Effects of Social Networking Sites Essay

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Technology – driven school reform has overcome education, and advocates hail the huge number of advantages to reap. It comes with promises to push us into the future and cause dramatic improvement in student proficiency and worldwide understanding. Our computer- driven society demands that students develop the ability to operate in a technological environment, acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to be productive. In addition, so much of our planet rapidly is becoming connected via the Internet so that social protocol has become an intrinsic part of technology- based curriculum. But increasing reports connecting psychologically addictive characteristics to internet use, along with speculation of its negative influence on social functioning, have brought to question the enduring effects of its reform. Read more:  Negative Impact of Social Media on Students Educational systems around the world are under increasing pressure to use the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to teach students the knowledge and skills they need in the 21st – century (UNESCO, 2002). Thus the key concern driving the policy and community interest in the pedagogical integration of ICT is the premise that ICT is important for beginning changes to classroom teaching and learning so as to foster the development of students’ 21st – century skills. Specifically, these skills include the capability to become lifelong learners with a context of collaborative inquiry and the ability to work and learn from experts and peers in a connected global community (Law, Pelgrum & Plomp, 2008). Social computer use is widespread and growing. Current estimates indicate that 149 million people are social worldwide, and that number is increasing at the rate of 12% a month (Suler, 2008). Integrating the Internet into classroom activities allows teachers to move beyond classroom walls. Far from being an â€Å"add on† or a burden to carry into instruction, this technology provides support for teachers as they move into new roles as facilitators of learning (Cooper, 1995). Since the present society is fast changing especially in the realm of computer technology, educators are beginning to wonder about the influence of the Internet on the ICT capabilities and physiological well – being of youths. Investigation is especially timely due to the widespread establishment of Internet shops along the school environment. Background of the Study The Internet provides some of the most effective means of communication. Emails and instant messages have made social communication possible. Social network and blogging websites and social discussion forums have proved being popular platforms of expression. People in different parts of the world can collaborate over the Internet. It was the development of the Internet that made social education and distance learning possible. Professionals working in physically distant locations can collaborate their efforts (OAK, 2008). With the advent of the Internet, the debate over the effects of new media reemerged. While some envisioned a â€Å"virtual community,† which lower the costs of collective action and expand individuals’ social networks (Delli Carpini, 2000; Rheingold, 2000), others worried about new addiction, which would reduce social ties and draw users into cycle of depression and loneliness (Nie and Erbring, 2000) . A decade after the popularization of the internet, neither scenario has emerged. Instead, research reflects a medium that has some positive influence on users’ social ties, but where only certain Internet uses positive influence on users’ social ties, but where only certain Internet uses to social capital (Zhao, 2006). Underscoring the dramatic increase over time, the percentage of internet users who search on a typical day grew 69% from January 2002 to May 2008. During the same six-year time period, the use of email on a typical day rose from 52% to 60%, for a growth rate of just 15% ( Heisler, 2008) With the increasing information, there is a debate among psychologists as to the prevalence of a psychological disorder associated with social use. Labeled by some as â€Å"Internet Addiction Disorder† (Goldberg, 1997), studies suggest the existence of addictive behavior patterns among heavy internet users (Greenfield, 1999). Based on criteria that psychologists often use in defining the types of addiction, social surveys estimate that the incidence of addictive patterns of behavior among heavy Internet users’ ranges from 6 % (Greenfield, 1999). Children’s exposure to electronic media, such as television, video games, the Internet, and music has increased enormously in recent decades. More than 100 studies have demonstrated a causal relationship between exposure to violence on television and aggressive behavior in children (Kidsdata.org,2006). Identified symptoms of the disorder include : (a) using the computer to pleasure, gratification, or relief from stress; (b) feeling irritable and out of control or depressed when not using it; (c) spending increasing amounts of time and money on hardware, software, magazines, and computer – related activities; and (d) neglecting work school, or family obligations (Gawel, 1998) Neilsen (2008) stated that â€Å"Today’s youth don’t know — or don’t remember — a time when they weren’t going online, so their adoption of online video has been seamless.† The video consumption in the workplace increases usage metrics among adults, the ‘at home’ data show how kids and teens are driving usage and claiming their territory. The Web provides another platform for their interest in TV shows, toys, movies and music, and offers an interactive element that children especially enjoy. Among the top sites for the younger demographic we see are publishers that are integrating video into games, music and other content to drive engagement with this multi-media generation.† Likewise Bugeja (2008) said that â€Å"students might misuse technology, and about how Facebook and MySpace are all simply about revenue generation for their respective companies.† Educational pedagogy has swung over the years between focusing on individual-centered learning, group learning, and peer-to-peer learning. If you take a peer-to-peer learning approach, you are inherently valuing the social networks that youth have and maintain, or else you are encouraging them to build one. These networks are mediated and reinforced through SNSs. If there is pedagogical value to encouraging peers to have strong social networks, then there is pedagogical value in supporting their sociable practices on SNSs. (Boyd,2008) When it comes to socializing with friends, youth prefer in-person (unregulated) encounters. They turn to Social Network Sites when they cannot get together with their friends en masse or when they cannot get together without shriveling adults. By and large, there are few free spaces where youth can gather with their friends en masse and, even then, inevitably a chunk of parents refuse to let them, thereby destroying cluster effects. So, of course, they turn to Social Network Sites. School is one of the few times when they can get together with their friends and they use every unscheduled moment to socialize – passing time, when the teacher’s back is turned, during lunch, bathroom breaks, etc. They are desperately craving an opportunity to connect with their friends; not surprisingly, their use of anything that enables socialization while at school is deeply desired. This is why they text during classes. They go onto SNSs during the day to write to friends who have diffe rent schedules or to write to the whole group if a portion of them are on a different lunch. Given how regulated youth are, any open space where socializing is possible will be taken up by socializing; it is often the only place they can see their friends. This is not something that the schools can fix, but they also should not be surprised when group time turns into gossip time (Boyd, 2008). By mid-2005, MySpace was a popular destination for high school students throughout the United States but teenagers from other countries were on a variety of other social network sites. Friendster had lost its grip on 20/30-something urbanites but it had become popular amongst teenagers in Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Social network sites like Orkut and Hi5, which were initially popular among adults in Brazil and India, began attracting the attention of younger audiences in those countries (Boyd & Danah, 2007). Social network sites, such as the wildly popular, are rapidly becoming a problem for schools in Sapang Palay , City of San Jose Del Monte. It has been observed that even during schools days, students from Sapang Palay National High School are staying in computer shops. Based on the interviews conducted by the researcher recently to the fourth year students, they reasoned out that they were staying in internet shops because they wanted to browse and post comments on their social network sites. According to them, they felt fulfilled if they regularly viewed their social network site account. This study will be an eye opener for the education opportunities and possibilities with social network sites. This research will greatly benefit in one way or another the following: The Department of Education, as an agency that draws and sets the education program for the secondary level, may use results of this study reference for the curriculum makers in the creation of acceptable guidelines in proper use of social network sites . School Administration will serve as springboard for an action plan for computer laboratory teachers and personnel on the use of internet and issues with social networking sites in their code of conduct. A policy may be formulated that will educate parents on the negative and positive effects of exposure to social network sites on students’ achievements in Information Communication Technology subject and behavior. Information Communication Technology (ICT) teachers will become aware of what students are accessing and why they are using the web for research or socializing. This study will increase awareness among students on the dangers in social networking sites. Parents, who must be primarily concerned with their children’s behavior, must be involved in their child’s networking lifestyle. Parents need to inform children of the potential dangers of social networking sites and how they can protect them. Students who are the most important concern of this study, who use social networking sites, are made aware of the potential dangers relative to social networking sites, and gain to knowledge and abilities to use social networking sites as tool in learning Information Communication Technology skills other than time wasting. This would also enjoin the students to utilize and take advantage of the skills and learning experiences that maybe acquired in browsing social network sites to develop their Information Communication Technology skills to the fullest with appropriate behavior. The study would contribute added relevant facts and issues in formulating, implementing and evaluating the curriculum and instruction so as to include Educational Technology in the Mast er of Arts in Industrial Education Program. This may be lead to the development of teacher leaders with strong commitment to the philosophical foundations of technology. Statement of the Problem This study attempted to investigate whether exposure to social network sites communication was related to the achievement in Information Communication Technology subject and behavior in terms of study habits, socialization, and home responsibilities of selected fourth year high school students at Sapang Palay National High School Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions. 1. What are the social network sites browsed by fourth year high school students? 2. What is the frequency of students’ exposure to social network sites? 3. What is the level of respondents’ browsing skills on social network sites? 4. What is the level of achievement in Information Communication Technology subject? 5. How do respondents perceive their behavior in terms of 5.1 study habits; 5.2 socialization; and 5.3 home responsibility? 6. Is there any significant relationship between social network sites exposure and students’ achievement in Information Communication Technology subject and behavior? 7. Does sex affect the relationship of the social network sites exposure to achievement in Information Communication subject and behavior in terms of 7. 1study habits 7.2socialization and home 7.3responsibilities Scope of the Study The research study was conducted to determine the exposure of communication by fourth year high school students, the level of achievements in Information Communication Technology subject and their behavior. It also sought whether significant relationship could be seen between social network sites exposure and students’ achievement in Information Communication Technology subject and behavior. It also aimed to determine whether the sex of students could make significant difference in affecting achievement in Information Communication Technology subject and behavior. The techniques of gathering data were questionnaire and interviews. Involved in this study were 200 fourth year students at Sapang Palay National High School during school year 2013-2014, City Division of San Jose Del Monte. Around fifty percent of the total numbers of students who are taking up Information Communication Technology subject were included in this study. They were classified according to their sex.