Social Media
By: Francisco Carmona
Social media via internet has been criticized by governments of all the countries, and educational institutes, and most of all social media is specially criticized by people that had never tried it before in their lives. Ignorant is a perfect word to describe these people. Today even though people have problems to admitted, everything is done in the internet for many reasons. It is cheaper, some times even free, it’s much easier, and connects the world in a matter of seconds. Social Networks, such as Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter (the three biggest networks used) are an important part of mostly everything. Companies, important people, even schools or any other business are advertized in social networks for a minor price or sometimes even free. In some companies when you’re applying for a job they ask you if you know how to manage social networks .The truth is that social networks are a part of a lot of people´s lives.
Regarding educational purposes social media is involved. Directive Boards of some schools don´t think that social networks aren´t needed for good education. I strongly disagree. In my life I had use Facebook as an aid to complete my studies and homeworks during my journey in junior high. In my computer class, I have use social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace to completed assignments which dictated that specific instructions of communication through internet. It was one of the most fun and satisfactory assignment that I have ever done thanks to Facebook and MySpace, and I learned to communicated with several people, in a few seconds. Another way Facebook helps my studies is with my art teacher Miss Amanda. Miss Amanda has an art profile in Facebook which informs us about assignments, homework, and helps us with our work. It had really helped me during this year and I appreciated Miss Amanda for taking the time to sing in Facebook and helping us, via a social network. In my opinion, social networks help education to be successful and make it much easier and a lot funnier.
I strongly believe that blocking social networks from a school system is not right. I will refer to the particular case of our school, the American School of Puerto Vallarta (ASPV). To our Dear Administration Board, blocking social networks, such as Facebook that everybody in school, including teachers use during school hours, it’s an irrational measure. Students and even some teacher will use proxies to enter these sites, and probably the school will block them, but students and teachers will find new proxies and use them. It will be like a never ending cycle. In my opinion blocking is bad for many reasons. The first and most important is that the school by blocking social sites are censured the communication of all the school alumni. This action is against our right of expressing ourselves, and according to Article 1 of the Constitution of Mexico every citizen has the RIGHT to express their opinions in a pacific way. This is one of “Las Garantias Individuales” of our country. By blocking social networks, the school is blocking our right to express. It is true that there are many ways to communicated to others our opinions, and believes, but this is our choice.
It is true that some parents have no idea of how the world is changing around them, they live with what they learned in their school years, and they had never take the time to updated and learn more. Many parents sadly had never read a book again since their college, many others are so afraid to change, that they just decided to block whatever they don´t understand. Of course these parents want the best for us, that´s why they are willing to pay a substantial tuition for our education, but really what makes them expertise in media communication. We had seen cases of many demands from the parents, after all, they are the ones who pay, but they are paying our school to educate us and provide us with tools for our lives, not to decide what´s educational or not. That´s the job of our teachers. The school shouldn´t accept the demands of the parents, just to keep them happy, the school should educate their children, so they can educate their parents in the new stuff. The ASPV had preached the teaching of values. Two of these values are responsibility and fitting for what is correct. Why the school instead of trusting their alumni to make a well judgement, a mature decision to know when to use Facebook and when to not, is just putting on a side, one of the most important tools of communication of the world. There are students in my class that have grades of 2 or even 1 in computers class, these students are 14 and 15 years old, they know well the consequences of their lack of responsibility, they just don´t care. Their concern parents can fix the world for them, but that´s not going to teach them right. The parents should be having a conversation with their children at home and not complained with the school.
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