I know in most high schools, including my own, the internet on the computers blocked all social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter and the computers were strictly for school projects. However, schools in New South Wales, Australia may get a lift on this ban.
Their internet filtering contract is due to expire, so the schools have been asked to complete a survey about lifting the ban. The way that the officials look at it is that they know that students are accessing the sites on their mobile phones anyways, so why not provide safe usage of the websites on the computers?
Being a former high-school student, I would agree to lifting the ban on the social networking sites, but I also know that people would abuse the priviledge and not do their work in school or be very distracted by it, much like how it is on their phones during class. So, in a way I think lifting the ban would be nice, but probably not a good idea.
NSW Schools May Lift Social Networking Ban
Most of us would probably find this a no-brainer, but there is a new study that shows that while social media can help connect us, it can also cause some relationships to grow apart. Psychologists are saying that when social lives and social media intertwine it can create jealousy.
This new study ranks the ways that stress can be caused. The biggest reason is sharing too much information on your profile page and coming in second is tagging an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend in a picture. In the past, it was a whole lot easier for couples to keep secrets from one another, but now we all must get used to the idea of less privacy.
In my opinion, I think that this study is kind of pointless because we should all know this by now anyways. This just shows us that we all need to be careful about what we are posting online because we never know who will see it and what kind of trouble it will get you into with your friends or significant other.
Study: Social Media Can Hurt Relationships
I don't know how many people have actually heard of International Women's Day before, but I personally have not, and I am a girl. That being said, it was very interesting for me to find out that there is such a day. It takes place annually on March 8 and focuses on empowering women around the globe. It has become a massive day of social media activism, with campaigns showing up all over the internet. However, according to Mashable.com, there are 5 campaigns that are really dynamic and stick out the most:
#1: “Bollocks to Poverty” 1950s Facebook Makeover
Bullocks to Poverty is an organization that created a Facebook app that shows what your Facebook Timeline would look like if you were living in the 1950s.
#2: Rock the Lips
Rock the Lips is a campaign that is trying to make red lips the universal symbol of women's empowerment. They hope that 1 million women will wear red lipstick and take pictures of themselves to share on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram using the hashtag #RockTheLips. They had even hoped that Google would get on board and make their picture with the 2 O's in Google red lips. They didn't adopt it, but they did make their own International Women's Day picture.
#3: Oxfam America’s eCards and Awards
Oxfam America has created ecards with messages about ridding the world of gender inequality. They hope that women will send them to other women as a means of empowerment.
#4: International Rescue Committee’s Wake Up
The International Rescue Committee is using social media to spread stories of women in crisis.
#5: WeAreEQUALS Facebook App
The Equaliser Facebook App represents an agreement of 2 friends to equality, presumably between the different genders.
I think that these are all really great ways to get the message out there about International Women's Day to those who have never heard of it, like me. Social media can be very useful in this situation because it connects people around the world to a common cause that people might not be able to find out about otherwise.
5 Social Media Campaigns Rocking International Women's Day
As many of us know or may have noticed, there is social media all around us, especially at college campuses. According to USA Today, "Students using Facebook or text messaging during a lecture tend to do worse when quizzed later". This seems like a no-brainer to most of us, but I still see many people that continue to use social media during class anyways. However, a 2010 study shows that faculty who build Twitter into their classwork may be helping students learn better and a survey of nearly 2,000 faculty said that they feel "YouTube is a very valuable classroom aid".
Harrison University of Science & Technology in Pennsylvania blocked access to several social media sites to see what the response would be. 25% of students reported having better concentration in class, but most other students would go off campus in between classes to get internet. Some professors even encourage students to Tweet during class about the lecture topics and what they are learning in class that day. They then check their phones to make sure that the Tweets are appropriate.
Moral of the story? Social media is all around us and it is here to stay. Educators just have to learn to embrace it and use it to their advantage. That being said, I do not think they should encourage the use of social media during their class, but they know students are going to do it anyways so why not have a little fun with it. In my opinion, I think students are more alert in class anyways when professors incorporate social media or YouTube videos into their lectures. This just might be the key for professors to really connect with their students.
Teachers Embrace Social Media in Class
