“All change need not necessarily be directed towards progress, but all progress inescapably presupposes change,” says Henry Steele Commager, the American historian, educator and essayist of 20th century. In continuance he says, “education is essential to change , because it is education that opens the new vistas of awareness, creates both higher aspirations and the will and the ability to rise up to them.”
With the world shrinking into a global village with the advent of globalisation, education plays a key role in social and professional integration. Citizens need to understand principles of interdependence and should be alive to distinct regional identities.
Modern technology especially IT and the internet have opened the door of new opportunities to learn. It is now easier to research communicate and study, thanks to advances in technology. However, there are problems as well.
On the other hand teachers need to remain up to date on the technological advances. Lessons in online safety are increasingly important as social networking and online communication become more popular with students. Sufficient tips should be given as part of the curriculum and students should be assessed on their knowledge of online safety, particularly before they are given assignments requiring Internet access.
Social networking sites allow you to create a profile about yourself that you can share with others. Profiles include personal information and interests and educational and professional information. Social networking is a great tool for multi-way communication and can help you organize on specific issues. However, students should use social media wisely. Here’s a quick guide to help you navigate through social networking.
Instruct students not to give out any personal information in any type of chat room or on any social net working site.
Encourage them not to meet someone that they have met online without the permission of their parents .
Explain to students the benefits of making their social networking sites private.
Make sure that students know that people online may not be who they say they are.
Caution students that if they want to post photos of themselves on social net working sites, they should limit access to their site to “friends only “.
Encourage parents to monitor their children’s internet activities and educate them.
The widespread popularity of social networking websites has created a new generation of problems and potential liabilities for educators. Further, the ease of posting information , including videos, on the internet by anyone with internet access can create problems when false information is posted.
Computers are a fact of life, a common thread that ties together our education, work, and home life. With computers touching nearly every facet of our lives, the issue of computer literacy becomes important.
Computers are an essential part of life today . In this information era, almost every job out there now requires employees to know how to use a computer.
(The author is English teacher with St Albert’s HSS, Ernakulam)
