Welcome.
To read this you must be using the internet. It is most likely fair to assume that this is not the only cause for the usage of your phone or laptop. What I am referring to is social media. It is everywhere, at every sidewalk, café and home; you can't escape. The apps that make things easier and offer something to do on a bus ride home, the networks keeping people connected and updated, and other explanations have helped evolve this revolution for the past several years. Now, social media is one of the biggest, most popular entities in the lives of human beings. One of the first social media sites was created in 1994; since then, the ideological and technological foundations of social media networks have no less than expanded throughout the world of pop culture. The growth of pop culture over time has shaped social media, both systems revolving around the entirety of ideas, perspectives, data, and so on. Whether due to addiction or the need for money, this trend continues to blow up on a global scale, impacting pretty much anyone who doesn't live in a hole.
A group of spotlight reporters have taken notice of the significance of pop culture in social media, together creating articles that accurately represent how this topic applies to everyday life. Reporters Kade Deline, Michal Leckie, Maia Klee and Zoe Perkins interviewed certain people with knowledge leading to answers. Is social media really a great way to stay connected, or another way to avoid conversations face to face? Is it helpful in the sense of getting important information and doing work, or an addicting time-waster? A cure, or a plague?
Now take a break from the never-ending texts and games for a couple minutes of your time; take a chance and scroll through the following articles, journeying through the thought processes of the young and old on something untouchable and unstoppable.
Ksenia Saxonova
Spotlight Editor
To read this you must be using the internet. It is most likely fair to assume that this is not the only cause for the usage of your phone or laptop. What I am referring to is social media. It is everywhere, at every sidewalk, café and home; you can't escape. The apps that make things easier and offer something to do on a bus ride home, the networks keeping people connected and updated, and other explanations have helped evolve this revolution for the past several years. Now, social media is one of the biggest, most popular entities in the lives of human beings. One of the first social media sites was created in 1994; since then, the ideological and technological foundations of social media networks have no less than expanded throughout the world of pop culture. The growth of pop culture over time has shaped social media, both systems revolving around the entirety of ideas, perspectives, data, and so on. Whether due to addiction or the need for money, this trend continues to blow up on a global scale, impacting pretty much anyone who doesn't live in a hole.
A group of spotlight reporters have taken notice of the significance of pop culture in social media, together creating articles that accurately represent how this topic applies to everyday life. Reporters Kade Deline, Michal Leckie, Maia Klee and Zoe Perkins interviewed certain people with knowledge leading to answers. Is social media really a great way to stay connected, or another way to avoid conversations face to face? Is it helpful in the sense of getting important information and doing work, or an addicting time-waster? A cure, or a plague?
Now take a break from the never-ending texts and games for a couple minutes of your time; take a chance and scroll through the following articles, journeying through the thought processes of the young and old on something untouchable and unstoppable.
Ksenia Saxonova
Spotlight Editor
#ConnectedYouth
Michal Leckie
“Those who do not move do not feel their chains,” a teenage girl posted on Facebook. The use of social media in the lives of youth ranges from discussing math homework to making plans with friends to sharing noteworthy thoughts. In 2013, there are over 500 million Facebook users worldwide, according to an article by Charles Arthur and Jemina Kiss [The Guardian]. 94% of teenagers have a Facebook account, according to research done by Greg Sterling. Why do youth use social media networks? Have youth become so accustomed to social media that they have forgotten to move a little, so as not to feel the chains?
Youth use social media to feel connected, but the tether connecting youth shouldn’t turn into chains. Leo Holton, a young social media user, says that he has Facebook “because generally all the people at school are on it and you get kind of confused if you don’t have it.” After talking with many students who are social media users, the primary reason for being connected is communication. Teens find it easier and more efficient to communicate through social media networks. Social media makes communication fast and simple. If you want to ask a friend about homework, you can. If you want to plan a group event, it’s easy. Leslie Regan Shade, a researcher in social media and communication technology, and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, says that “[social media] is a way that we can cheaply keep connected with each other, a way of communicating, and we all want to communicate.”
Social media has even been integrated into classrooms. Homework is written on Facebook groups; if students have questions about class, peers will answer on Facebook. Tate Holm, a youth social media user, says that she “wouldn’t know what was going on in any classes” without social media. Sports schedules for school sports are posted on Facebook. How do the 6% of youth social media non-users feel surrounded by friends who constantly use social media? The increased use of social media in schools not only makes it harder for non-users to feel connected with their friends, but also with their school community. The use of social media on non-users hinders their ability to feel involved with the school. Erin Jackson, a student non-user says that her teachers say that they will update answers on Facebook. Jackson feels confused of what to do without that aid.
Teens strive for a perfect image, both physical and social, and through social media, this is simple: pick the best pictures; edit messages sent to friends; be shown as flawless. Of course, when youth get so accustomed to editing their responses, they lose the incredibly important ability to talk face to face. Holm says, “People are losing their ability to speak like humans. People say things like ‘lol’, ‘yolo’, ‘hashtag.’ They aren’t words.” Emily Fowler, another non-user says “[she] prefers talking to people face to face.” She’s a fan of Facelook, as she puts it.
As an experiment, I deactivated my Facebook account and went on a “Facebook Fast”. The hardest part was communication. My friends planned social events without me and explanations for schoolwork were lost. Overall, I felt disconnected, which was difficult, but it also gave me a new perspective towards social media networks. I felt in some way “free” because I didn’t feel dependent and tethered. It was interesting experiencing and learning new ways to connect with people. I remarked on how much more time I had without the constant desire to “connect.” Slowly, some chain links were broken: I didn’t feel the need to see what my friends were up to. Other chain links stayed strong: I felt disconnected from my friends and what was going on at school.
The most common use for social media among youth is communication. However, youth also talk about what’s for breakfast, post pictures that they won’t want to be public in a year, and spend hours reading such posts. Social media often becomes a “place” to go when nowhere else is interesting, as opposed to a network of communication. Social media is sucking youth out of the real world and bringing them into a virtual one: a world where youth can only stay for so long before bars must be broken. Youth have lost their ability to move, to feel the chains, and to break them.
Michal Leckie
“Those who do not move do not feel their chains,” a teenage girl posted on Facebook. The use of social media in the lives of youth ranges from discussing math homework to making plans with friends to sharing noteworthy thoughts. In 2013, there are over 500 million Facebook users worldwide, according to an article by Charles Arthur and Jemina Kiss [The Guardian]. 94% of teenagers have a Facebook account, according to research done by Greg Sterling. Why do youth use social media networks? Have youth become so accustomed to social media that they have forgotten to move a little, so as not to feel the chains?
Youth use social media to feel connected, but the tether connecting youth shouldn’t turn into chains. Leo Holton, a young social media user, says that he has Facebook “because generally all the people at school are on it and you get kind of confused if you don’t have it.” After talking with many students who are social media users, the primary reason for being connected is communication. Teens find it easier and more efficient to communicate through social media networks. Social media makes communication fast and simple. If you want to ask a friend about homework, you can. If you want to plan a group event, it’s easy. Leslie Regan Shade, a researcher in social media and communication technology, and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, says that “[social media] is a way that we can cheaply keep connected with each other, a way of communicating, and we all want to communicate.”
Social media has even been integrated into classrooms. Homework is written on Facebook groups; if students have questions about class, peers will answer on Facebook. Tate Holm, a youth social media user, says that she “wouldn’t know what was going on in any classes” without social media. Sports schedules for school sports are posted on Facebook. How do the 6% of youth social media non-users feel surrounded by friends who constantly use social media? The increased use of social media in schools not only makes it harder for non-users to feel connected with their friends, but also with their school community. The use of social media on non-users hinders their ability to feel involved with the school. Erin Jackson, a student non-user says that her teachers say that they will update answers on Facebook. Jackson feels confused of what to do without that aid.
Teens strive for a perfect image, both physical and social, and through social media, this is simple: pick the best pictures; edit messages sent to friends; be shown as flawless. Of course, when youth get so accustomed to editing their responses, they lose the incredibly important ability to talk face to face. Holm says, “People are losing their ability to speak like humans. People say things like ‘lol’, ‘yolo’, ‘hashtag.’ They aren’t words.” Emily Fowler, another non-user says “[she] prefers talking to people face to face.” She’s a fan of Facelook, as she puts it.
As an experiment, I deactivated my Facebook account and went on a “Facebook Fast”. The hardest part was communication. My friends planned social events without me and explanations for schoolwork were lost. Overall, I felt disconnected, which was difficult, but it also gave me a new perspective towards social media networks. I felt in some way “free” because I didn’t feel dependent and tethered. It was interesting experiencing and learning new ways to connect with people. I remarked on how much more time I had without the constant desire to “connect.” Slowly, some chain links were broken: I didn’t feel the need to see what my friends were up to. Other chain links stayed strong: I felt disconnected from my friends and what was going on at school.
The most common use for social media among youth is communication. However, youth also talk about what’s for breakfast, post pictures that they won’t want to be public in a year, and spend hours reading such posts. Social media often becomes a “place” to go when nowhere else is interesting, as opposed to a network of communication. Social media is sucking youth out of the real world and bringing them into a virtual one: a world where youth can only stay for so long before bars must be broken. Youth have lost their ability to move, to feel the chains, and to break them.
The What, Why and How of Popular Apps
Maia Klee
A new wave of apps is sweeping through our daily lives. Whether it’s parents wearily scrolling through the “grocery store app”, teenage girls sending Snapchats, or just a bent head playing Candy Crush with frantic concentration, it seems everywhere one looks, apps are front and center.
“Gaming has always been prevalent as a form of entertainment. From XBox to Wiis,” says Adrian Capobianco, a consultant in app development, marketing, and social media. The only difference now is that these games are mobile."
Perhaps the attraction of apps is their convenience and simplicity. Now, electronic games are accessible wherever you are. Says Larry Dunkleman, developer of the OC Transpo app, “ People seem to like games that are clean. They like games that are simple.”
“Gaming is the number one uses for apps, social media is number two,” says Capobianco.
Marketing of social media and apps are correlated. “All the big social media platforms have apps. It creates accessibility. It can store a lot of content,” says Dunkleman. The terms of success in social media are a bit different from apps however. Says Capobianco “you need to provide your users with a unique experience. Someone trying to make a new Facebook would flop. But Snapchat is the hottest new thing. It’s becoming more and more difficult because there’s so many platforms.”
The rise of social media has been universally accepted as an immense change in our culture, our lives, and the way in which we communicate. (It has also been said to be a large time waster.) Have apps also drastically changed our culture?
Capobiano argues no. “Social media is the platform. Apps enable us to easily access that platform.” Apps are more functional. They perform tasks. We rarely use them to connect. Rather, they make the internet more accessible. There is no doubt, however, that this easy access to mobile functions is changing the way we do things.
Why do people like apps? Why do certain apps become popular? Brief interviews with students from Canterbury High School answer a few of these questions.
A pattern in successful gaming apps is that they tend to be temporarily addicting. “I can’t stop playing (Candy Crush) so I guess I’m addicted.” says high school student Harriet Bramwell. “You want to play more because it’s challenging. When you lose, you want to win, so you just keep playing.” Still, the addiction doesn’t seem to last.
“People tend to stop buying apps pretty soon” says Dunkleman. “They get bored, they beat the levels, they move on.” When teens at Canterbury High School were asked how soon they got bored of game apps, the responses varied between one and two weeks.
What is the secret of a successful app? How to create that “temporary addiction” if only for a week or two?
In terms of gaming apps, holding the prize just out of reach seems to be a factor. However, many popular apps, such as the infamous “toilet paper app” in which the player simply “unrolls” the toilet paper as fast as possible to get to the bottom, seem too pointless to capture any interest- and yet, they reach soaring download rates. While social media allows us to connect, apps must have a specific useful function, or maybe just offer an appealing outlet for distraction.
“For apps to be successful, they have to have specific value to the user, or they tie into the functionality of the phone; for example Shazam (an app by which one can put their phone microphone up to a song, the phone will analyze the music and tell you the name of the song).” Says Capobianco. In short, a successful app will give you what websites can’t.
But developing a successful app doesn’t necessarily come with a big financial reward. “Apps have a low profit margin,” says Dunkleman, “By the time you’ve factored in the price of the software, and the equipment necessary to program it, you haven’t made much money. People don’t want to spend money on apps, especially when there are always free ones available.”
While some apps use advertising to make a profit, many app developers create apps simply because they enjoy it. Says Dunkleman; “I’ve been doing this for a while. I’ve designed a few apps. It’s something I love doing.”
Despite their quick popularity, apps are in decline in favor of mobile devices, says Capobianco. Websites are altered to best suit the device and adjust its settings for maximum convenience.
With a generation of people already glued to their screens, apps are a great tool with which to use mobile devices to their greatest efficiency. With app development soaring forward, one can only speculate as to what the future of apps and mobile websites may hold.
Maia Klee
A new wave of apps is sweeping through our daily lives. Whether it’s parents wearily scrolling through the “grocery store app”, teenage girls sending Snapchats, or just a bent head playing Candy Crush with frantic concentration, it seems everywhere one looks, apps are front and center.
“Gaming has always been prevalent as a form of entertainment. From XBox to Wiis,” says Adrian Capobianco, a consultant in app development, marketing, and social media. The only difference now is that these games are mobile."
Perhaps the attraction of apps is their convenience and simplicity. Now, electronic games are accessible wherever you are. Says Larry Dunkleman, developer of the OC Transpo app, “ People seem to like games that are clean. They like games that are simple.”
“Gaming is the number one uses for apps, social media is number two,” says Capobianco.
Marketing of social media and apps are correlated. “All the big social media platforms have apps. It creates accessibility. It can store a lot of content,” says Dunkleman. The terms of success in social media are a bit different from apps however. Says Capobianco “you need to provide your users with a unique experience. Someone trying to make a new Facebook would flop. But Snapchat is the hottest new thing. It’s becoming more and more difficult because there’s so many platforms.”
The rise of social media has been universally accepted as an immense change in our culture, our lives, and the way in which we communicate. (It has also been said to be a large time waster.) Have apps also drastically changed our culture?
Capobiano argues no. “Social media is the platform. Apps enable us to easily access that platform.” Apps are more functional. They perform tasks. We rarely use them to connect. Rather, they make the internet more accessible. There is no doubt, however, that this easy access to mobile functions is changing the way we do things.
Why do people like apps? Why do certain apps become popular? Brief interviews with students from Canterbury High School answer a few of these questions.
A pattern in successful gaming apps is that they tend to be temporarily addicting. “I can’t stop playing (Candy Crush) so I guess I’m addicted.” says high school student Harriet Bramwell. “You want to play more because it’s challenging. When you lose, you want to win, so you just keep playing.” Still, the addiction doesn’t seem to last.
“People tend to stop buying apps pretty soon” says Dunkleman. “They get bored, they beat the levels, they move on.” When teens at Canterbury High School were asked how soon they got bored of game apps, the responses varied between one and two weeks.
What is the secret of a successful app? How to create that “temporary addiction” if only for a week or two?
In terms of gaming apps, holding the prize just out of reach seems to be a factor. However, many popular apps, such as the infamous “toilet paper app” in which the player simply “unrolls” the toilet paper as fast as possible to get to the bottom, seem too pointless to capture any interest- and yet, they reach soaring download rates. While social media allows us to connect, apps must have a specific useful function, or maybe just offer an appealing outlet for distraction.
“For apps to be successful, they have to have specific value to the user, or they tie into the functionality of the phone; for example Shazam (an app by which one can put their phone microphone up to a song, the phone will analyze the music and tell you the name of the song).” Says Capobianco. In short, a successful app will give you what websites can’t.
But developing a successful app doesn’t necessarily come with a big financial reward. “Apps have a low profit margin,” says Dunkleman, “By the time you’ve factored in the price of the software, and the equipment necessary to program it, you haven’t made much money. People don’t want to spend money on apps, especially when there are always free ones available.”
While some apps use advertising to make a profit, many app developers create apps simply because they enjoy it. Says Dunkleman; “I’ve been doing this for a while. I’ve designed a few apps. It’s something I love doing.”
Despite their quick popularity, apps are in decline in favor of mobile devices, says Capobianco. Websites are altered to best suit the device and adjust its settings for maximum convenience.
With a generation of people already glued to their screens, apps are a great tool with which to use mobile devices to their greatest efficiency. With app development soaring forward, one can only speculate as to what the future of apps and mobile websites may hold.
What to Do? How Social Media is Taking an Influence in Modern Art
Zoë Perkins
It’s the kind of cold that seeps through the gaps in your winter coat. Everybody is walking into their own breaths as they hug the big city skyscrapers of downtown Ottawa, stomping down sludge as they hop from destination to destination. The fresh snow falls wet down your back and it masks the sounds of cars humming in the distance. You see friends and families, couples and singles, and know that everybody in these streets has somewhere important to go to and something interesting to say, but you have one goal on your mind tonight: advertisement.
You and your band have been hoping for a big break for who knows how long, but until then you’re out on the streets doing the less luxurious work. You get to the bar on time and your glove sticks to the frozen metal door as you hull it open against the sharp wind. You’re group gathers into the foyer, doubling the population of the scarce crowds scattered against the building’s red brick walls. Looking for an employee to talk to, you see a younger guy across the room and plow through empty tables to reach him. Explaining that you’re a local band, you tell him that you were hoping to get the chance to start playing here on a regular basis. You wanted to drop of a CD and some names. The worker you’re talking to takes a second to look up at you from whipping down tables. “Just send us your website,” he says, “and we’ll look you up online.” You mutter your apologies, saying that you’ll come back when the website’s up and walk away, ready to brace the countless winds of that sour winter night.
Mr. McLaughlin, musician and music teacher at Canterbury Arts High School, paints us a story of two worlds colliding. Tradition, we now see, has been thrown off its hinges with the fabrication of social media. This new form of pop culture has woven itself into our society, and where newer artists may appear to be thriving, those not accustomed to these technological advances are stuck eye to eye with the choices they must make in order to keep themselves in the business. Mr. McLaughlin has successfully come to face these changes, and provides insight into the differences between these two generations. He says that as social media becomes an unquestionable necessity for musical artists, the personal connection to the people with whom you are advertising to is gone. It used to be, you would have that face to face conversation with the group of people you were making a living off of. Now, you have no way of knowing who you’re selling to, or whether they’ll even show. “And it takes up so much time,” he says. “If I had one piece of advise to give to budding artists, it would be to hire someone else to do this kind of stuff. The technical difficulties I have on my own are a huge pain. Uploading videos, editing websites, updating blogs, changing the audio, it’s all so confusing.”
Students at Canterbury are also weighing in on this situation. Currently, most of them are in one of five arts, including literary, visual, dramatic, musical, and dance. They are new into this world of art and are coming up with their own views on the subject at hand. They are in a different situation than Mr. McLaughlin and older artists alike, but have been forced into having just as much experience with the subject matter.
“With social media, everything is faster and easier,” says a visual arts student, “the thing is, you have a bigger audience, but not as many people remember you.”
“Your art is more susceptible to plagiarism, and it’s less formal,” says another.
“Social media has become a huge part of my life. Not with my own artwork, but I use it as a way to find other artists. It’s so much easier because, say with YouTube, it knows what you like to listen to based off of what you have already listened to. And with Tumblr, it’s so easy to just type up your favorite style of art and you’re left scrolling down hundreds of great pieces.”
“We know a dance company famous for their YouTube videos. Without them, no one would know who they were.”
Crystal Paplinskie, a grade eight student hoping to apply to Canterbury for visual arts next year, sells her art online, via Tumblr, a social media sight meant to share images. When I asked her if she found it easier to get herself known nowadays as an artist as opposed to when, say, there was no such thing as the Internet, she answers, “Yes, it is simpler finding people that are into the same kinds of things as you are! So finding people that are into your artwork online is simpler because there are more people there to enjoy it if that makes sense!”
Today, the pop culture of social media has incorporated itself into being a major aspect in the lives of artists both young and old. From Twitter and Facebook to Instagram and YouTube, it’s downright impossible to ignore the fact that many recent artist have been discovered at the hands of these countless social media platforms. Is it fair to say that talent is being overlooked for the artists’ abilities to connect themselves to us using the Internet? Social media is expanding, and it’s bringing the art world with it.
Zoë Perkins
It’s the kind of cold that seeps through the gaps in your winter coat. Everybody is walking into their own breaths as they hug the big city skyscrapers of downtown Ottawa, stomping down sludge as they hop from destination to destination. The fresh snow falls wet down your back and it masks the sounds of cars humming in the distance. You see friends and families, couples and singles, and know that everybody in these streets has somewhere important to go to and something interesting to say, but you have one goal on your mind tonight: advertisement.
You and your band have been hoping for a big break for who knows how long, but until then you’re out on the streets doing the less luxurious work. You get to the bar on time and your glove sticks to the frozen metal door as you hull it open against the sharp wind. You’re group gathers into the foyer, doubling the population of the scarce crowds scattered against the building’s red brick walls. Looking for an employee to talk to, you see a younger guy across the room and plow through empty tables to reach him. Explaining that you’re a local band, you tell him that you were hoping to get the chance to start playing here on a regular basis. You wanted to drop of a CD and some names. The worker you’re talking to takes a second to look up at you from whipping down tables. “Just send us your website,” he says, “and we’ll look you up online.” You mutter your apologies, saying that you’ll come back when the website’s up and walk away, ready to brace the countless winds of that sour winter night.
Mr. McLaughlin, musician and music teacher at Canterbury Arts High School, paints us a story of two worlds colliding. Tradition, we now see, has been thrown off its hinges with the fabrication of social media. This new form of pop culture has woven itself into our society, and where newer artists may appear to be thriving, those not accustomed to these technological advances are stuck eye to eye with the choices they must make in order to keep themselves in the business. Mr. McLaughlin has successfully come to face these changes, and provides insight into the differences between these two generations. He says that as social media becomes an unquestionable necessity for musical artists, the personal connection to the people with whom you are advertising to is gone. It used to be, you would have that face to face conversation with the group of people you were making a living off of. Now, you have no way of knowing who you’re selling to, or whether they’ll even show. “And it takes up so much time,” he says. “If I had one piece of advise to give to budding artists, it would be to hire someone else to do this kind of stuff. The technical difficulties I have on my own are a huge pain. Uploading videos, editing websites, updating blogs, changing the audio, it’s all so confusing.”
Students at Canterbury are also weighing in on this situation. Currently, most of them are in one of five arts, including literary, visual, dramatic, musical, and dance. They are new into this world of art and are coming up with their own views on the subject at hand. They are in a different situation than Mr. McLaughlin and older artists alike, but have been forced into having just as much experience with the subject matter.
“With social media, everything is faster and easier,” says a visual arts student, “the thing is, you have a bigger audience, but not as many people remember you.”
“Your art is more susceptible to plagiarism, and it’s less formal,” says another.
“Social media has become a huge part of my life. Not with my own artwork, but I use it as a way to find other artists. It’s so much easier because, say with YouTube, it knows what you like to listen to based off of what you have already listened to. And with Tumblr, it’s so easy to just type up your favorite style of art and you’re left scrolling down hundreds of great pieces.”
“We know a dance company famous for their YouTube videos. Without them, no one would know who they were.”
Crystal Paplinskie, a grade eight student hoping to apply to Canterbury for visual arts next year, sells her art online, via Tumblr, a social media sight meant to share images. When I asked her if she found it easier to get herself known nowadays as an artist as opposed to when, say, there was no such thing as the Internet, she answers, “Yes, it is simpler finding people that are into the same kinds of things as you are! So finding people that are into your artwork online is simpler because there are more people there to enjoy it if that makes sense!”
Today, the pop culture of social media has incorporated itself into being a major aspect in the lives of artists both young and old. From Twitter and Facebook to Instagram and YouTube, it’s downright impossible to ignore the fact that many recent artist have been discovered at the hands of these countless social media platforms. Is it fair to say that talent is being overlooked for the artists’ abilities to connect themselves to us using the Internet? Social media is expanding, and it’s bringing the art world with it.
Kade Deline
Social Media In Schools
We live in a day and age where newer faster technology is being designed each day
and everyone is always connected through smart phones and social media. Social
media makes our lives easier and more convenient, we rely on it. This whole revolution
has only really started to come to life over the past 20 years, and we have evolved
so much from then. Social media and the internet are our main tools,and schools are
starting to recognize this, slowly adding computers and wireless internet connections
into classrooms. This brings forward the trouble of kids always being on the internet
during class. Some teachers have invoked a “no cell phones” policy in their classrooms,
but is this for the best? How can we try to use the internet strictly for research?
I talked to my grandmother Margaret Richardson, who used to be a teacher about the
issue of kids on their phones. She said,
“Well I think that is an easy fix, when I taught
kids, we didn't have any of that and it worked just fine. I love the Internet but if its
distracting the kids from learning I don't think its worth it."
"Do you think the blocking of certain websites will help?"
"I don't know, if they have those smart phones I don't think it
would matter."
This lead me to think about how the school board filters and blocks certain sites in an
attempt to keep us focused. Whatever would be found to have no educational value we
would not have access to.
Blocking certain sites really won’t do you any good. If sites like Instagram aren't blocked
why are sites like tumblr blocked? I would need more expert advice with this issue.
I tried contacting a few experts from the University of Ottawa before getting ahold of
assistant professor Joanne St Lewis who specializes in new social media.
Because of her busy schedule she couldn't talk for long but I got some useful
information.
When I asked her about her opinion on the new development of using social media
in schools she said "We’re dealing with a generation of kids that are always going to
be connected to or on these sites, they grew up using these sites. What I think we're
trying to do is try to get them to use those sites for useful information. I grew up using
libraries as my main source of information and I think its amazing how easy it is to use
the internet to benefit yourself, and thats what we want to see more of happening in
classrooms."
"You specialize in new social media correct?"
"Yes I do"
"So what is the process in new sites being developed and released?"
"Well I don't specialize in that, but I know the site has to be tested and reviewed many
times before being released"
"What do you think would be the best way to deal with this issue is? do you agree with
the action of blocking and filtering searches?"
"Honestly I think they way they filter things is weird, almost all websites could be helpful
during school, but they don't want to take the risk of giving the kids that option because
of course if you let them have access to Facebook they will use it and it could be a
distraction. I think the ultimate goal is to be able to put some trust in the students and to
use those websites for research when needed, and as a tool for education instead of a
distraction."
Social media more often than not is used as a distraction or cure for boredom, Joanne
seems to think this can change. The school board is slowly integrating more and more
use of technology in the class room, some are encouraging the use of smart phones to
help if available.
I want to conclude that the future for the use of technology in schools is bright, you use
it how you want to and hopefully you use it to your advantage, there is plenty to gain
from social media.
Social Media In Schools
We live in a day and age where newer faster technology is being designed each day
and everyone is always connected through smart phones and social media. Social
media makes our lives easier and more convenient, we rely on it. This whole revolution
has only really started to come to life over the past 20 years, and we have evolved
so much from then. Social media and the internet are our main tools,and schools are
starting to recognize this, slowly adding computers and wireless internet connections
into classrooms. This brings forward the trouble of kids always being on the internet
during class. Some teachers have invoked a “no cell phones” policy in their classrooms,
but is this for the best? How can we try to use the internet strictly for research?
I talked to my grandmother Margaret Richardson, who used to be a teacher about the
issue of kids on their phones. She said,
“Well I think that is an easy fix, when I taught
kids, we didn't have any of that and it worked just fine. I love the Internet but if its
distracting the kids from learning I don't think its worth it."
"Do you think the blocking of certain websites will help?"
"I don't know, if they have those smart phones I don't think it
would matter."
This lead me to think about how the school board filters and blocks certain sites in an
attempt to keep us focused. Whatever would be found to have no educational value we
would not have access to.
Blocking certain sites really won’t do you any good. If sites like Instagram aren't blocked
why are sites like tumblr blocked? I would need more expert advice with this issue.
I tried contacting a few experts from the University of Ottawa before getting ahold of
assistant professor Joanne St Lewis who specializes in new social media.
Because of her busy schedule she couldn't talk for long but I got some useful
information.
When I asked her about her opinion on the new development of using social media
in schools she said "We’re dealing with a generation of kids that are always going to
be connected to or on these sites, they grew up using these sites. What I think we're
trying to do is try to get them to use those sites for useful information. I grew up using
libraries as my main source of information and I think its amazing how easy it is to use
the internet to benefit yourself, and thats what we want to see more of happening in
classrooms."
"You specialize in new social media correct?"
"Yes I do"
"So what is the process in new sites being developed and released?"
"Well I don't specialize in that, but I know the site has to be tested and reviewed many
times before being released"
"What do you think would be the best way to deal with this issue is? do you agree with
the action of blocking and filtering searches?"
"Honestly I think they way they filter things is weird, almost all websites could be helpful
during school, but they don't want to take the risk of giving the kids that option because
of course if you let them have access to Facebook they will use it and it could be a
distraction. I think the ultimate goal is to be able to put some trust in the students and to
use those websites for research when needed, and as a tool for education instead of a
distraction."
Social media more often than not is used as a distraction or cure for boredom, Joanne
seems to think this can change. The school board is slowly integrating more and more
use of technology in the class room, some are encouraging the use of smart phones to
help if available.
I want to conclude that the future for the use of technology in schools is bright, you use
it how you want to and hopefully you use it to your advantage, there is plenty to gain
from social media.