Social Networking Sites The Future & Implications For Education

This week’s task for my MA, responding to The Guardian’s article, ‘Are You Connected’ set me reflecting on a plethora of issues,chief among them being, so what is the influence of Social networking sites – and where do we go from these sites. Mired in this vortex, is the interface between these sites and Education,if at all we can talk of such an interface.

We’re already a cyber world and this phenomenon is likely to stay the way I see it. Most schools now have a web-presence, from highly sophisticated websites some which are interactive so users can have their input felt. Thus it is not uncommon these days to have buzz words such as virtual learning, e learning, moodle floating around. Schools are increasingly encouraging their students to have an online presence in a bid to enhance their learning. Sam Learning Tool or the BBC’s Bitesize programmes quickly springs to mind. In the midst of these technological advances,where does social networking sites come in, do they have a place in Education at all?

Personally, I remain convinced there can be some educational value in Social networking sites if they’re manipulated or harnessed well. It would be beneficial for students to e-link (so to speak) and share ideas with students from other corners of the globe. Cross curriculla links can thus be forged with counterparts from other educational establishments. As someone who comes from a Third world country, I believe our students in emerging technologies would stand to benefit from such educational networking. To me,this is somehow reminiscent of the by gone days of yester-year when the then pen-pal craze flourished,talk of nostalgia!

Having said this,let me hasten to say, policing of some sort would be needed to regulate this vast world wide web jungle. Only recently,the BBC’s Panorama programme among other media have highlighted the constant threat posed to youngsters prowling on social networking sites.They’re vulnerable,very much exposed!  Privacy, parental consent and protection of our nascent minds from the threats of paedophilia among other threats would need to be addressed. Obviously, these are some of the possible complexities involved in integrating personal tools into formally organised settings, and the challenge is to adress these issues head on!