MY COMMENTS OF MR. RUDI'S LAST POST. (Online Social Media Applications for Language Teaching & Learning)

Facebook, Instagram and blog all come to my mind when someone says “social networking.” For many teens of this day, visiting these sites are a part of their daily routine. Sure, it’s a good way to keep in contact with friends and peers. In my opinion, social networking sites are beneficial if used in certain ways, but can also be detrimental if used in the wrong way.

Examples of the benefits are social media make it possible to interact with the people next door, or across the world, with one click. Beside its popularity among students for personal use, the Social media has its role in education. More than 100 social media are being used for language learning and educational purposes. I think that Social Network allows teachers and students to connect, collaborate, and share content, all in a new environment. It also allows students to overcome their shyness in asking questions outside the classroom, and they feel unrestrained by boundaries between lecturers and themselves, creating a good rapport in some ways.

The online activities between teachers and students can cause negative impacts to teachers themselves such as false teacher-student relationships. The different forms of language used to communicate in Social Networking  sites among students, their peers and lecturers need to be carefully monitored; otherwise, some misunderstandings will occur and interfere with the learning-teaching process.