social technologies
‘Want to be my friend? What you need to know about social technologies’, by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson debate about the growing popularity of social technologies as it meets the socialisation needs. They perceive the social networking websites as “computer-mediated communication environments that connect people for co-operation, collaboration and information sharing.”
Today, both children and adults have access to hundreds of websites that encourage online communication and support the sharing of files and pictures. Weblogs, wikis, forums, instant messaging, and e-mail are all social technologies that facilitate the information sharing and online community formation.
The article continues to discuss how it has become part of our culture. Networking web sites facilitate the creation of informal and formal connections among people with similar interests to form online communities. It has become a wonderful opportunity for, not only students’ students, but everyone to engage in global discussions, data sharing, and cooperative problem solving. From my own experiences, I agree with this point of view. I believe that these social technologies enhance students’ communication skills and social awareness. Want to be my friend? What you need to know about social technologies
However, the authors mention the negative side to social technologies, especially concerning young children. The opportunity for student’s to gain a sense of ‘freedom’ and self confidence can also create an opportunity for them to come into contact with cyber-bullies and negative or misinformation. For this reason Lamb and Larry write, “it is important to get students talking about their experiences with social networks. This is a great opportunity to remind students about ethical behavior, the importance of evaluating information, and how to deal with uncomfortable online situations.”
The article raised important issues which I have taken onboard. I found that like most tools, social technologies have “positive and negative applications”. Despite the stories of harmful consequences of social networking, I believe that social technologies provide students’ with a sense of confidence and awareness in creating friendships. The world is at their fingertip to learn and respond to, they just need supervision to learn from it.
