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Education and New Media

New media technology has provided enhancement and growth to the education industry, the newer technology offers to any educational institution more unique tools to utilize for providing students with learning experiences as well as knowledge. New Media has changed how teachers or professors teach and how students learn. As the world population shifts from traditional methods of teaching and learning there is a fast paced trend towards a new form of education which has been created through the collaboration of new media and traditional education and the teaching methods that accompany it. Social media has changed education so much that there are many teachers that use Skype to teach their lessons.

Social Media

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Social media is an interactive platform accessed through the internet, and since the tools that enable social media didn’t exist before, it's considered to be a subset of new media.[1] Social media can be an impressive tool for both teachers and students (if utilized the right way), students can use social media to create study communities that can be used to discuss the course topics with other peers, students can create this social media community through any social media network and also by using the hashtag service for all academia to collectively meet virtually online via the hashtag, groups can even be created for studying material together such as on perhaps WhatsApp.[2]

Twitter: Twitter has brought forth quite a few uses that can be used for educational purposes such as tweeting professors and classmates directly for assistance or aid on course material, this may be more helpful then texting one individual as you may have your whole class on Twitter who are able to provide help. Project collaboration can be done seamlessly through Twitter as well as any class announcements by the professor regarding any important information. Sharing interesting and relevant information, articles, or websites that coincide with the course can be easily done through Twitter. Twitter treasure hunts can also be an interesting idea to use in a class setting that is opening up to new media usage. [3]

Instagram: Teachers are now using Instagram accounts as a display tool in which their students' work is displayed, parents can follow the Instagram account and have a better idea of what their children are doing in class. These types of accounts create a stage for the students in which the parents are labeled as the audience. Parents are better able to understand what their children are learning as well as highlight their academic weakness, perhaps even creating the right amount of time to address them.

Facebook: Facebook can be a great tool for students, they may use it for news gathering or current events reporting, to create or found a Facebook Book Club revolving around the students of a classroom or year and the teacher, and perhaps even create a Facebook page to dispel and report news regarding their school. This can help tone writing skills.[4]. For example Brooklyn College has a page on Facebook which allows students to exchange ideas, follow up with what activities are taking place on campus, in addition to deadlines of important dates.

Pinterest: Pinterest is another social media app or website that can help teachers and students with any class work they possibly need to do. It is an app that has pictures posted with links that help you learn how to make what is in the picture, or will let you go to the website to buy a certain object. On Pinterest, a teacher would be able to look up new ideas for lesson plans. They could see how to make a lesson fun, by doing a new craft or by looking up how to add a game into a lesson. Pinterest allows people to be creative when looking up things on their app. It has all different categories, so it will help a teacher with any topic. A student can look up new ideas for their projects when they have something due. Students can look up ideas for science projects, or projects for other subjects. It is a source for students to get new ideas on the Internet.

Blog:Teachers can post assignments on their personal blogs. Teachers can organize their teaching resources on the blogs by categories. Students can look for materials by categories and download their assignements. In addition, students can have their own blogs and post assignments. Blogs can also make students work collaboratively. They can leave comments for their peers' postings or make a reply to comments.

Webcam and Video Chatting Applications

Educational and study benefits can be continued if not through social media but through webcams or similar applications, such as Skype or FaceTime.[5] Video chatting in a classroom setting can help enhance the amount of information a student can learn. Teachers can use FaceTime or video chat to reach people in other parts of the world, which can give the students an experience they would have never been given if new media wasn't made more popular.

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Skype: As discussed above, FaceTime, Skype, or video chats can be used in the classroom setting to reach out to people worldwide, which can foster an understanding of other people, their cultures, other countries, etc...At a school called Herman L. Horn Elementary, in Vinton, Virginia, fifth graders were able to meet scientists located at Palmer Station in Antarctica. This opens up the world of students, exposing them to inspirational individuals in a face to face and real time basis which could rarely happen before the emergence of new media.[6]

File Storage Websites

File storage websites such as Dropbox.com or Google Drive can be used to store course material which then can be shared with fellow students or group members.[7]

"Drop Box"- Dropbox allows users to create a special folder on their computers, which Dropbox then synchronizes so that it appears to be the same folder (with the same contents) regardless of which device is used to view it. Files placed in this folder are also accessible via the Dropbox website and mobile apps. Students can Share information and files with each other with ease with this form of media, making school projects and homework much easier to do with fellow students.

" Google Drive" - Google gives every user 15 GB of online storage space, which is shared across three of its most-used services, Google Drive, Gmail, and Google+ Which is free with a Google account. Also allowing students and teachers a easier way to share information and files that pertain to class materials and more.

Virtual Worlds

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Virtual worlds such as Second World have been extremely helpful to medical students, providing them with the "real-life" experience they need to grow into their roles as nurses or doctors. These online virtual worlds help build a crucial knowledge base and learning experiences for such students who will soon be working in real life hospitals along side treating and care for real life patients, as well as considering the cost savings on such new media technology, virtual worlds carry over great benefits to the medical field.[8]. Doctors are now able to use virtual reality in order conduct virtual surgeries before applying these techniques in the real world.This decreases the mortality rate of some surgical process and trains surgeons and other doctors[9]. In addition, the medical field is able to use virtual reality to fight phobias through virtual reality exposure therapy[10].Virtual worlds are also being used by companies for conferences and meetings. By using virtual worlds, company employees are able to save time and money because there is no travel involved. Virtual worlds also aid in the creativity process. An IBM chief technology officer stated that because virtual worlds allow a user to be in many different environments, a lot more ideas are able to generate. [11]

Laptops and Tablets

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Nowadays, many schools, whether they are elementary, middle, or high schools, offer their students thin and sleek laptops as well as tablets for their perusal in all of their classes. They are allowed to take these new media devices home but they may have to return them at the end of the school year. Many children complete their assignments, quizzes, tests, school projects, as well as learn new languages through these new media technologies. Students also write their notes and download online worksheets on these devices.

Online and Hybrid College Courses

Many students work either part or full time, some are adults who are enrolling for college courses to learn more, to gain a higher degree, or even trying out a whole new field or occupation. For those students, who have financial burdens and personal responsibilities, online or hybrid courses lend a helping hand to them. Such students are able to move forward in pursuing their dreams through such novel and reliable tools. Not only do online and hybrid classes provide opportunities that further students who may be facing time constraint obstacles but they give a sense of flexibility as students are more able to get work done on their own schedule. Also, online classes create a sort of online community for students in which they can contact the professor or fellow peers for help or assistance in understanding a concept or topic. Sometimes, people may feel shy to do in real life, doing so behind a screen perhaps adds a layer of confidence or space or comfortableness.

Audio Files

Some professors will enhance their course work by including or embedding audio files of their lectures or topics on the slideshows that they may handout to students on a weekly basis. This can assist students grasp a bigger picture and provide a sense of security to other students who feel like they may not understand everything regarding the course work topics. In essence, audio files or voice memos become an important tool to students that professors may impart to them.

Educational Applications

There are a tremendous amount of educational applications that can be found on smartphones. A list of just a few include: Google Earth, Google Maps, Kindle, iBooks, Hubble Space Telescope Discoveries, and PBS Kids.[12]

Now, parents can just download applications that are both educational and fun for their children which can involve any topic such as math, reading, science, astronomy, and so much more!


Educational institutions are starting to acknowledge and integrate mobile apps into their teachings. Colleges in New York use mobile apps CUNY FIRST and Blackboard. CUNY FIRST is to select which classes they want to study, check out academic information, and Blackboard is an interactive site that professors put assignments and course materials on there for students. More educational apps would be QR codes, they are not an app they are more of an hyper link that takes you to the content.

References

1. https://www.mheducation.com/blog/thought-leadership/how-social-media-can-help-students-study.html

2. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703909804575124470868041204

3. https://bbhosted.cuny.edu/webapps/lobj-wiki-bb_bb60/wiki/BKL01_BUSN._3110_NET1_1162_1/_23256203_1/Home?cmd=GetImage&systemId=Taking+Students+Where+No+School+Bus+Can+Go+--+THE+Journal__0.pdf

4.http://www.onlinecolleges.net/50-ways-to-use-twitter-in-the-college-classroom/

5. http://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/11/05/second.life.virtual.collaboration/

6. http://www.christopherspenn.com/2008/09/social-media-and-new-media-are-not-the-same/

7. http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/100-ways-to-use-facebook-in-education-by-category/

8. http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/technology/the-55-best-best-free-education-apps-for-ipad/

9. https://www.process.st/dropbox-vs-google-drive/

10.http://thanhnguyen75.blogspot.com/2006/11/use-of-blogs-in-education_14.html