Teachers
have attempted to combine various types of media into educational tools such as
television, artificial intelligence, computer-based training, or asynchronous
computer conferencing throughout the history of teaching and learning in order
to improve education. Social networking, which arose from the popularity of
social software, is one of the most recent trends in this subject. Social
networking is an educational tool which can be implemented into course
designs to generate an interactive learning environment. It is critical to
recognize that social software tools can be advantageous in the vast majority
of cases. Web 2.0 tools can be used to build a natural learning environment by
connecting contents and websites, allowing other individuals to access a large
amount of related data. There are some distinguishing aspects of social
networking sites:
·
User
profile, which includes information such as age, sex, and interests.
·
A
social network that can be visited and is openly stated. Making links with
other people's profiles, such as friends and acquaintances.
·
Public
comments that are semi-consistent. Ability to leave comments on other people's
profiles.
In education, user-generated content encourages
students to be active while learning, collaborate in groups, and be a part of a
community, all of which boost motivation. The ability to draw a line between
amusement and education, on the other hand, can be difficult for users to
achieve. The appropriate use of web 2.0 technology in education, according to
Boettcher, addresses this desire for pupils to gain 21st-century abilities. User-generated
content, on the other hand, has been criticized for a variety of reasons. The
first reason is because, in contrast to traditional methods, adopting web 2.0
tools can result in a deterioration in higher education quality due to
unfiltered information. Another concern is that prepared content on web 2.0
sites may cause students to want instant answers and limit their ability to
think critically about the subject. One solution to these issues is to
integrate informal learning and web 2.0 technologies to teach students critical
thinking, site analysis, and proper site usage.
Students have specific qualities, both
favorably and adversely, according to research on student behavior when
utilizing technology for education:
·
Ability
to multitask
·
Ability
to learn from pictures, videos
·
Demand
for collaborative activities
·
Scanning
skills
·
Shorter
attention spans
·
Poor
text literacy
·
Demand
for instant answers
With the
advancement of technology, researchers, professors, and lecturers, like
students in the twenty-first century, have begun to experiment with new methods
when conducting research. In comparison to printed books and journals, web 1.0
was less expensive and more accessible in terms of its results, but it lacked
true interactivity, collaborative research, and social networking, which are
all features of web 2.0 technologies. In the digital technology environment,
researchers can generate, exchange, combine, and redesign information.
Once we
examine student profiles and cognitive characteristics of today's learners, the
gap between their style of thinking and understanding knowledge and that of
their forefathers is widening by the day. Contemporary students are born with a
plethora of technical instruments, including cell phones, computers, tablets,
and the Internet, implying that they have spent their whole lives staring at a
screen. According to a study conducted by Prensky, time spent in front of a
screen while gaming, online learning, or creating online material may create an
evolutionary shift in the brains of young learners. It isn't simply their
manner of thinking or their learning habits that have changed. According to a
study conducted by Prensky, time spent in front of a screen while gaming,
online learning, or creating online material may create an evolutionary shift
in the brains of young learners. Collaborative online learning, according to
studies, outperforms solo learning in terms of efficiency. Jenkins believes
that social networking plays a significant part in collaborative learning, and
he urges educators to describe students' new skills.
To
summarize, social networking can be one of the most effective educational tools
if certain aspects are addressed and rigorously exercised. The correct use of
social media and web 2.0 tools, being in a cooperative learning environment,
and awareness of the aims and necessary functions of course design such as
engaging, networking, sharing, or commenting, are among these considerations.
REFERENCES:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-iTgKTN4se7YvRCSC8Rfk-YwAi6BP75D/view
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