Technology and the internet have made a change in the world and for sure in the classrooms all over the world today. I have chosen 3 articles that pertain to social networking, second life and virtual reality. It is so exciting for me to see such technology come out and be part of the learning world. Our children need to properly learn how to utilize such technology into their daily school operation.
The First article that I have chosen is “Second Life: an overview of the potential of 3-D virtual worlds in medical and health education” by Boulos, Hetherington† & Wheeler. The second article that I have chosen, “Social Isolation and New Technology How the internet and mobile phones impact Americans’ social networks” by Hampton, Sessions, Ja Her, and Rainie. The third article that I have chosen is, “The Unbearable Likeness of Being Digital: The Persistence of Nonverbal Social Norms in Online Virtual Environments,” written by Yee, Bailenson, Urbaneck Chang, and Merget.
In the first article, the authors conducted a review/ case study, which introduced 3-D virtual worlds and how it played on educational and medical/health librarians and educators. Second life is described as one of the most popular virtual world platforms that emphasized social interaction. It was developed at the University of Plymouth, UK, and presented as two detailed case studies.
The authors addressed the pedagogical potentials of Second Life along with some challenges and issues that have relations in using the virtual worlds. They compiled an up-to-date resource page that offered additional pointers and online materials that can support and extend this study (http://healthcybermap.org/sl.htm).
Teachers can use these studies to introduce Second Life to the students. They can determine if this is something for their students or not, depending on the ages of their students. As a group project, the class could conduct their own investigation to discover the benefits or the harm in using Second Life. Students, in coordination with the teachers’ rules and regulations, could use a wiki page to express their views of Second Life, and to write a blog to be posted on the class’ blog page. They can write an online argument for or against the school using Second Life in the classrooms.
In the Second Article there was a survey (the first ever) which studied the role that the internet and cell phones play on how people communicate with others in their social network. The authors explained their findings, which challenged prior research. They also addressed their views about the so called “harmful social impact of new technology.” They found, as previously reported in other studies, that it was untrue about Americans’ isolation. The extent of social isolation had not changed since 1985. As a matter of fact, there was an increase in Americans who belong to different online social networks. The article confirmed that discussion networks have reduced to about a third of the population; the claim is that Americans have become less diverse in their socialization patterns.
The study also stated the obvious facts that there should be no concern about the use of the internet and cell phones; they are the reason for smaller networks of social organizing. For that matter, cell phones and internet technology have been configured to communicate with larger, and by far more diverse, core discussion networks. Actually, the different discussion networks are one of the ways in which people measure the importance of social communications.
I can see how the social media activities include people from all different backgrounds and cultures. I had the same idea: that people that use the internet frequently to socialize would be apt to confining in others who belong to another race. Members of a political party share photos online and have political discussions with others who share their ideas. Facebook and other personal networks are very diverse and are used to bring people together. When you have not seen your friends for a long time, or when you have lost contact with them, you may find them on such networks these social networks. This brings people together, not apart, as it has been reported in the past.
It was stressed in the article that blogger might belong to a local voluntary associations, like youth groups or charitable organizations; consequently, it was found that the using social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn might take the place of some neighborhood face to face involvement. On the other hand, the internet will not take people away from public places; it can be used to request their attendance for a face to face meeting in parks, cafes, and restaurants.
Research showed that people are most likely to meet more people from a diverse culture and with diverse point of views and a common component for experiences that reach all types of public spaces. In the past, 38% of the Americans that have taken trips to a library have logged on to the internet in their time there; 18% of them have used the internet in a café, restaurant, or coffee shop. Now a days, if a hotel does not have internet use, most people won’t even get that room; they will find other places with internet use. Even, most people use their cell phones while in near a landline phone; that is the main method of staying in touch with their closest family and friends.
All this technology usage and cell phones have not replaced face to face contact; rather, people just use the internet and cell phones to arrange these upcoming face to face meetings. On the average, in a year, in-person contacts are about 210 days; mobile phone contacts are 195 days; and landline phone contacts are about 125 days; text messaging contacts are about 125 days; and email contacts are about 72 days; instant messaging contacts are 55 days; contacts via social networking websites are 39 days; and contact via letters or cards are about 8 days only. That leads us to believe internet usage does encourage social contacts across any long distance.
It is safe to say that many internet technologies are the common ground for local contacts, as they are for distant communication. I think if we can get students busy with the correct method of iInternet and social network usage, that students will not have much time to use this technology in the wrong ways. As a teacher, I would hold a class session where I explained some of the social networks (just as Dr. Lambert did in second life). I would have all of my students logged on at the same time to see the social network simultaneously. Of course, prior parent approval would have to be secured before a classroom teacher engages students in an online social network.
The third article is entitled, “The Unbearable Likeness of Being Digital: The Persistence of Nonverbal Social Norms in Online Virtual Environments,” written by Yee, Bailenson, Urbaneck Chang, and Merget. Daily, people use avatars online; in fact, the number of people who engage in avatars is millions of people. The average time per week using avatars online equals about 22 hours per person engaged in this social network. Online gaming allows for social interactions because many players can engage in one game with multiple avatars interacting with other avatars. In this way, a virtual community is born, and thus, social interactions occur.
Daily, a large portion of the world’s population engages in online social communication, via instant messaging another person, or using email, or a social networking platform, or by playing with avatars, etc. A MMORPG, also known as “massively-multi player online role-playing games,” are very popular and much preferred avenue for online social interactions between online users. MMORPG use avatars, which can potentially be used for studies that analyze the social networking component between users.
In this third article, the authors wanted to compare and contrast verbal and non-verbal communication of face-to-face interactions with those of online avatar interactions. The authors wanted to study if these modalities of communication vary between 3D human interaction and virtual interactions.
The reasons given for this study were: to determine the effects of interactions and communication styles of people who frequently engage in online MMORPG avatars, and to show the importance of using MMORPG gaming for future studies relating to social interaction and social communication. In short, does how people interact with one another change with how they interact online with one another? And what effects are there on people, who frequently play MMORPG avatars, in their interactions in the real world with real people? It was a very interesting premise for a study.
Teachers could incorporate these Internet based applications into their classrooms. Aside from what I have already mentioned with a group analyzing and comparing Second Life by using wiki as a dialog platform, there are many other ways that teachers can incorporate these. One example could be having a classroom Face book page or a wiki platform where students communicate responses to science prompts from the teacher. Another example could be emailing each other questions and answers as a studying activity for a quiz. Furthermore, teachers could have an ongoing blog over the plot development of a book in English. In history, students could use a social network to upload photos, write comments, and ask questions about a particular time in history.
Overall, these three articles illustrate the immense power of social networking and how they can bring groups of both like-minded and diverse learners into communication about similar academic ideas, topics, and discovery. Whether through an online forum, or a wiki shared assignment, whether through responding to peer’s blogs or logging on to Second Life, students deserve to learn academic communication via social networks to allow them participation and practice in technological communication with others.
