Online Community

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/710757413932047/ - Learning about the Solar System

Facebook

General information: Facebook is a social network with the objective of connecting people, sh.aring information, news and audiovisual content with Friends and family. The big difference between Facebook and the other social networks, is its dynamism: instead of a static profile that only collects the information that concerns you, when you log in, you reach a homepage that keeps you up to date on everything your friends have done on Facebook recently. 

Justification: We decided that this platform is maybe the best one for students of primary education since it is a little bit more private. After comparing it to the rest like Instagram or TikTok, Facebook does not have a “for you page” so kids will not be distracted with other kind of posts, and it is harder for them to acquire an addiction. It is also quite important to talk about the “rules” matter, Facebook has dedicated its own space in each group in a way that the administrator can choose what the member can do or not. This is highly important for a class as it is a way to create an order where the teacher and students can express themselves freely and ask questions in the comment section of each post. In Facebook, as well, we can search for other professors that might be interested in collaborating for the learning of the students about this topic. 

Opinion:

    Virtual learning communities have their own benefits and consequences. It is important that the teacher knows the security concept of a social network as well as its features. With knowing its features, the teacher would know how to fully maximize the usage of the social network. Through this, the teacher could create a more appropriate and accurate learning expirience for the children. These networks could be use in order to do things such as a flipped classroom approach so that the students can come to the class prepared or to provide additional materials that the students can use for the class or for their whole life. It is also a great way in order to create a strong connection with the students and the other teachers as well. However, this would only be trully effective if the students are taught how to use them and are guided at home and in school about these networks. Meanwhile, virtual learning communities may also cause harm to the students, and the teachers as well. For the students, they would be exposed to the World Wide Web which could potentially lead them to other sites, not just the chosen website. With this, they may be more prone to cyber-bullying and their security may be invaded. All in all, I trully believe that these virtual learning comminities may have postive effects for students. However, I won't advice it for the early years of primary education as I believe that the students in this age should be more exposed to the real world outside their gadgets. But, using them shall be taught in schools so that as early as they are, they know their rights and how to use the internet safely. In the last years of primary education, they could potentially add this virtual learning communities so that they are easily updated about their classes and so that they have a safer commmunity built by their teachers that they could use to communicate with them and the other students.