Pros and Cons of Social networking and Video gaming Interfaces in education.
The impact of social networks and video gaming in education either positive or negative has been a subject on both scientific research and opinion editorials. Social Network refers to a group of individuals with common interest. Social networking is possible in person though it’s most common on-line. This is because millions of people visit the internet in search of specific things. In this regard students also visit the internet in such of academic materials and thus meet other students and hence forming a social network. There are a number of social networks like academia.edu, facebook, twitter, Google +, Google buzz, amongst many others. Video gaming on the other hand is an electronic game that involves human beings interacting with a visual interface to bring forth visual feedback on a video device which can be either the computer or the television.
People who endorse the use of video gaming and social networking in education argue that the social networks are just but a forum to discuss educational content rather than discussing this on the canteen or anywhere else. Moreover, the students really benefit from the interaction on the social sites, for instance a student will follow a guru in nutrition in twitter if they are interested in the subject and this consequently boosts the knowledge they have on certain subjects. The curriculum is made in such a way that it should mould students to become social and the social networks do this very well. Students are able to network with other students everywhere in the world and this enhances the knowledge received to global levels. Video games have a specific genre referred to as educational games which are used to help improve the technological, mathematical, scientific and engineering abilities in students. They are also known to enhance motor coordination and the ability to think quickly and analyze a situation.
This in essence enhances the problem solving skills and organizational skills which are both very essential skills for students. They are also a form of entertainment which like all other forms of entertainment relief stress and also help students in relating to one another because they enhance the ability of children engaging in healthy competition. Moreover they increase the creativity of students which is essential in majority of the courses. None the less even with all the positive impact Video gaming and social networking have, when used in education we cannot ignore the negative impact they have. Video game as earlier mentioned has several genres like serious games and casual games. Majority of these depict killing, punching or hitting an opponent as the way to win and this actually inculcates very negative thought on how to win and thus ,promoting violent behavior. They may make the students insensitive to the pain and suffering of others or become fearful to the world and also may decrease the and thus impacting on the learning environment.
They also impact on the study time since children end up playing them more than they read. Students are prone to addiction from Both Video games and social networks. Chatting, playing or reading about someone or something on the internet can virtually make one glued to Visual displaying unit for very long hours resulting to some kind of an addiction. Just like addiction to alcohol or drugs is dangerous so is addiction to video games and social networking. They also have an adverse effect on socialization because they can easily result to social isolation since the students take a lot of time in them and this occupies the space of the friends and colleagues. They also reduce face to face communication and therefore students who use them mostly are poor in most of the face to face necessities e.g. body language.
Social networking and video gaming are like a two side coin and it’s the obligation of the people using them, the providers and law makers to ensure they lie on the right side to mitigate their negative impact. In regards to the compulsive disorder addiction it is essential to note that behavioral addiction such as playing video games or surfing on the internet are diagnostically credible addictions and thus it’s essential that the student minimize the time they spend on them. The schools can also moderate the hours the internet is available or censor social media sites for a number of hours. Parents also should ensure that children are not introduced to video games only but also to other diversified physical games. Schools should also ensure students do not access the censored sites by denying access or punishing students accessing them. They should also encourage games and practices that face to face communication and discourage social isolation. This would go a long way in molding social students who can easily mingle .
Career advisors should also advise the students to be discrete about the information they put on the web. This is because the employers at times use the social media to verify the character of potential employees and thus if not careful the students might impact on their chances of getting employed in the future. The video games developer also should work on the content of the games to ensure the games inculcate positive values like integrity, dialogue rather than fights. This would mitigate the chances of them making children aggressive or violent. Schools can provide open forums for encouraging students to create networks within the school rather than on-line networks. For instance they should create clubs e.g. drama and bring known actors to address and advice the students on that line of profession. This would minimize the online search for networks and information on areas of interest. Group discussions and compulsory study time should also be encouraged to ensure students increase their time of study and reduce time taken on video games or social networks.
It’s absurd to argue that social networking is wrong and should be banned, this is akin to banning all the text books and it’s actually murdering the curriculum. Instead, educators should start developing ways which students can remain in educational relevant environment and consider how they can take advantage of the positive impacts of both social networks and video gaming. They should actually come up with a school social network and develop educational games which offer the joy and entertainment children yearn for with education relevance teachers’ target. Educators should come up with communication hubs managed regionally like the Harrison School District in Missouri to allow safe communication and collaboration in a safe environment this will slowly drive the students to a school version social network. School systems should hold conferences to educate students on how to provide better profiles and safely use the website, education seems one of the best ways to reduce the impact of using the social media to students who are ignorant about the consequences.
Works Cited
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