{"id":2668,"date":"2012-01-22T18:02:37","date_gmt":"2012-01-22T18:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eltchat.com\/?p=2668"},"modified":"2012-01-22T18:02:37","modified_gmt":"2012-01-22T18:02:37","slug":"the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-social-networks-for-language-teachers-eltchat-summary-180112","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/2012\/01\/22\/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-social-networks-for-language-teachers-eltchat-summary-180112\/","title":{"rendered":"The Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networks for Language Teachers #ELTchat Summary 18\/01\/12"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em><a href=\"http:\/\/eltchat.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/sns1.jpg\">\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Does this look familiar??<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/eltchat.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/sns.jpg\">\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/eltchat.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/sns.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3906\" title=\"sns\" src=\"http:\/\/eltchat.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/sns-300x258.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"258\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/eltchat.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/sns.jpg\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">To \u2013ing or not to \u2013ing\u2026\u2026that is today\u2019s question!<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of my students asked me last month why we use the \u2013ing form for blogging, networking, computing\u2026..Good question! My answer? Because technology is constantly changing and plus usually these actions are constant, happen often, plus they are amusing but can be annoying \u2013 so we use the present continuous form\u2026.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday 18 January, #ELTchatters wished each other a Happy New Year and got their teeth into a very stimulating chat. As language teachers, do we find these social networking platforms and services amusing or annoying???<\/p>\n<p>Our students are already using a wide-range of social network sites and teachers are beginning to familiarize themselves with such sites, to keep up with technology but more importantly, to discuss and exchange ideas and develop as teachers. We read and write blogs, visit forums, develop Nings and Wikis, all of which are constantly changing and being updated. The #ELTchat itself is proof of this\u2026.it\u2019s fast, furious, fun and educational! We have joined ther World of Technology, for good or for bad? By the way, did you know that if Facebook was a country, it would be the third largest country in the world???!!!<\/p>\n<p>So in the ELT world, here are the main themes from the discussion.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Advantages:<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>There will be more pro chatters tonight as most members are keen SN users.<\/li>\n<li>#ELTCHAT is one of the major advantages of SNs for teachers.<\/li>\n<li>SNs have radically changed teachers\u2019 lives. We will never feel alone again.<\/li>\n<li>Facebook has become a professionally developing site rather than just a social network.<\/li>\n<li>SN has revolutionized the way we think and opened wider perspectives.<\/li>\n<li>SNs are global and 24\/7.<\/li>\n<li>SNs should be harnessed by 21 century teachers with enthusiasm.<\/li>\n<li>Use Facebook for personal contacts and Google+ for PD.<\/li>\n<li>SNs are an extension of staffroom chats with links, banter and discussions. \u2018Virtual staffroom\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>#ELTchat is great as it is an \u2018outer of class collaboration\u2019 discussion, as few teachers in the workplace know how to collaborate.<\/li>\n<li>SNs create friends which lead to face to face meetings.<\/li>\n<li>Share worksheets\/mind maps for students, time-saving.<\/li>\n<li>Twitter tags can inform parents\u2019 of students\u2019 progress.<\/li>\n<li>Non-native teachers are also exposed to real language in the modern world.<\/li>\n<li>SNs, like Twitter and #ELTchat are energizing! Plus, through #ElTchat, you find more people to follow! So, start following!!!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Disadvantages:<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>All SNs are time-consuming.<\/li>\n<li>Some teachers find SNs too daunting to tackle.<\/li>\n<li>SNs can become addictive. They can take over your life, leaving little time for family and friends. Knowing when to stop is crucial \u2013 try to switch off!<\/li>\n<li>Replication of themes from one SN to another is annoying.<\/li>\n<li>Students become obsessed in finding their teachers on FB and intrude in teachers\u2019private lives.<\/li>\n<li>Privacy issues with FB AND Twitter \u2013 do not accept people you don\u2019t know or protected accounts on Twitter.<\/li>\n<li>Tweetdeck often has technical problems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Mentioned sites, platforms and services worth checking out:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.edmod\/\">http:\/\/www.edmod<\/a> Secure Social Networking for Teachers<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moodle.org\/\">http:\/\/moodle.org\/<\/a>Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.blackboard.com\/\">http:\/\/www.blackboard.com\/<\/a>\u00a0 <em>Blackboard<\/em> helps clients enrich all aspects of the education experience by engaging and assessing learners, making their daily lives more convenient and <strong>&#8230;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.collaborizeclassroom.com\/\">http:\/\/www.collaborizeclassroom.com\/<\/a> is a free online collaborative education platform that allows students and teachers to transcend the boundaries of their physical classroom to engage in an online collaborative learning environment.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bloggerindraft.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/introducing-google-scribe-in-blogger.html-an\">http:\/\/bloggerindraft.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/introducing-google-scribe-in-blogger.html-an<\/a> aid to write your blog!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/aplanet-project.org\/\">http:\/\/aplanet-project.org\/<\/a> Autonomous Personal Learning Networks For Teachers<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scoop.it\/t\/interactive-teaching-and-learning\">http:\/\/www.scoop.it\/t\/interactive-teaching-and-learning<\/a>Exploration of engaging learning spaces and technologies that support them.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.evernote.com\/\">http:\/\/www.evernote.com\/<\/a> Remember everything!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.diigo.com\/\">http:\/\/www.diigo.com\/<\/a> To collect, highlight and remember those bookmarks!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The chat went on to discuss the issue of coping with lack of time and organizing information and links shared. This lead to a variety of suggestions for bookmarking and who prefers Twitter, FB, Google+. Everyone had their own opinion! A blog challenge was proposed:<\/p>\n<p>@esolcourses: <strong><em>Best method for organizing #ELTchat bookmarks! Choose one and demo!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">As ever, there were some great links shared:<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/JBbayIuc\">http:\/\/t.cohttp:\/\/evasimkesyan.edublogs.org\/2012\/01\/18\/evo-digitalstorytelling4kids-and-the-tool-of-the-week\/\/JBbayIuc<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/learningfundamentals.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/Focus.jpg\">http:\/\/learningfundamentals.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/Focus.jpg<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0How to focus in times of distraction. Excellent mind map presentation!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/cybraryman.com\/facebook.html\">http:\/\/cybraryman.com\/facebook.html<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">All you need to know about SN s and your students.<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/education\/educationnews\/8142721\/Social-networking-teachers-blame-Facebook-and-Twitter-for-pupils-poor-grades.html\">http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/education\/educationnews\/8142721\/Social-networking-teachers-blame-Facebook-and-Twitter-for-pupils-poor-grades.html<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/educationland.wordpress.com\/my-worksheets\/http:\/educationland.wordpress.com\/worksheets\/http:\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Education-Land\/221436857914023http:\/t.co\/gzX8zGIR\">http:\/\/educationland.wordpress.com\/my-worksheets\/http:\/\/educationland.wordpress.com\/worksheets\/http:\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Education-Land\/221436857914023http:\/t.co\/gzX8zGIR<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0Share worksheet and ideas!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s the summary folks! I would like to add that I didn\u2019t mention specific names on the summary as so many people commented on this chat, so there is \u00a0something from everyone!! Thanks for another energy-boosting, informative chat!<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Happy Social Networking!!!<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>This is a summary of the #ELTchat on 18th January 2012 at 21.00 P.M. GMT and was contributed by Sharon Noseley\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/shaznosel\">@shaznosel<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter &#8211; originally posted\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/celtathens.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/21\/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-social-networks-for-language-teachers\/\">here<\/a>, it is reproduced on our blog with her kind permission. Many thanks, Sharon!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/celtathens.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/shaz.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1565 alignleft\" style=\"margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;\" title=\"shaz\" src=\"http:\/\/celtathens.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/shaz.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"140\" \/><\/a><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Sharon Noseley<\/strong><\/span> <span style=\"color: #888888;\">has been teaching English to all ages and levels for the past 15 years in Greece and the UK. She currently works in a school in a village close to Athens and starts her day with a Pre \u2013junior class and ends the day with Business English \u2013 such is the variety of life! She believes no matter what the age or level \u2013 motivation and dedication to the teaching profession are essential ingredients to language acquisition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #888888;\">Sharon has attended the Cambridge DELTA course at \u00a0CELT Athens and has completed her Module 2 assessment. She has taught multi-cultural classes, on a voluntary basis, at CELT Athens and teaches Academic English at the DMU in Leicester, UK in the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #888888;\">She tries to keep up with technology and appreciates the support of her PLN through #ELTchat and on-line seminars and once she has finished with her DELTA Modules 1 &amp; 3 work, would love to start a blog to help new teachers to get involved with Social Networking in order to develop and feel supported by someone who understands and can support them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:Shaznosel@gmail.com\">Shaznosel@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #888888;\">She is <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/shaznosel\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">@shaznosel<\/span><\/a><\/span> on Twitter<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #888888;\">Sharon Nosely- Kallandzhs on Facebook<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Does this look familiar?? \u00a0 To \u2013ing or not to \u2013ing\u2026\u2026that is today\u2019s question! One of my students asked me last month why we use the \u2013ing form for blogging, networking, computing\u2026..Good question! My answer? Because technology is constantly changing and plus usually these actions are constant, happen often, plus they are amusing but&hellip; <br \/> <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/2012\/01\/22\/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-social-networks-for-language-teachers-eltchat-summary-180112\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-summary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2668\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}