may easily break accidentally or loose it through any such incident, whereas the other portion seems to be crazily addictive to the smartphone tech and can’t resist replacing with the latest from time to time. In your opinion, what are the least features you would like to have in a cell phone?

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?

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???

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?