On Virtual Socialization

If there is one indispensable part of life today, it's the internet. In this modern world, people cannot live the kind of life they are living without the benefit of web access. Considering that there is an omnipresent availability and access to the internet in homes, public places, and even schools, children and teens are increasingly hooked on it. Sharing of information among people throughout the world is now in the fingertips. With the advent of modern technology any individual has an access to worldwide communication.

The internet is now one of the leading medium in facilitating worldwide communication which provides a huge impact in the world of global information. With the development of the internet, worldwide information was being shared, from people to people. People where able to communicate and where able to share ideas, views, knowledge, and opinion with one another. Socialization, this is one we get from the internet. Meeting friend, different people different faces different personalities, it’s very amazing. Having friends throughout the world even though not formally is really amazing.

By way of social networking sites, chat, video communication, streaming, and other types of web correspondence, young people have never been this busy communicating and establishing relationships with other people. This is why Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace are so popular nowadays. These sites offer the most convenient, friendly, and fun way of communicating with friends. This technology really facilitates a new and a modern way of socialization. Even though separated by miles or thousands of miles, even though with different races, even people don’t know each other personally, but still they make friends in the net.

The web is a ground-breaking tool for students. But when it comes to socialization and behavior, it may inflict negative consequences for them. While it is a good source of information and knowledge for children, it is also effective exposing children to various types of negative material such as violence, sex, profanity, and more.

The problem is social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc) isn't always about building online friendships and relationships. It is also the avenue where criminals such as sex offenders look and search for their potential victims. So if your children use the internet as their main tool for socialization, they might be more vulnerable to different kinds of online crimes like sexual abuse and exploitation, cyber bullying, and pornography. Aside from the imminent danger of abuse and exploitation, the internet is also largely responsible for shaping the behavior of young people, especially on how they respond to their environment and how they socialize and relate to other people.

Parents and educators are facing great risks as long as they allow their children to access the web without control and proper monitoring. In the end, the effects may not only be limited to how they socialize and behave in real life, it may also include dangers of sexual abuse, molestation, or exploitation.

Missing the Snail Mail?

            I love to receive and send letters through snail mail. It's something that has become out-of-fashion. I think it's a little more special than an email or a text message. It's real, it's tangible and it’s enduring. It's just so much more intimate, getting a letter in the mail rather than through e-mail or social media sites. I gained a lot of online friends when I first joined the internet.

Snail mail is a slightly playful and slightly derogatory way of referring to mail that comes in mailbox. Snail mail is delivered by a mail person. The mail person sorts the mail and delivers it to the designated house or apartment complex. Snail mail is a much easier way to send packages and important documents. The recipient of the letter or document can confirm in writing that he has received the documents in question with a simple signature. A letter writer can write on scented paper the user can smell when the letter is opened.

Sending a letter costs money. A letter writer may need to take a walk or drive to the post office in order to mail the letter. A letter can easily be lost or delivered to the wrong house. Mail carriers still have the responsibility of delivering the mail during the worst conditions, which is not the case with email. If your computer crashes, your email server is locked or malfunctioning or you have a power outage, your email access can be down---for a short time or indefinitely. If your email service abruptly terminates, you will lose all files and messages unless you have saved them elsewhere on your computer. Snail mail gives you the hard copies of any important documents, letters or other items you wish to save.

            The main disadvantages of snail mail are the speed at which it gets to the person. It can also get lost in the post and be subject to other delays. The cost of snail mail is another thing and the amount of time it takes if you want to send multiple letters.

Education and Technology: Interactive Learning, where the walls/ corners no longer matter

According to Katz (2002), e-learners of the future need to be able to search the vast amounts of knowledge and information and be able to understand and absorb it. In a time where information is abundant and readily available through various forms of technology, it becomes more difficult for schools to continue on in their traditional roles. Students need to be trained to be autonomous learners.

Expect the significant changes within educational institutions brought by education as the fundamental and technology as the means. Relationships with students, teachers and the future workers of tomorrow are transforming into a better one. Technologies such as consumer IT, open platforms, and cloud technology signal changes in the e-learners use of technology as well as changes in teaching and learning methods.

In terms of classroom experience, the e-learners have a greater use of inexpensive personal social networking tools and channels that deliver both formal and informal content. E-learners commonly utilize elements such as: Wikis, blogs, tagging, social networking, instant messaging, videoconferencing, and virtual worlds. They are able to communicate easily with teachers and classmates via video connection. E-learners have access to people, resources, and information from around the globe that will help them to create a personalized path for individual learning. Educators noted that there are major changes to learning. The learning objectives are focused more on e-learners competencies, such as problem solving and collaboration, rather than simply on the acquisition of knowledge. Teaching will be more student-centered. Learning will be better fit to the individual’s needs.

E-learners need to develop their own talents and interests so that learning will be more active and constructive, to be connected to real life. E-learners are learning together in a local and a global community. Technology as an integral part of future learning and daily life, e-learners therefore need to obtain the necessary skills to use various technologies effectively. Teachers are also learners and need to become lifelong learners. Teacher training needs to be continuous and lifelong and teachers need support of local and online communities. Ideas of work and education are beginning to change. The future is one of collaboration that occurs on a global stage.