Colleges are using social media sites

According to Schools.com colleges are reviewing the use of social media sites such as Facebook pages for students who submit applications to attend various colleges. An average of 80% of colleges may be using these sites to assist them in making their decisions. The site mentioned gives information on how potential students can use social media sites to influence the decisions made by colleges. Students can gain insight by liking their favorite college and following them on twitter. The use of a video along with an essay is suggested so that the college can get a better impression of who you are. A blog will be looked at as an attribute and will tell the college some more about your major interests.

Be cautious of the pictures posted on social media sites as they may be used to get an idea of who you are as an individual as well as what your other interests are. A great point listed on the site includes the use of privacy settings to block access to certain areas on site pages. Privacy settings can be used to block information your friends may have posted that you do not want colleges to see, as they may have portrayed you in an undesirable manner. These are some great tips for teenagers interested in colleges who want to improve their chances of acceptance into the college they want to attend.

http://www.schools.com/articles/facebook-college-admissions-tips.html

Has Technology affected the writing skills of teens?

Technology is affecting the way teenagers are writing according to an article written by Pew research.org “writing technology and teens. Teenagers do not believe that using various forms of social media involves the use of writing. An average of 93% of teenagers say they write not for school activities but utilizing technology such as cellphones for text messaging and on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Teenagers do not think that technology has influenced their writing styles. However they have become so comfortable using text lingo that some find themselves using this type of writing in school related activities as well. The article also mentions the importance of writing skills for success in various activities they may need in the future. Most teenagers write to keep in contact with friends. They also believe that in class writing could be improved to assist them with better writing skills.



http://pewresearch.org/pubs/808/writing-technology-and-teens

Social media keeps Teens informed.

Since teenagers are using social media sites so frequently and at such a young age they are more informed on various issues from news in different countries to the new apps for cell phones or innovative devices to hit the markets. My son can tell me what is new on the cell phone market and what is going to be introduced in the near future. My daughter on the other hand who is more involved in the graphics available on software programs can tell me what they can be used for.

With this in mind marketing firms can use this to their advantage. They know who their target markets are and where they can reach them. A great percentage of teens can be found on social media sites therefore advertising on these sites can reach most of them. With access to this information teenagers pass it along to not only friends but to their parents and other individuals who may be interested. Social media not only keeps teenagers informed on various topics of interest but also helps marketers to reach several audiences at once.

Achievements made by teenagers in developing new applications.

How is technology assisting teens in making remarkable achievements? An article posted on yahoo shows how technologically teenagers are able to create new ideas that can be used to benefit society. Teenagers are included in the second generation of Web innovators. The article also goes on to say that because programming software is not as expensive as it was before, this makes it easier for teenagers to develop their ideas in more detail.

The 13 year old in this article Cyrus Pishevar developed the new Facebook application mentioned. Children are now introduced to technology at an earlier age; therefore they have more experience and knowledge. With exposure at an early age they have unlimited potential. One teenager says that he was surrounded by computer technology at such an early age that working with technology was natural to him.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-12/palo-alto-13-year-old-joins-generation-of-zuckerberg-wannabes.html

Parents Involvement in Social Networking

Should parents participate in social media usage with their teenagers? According to WebMD social networking may affect kids’ health. The article mentions issues such as lack of sleep, physical activity and stress. It encourages parents to communicate with their teenagers on the uses of social media and to bridge the gap by exploring various social media sites and learning how the sites are used by teens.

Teenagers are urged to communicate with their parents or teachers regarding their uses of social media sites. The article relays the message to parents that though teenagers are perhaps more knowledgeable on technical issues, they may still lack the social skills needed regarding certain situations. Teenagers are still developing and learning social skills therefore it is important for parents to communicate with them on their uses of social media sites. Mistakes made by teenagers on social media sites can have serious consequences. They need to beware and parents should be involved.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20110328/social-networking-may-affect-kids-health

Technology and Music

The type of music available to teenagers is unlimited. Music is available on media sites, IPods, downloaded to phones and even on the Kindle. Almost all devices available have some form of music available to teenagers which they listen to on daily basis. In order for parents to limit the type of music teens listen to they would have to monitor using several different types of controls. ITunes is a good example they have parental controls located in the iTunes Preferences that parents can use to set content restrictions.

Social network radio allows teenagers to listen to various types of music as well as view the videos. The impact music has on teenagers is still an issue that is debated. Parents try to monitor the music teenagers listen to but with media sites such as You Tube this is becoming more difficult. Parents will need to take the time to use different parental controls available to monitor music available to teenagers.

Are Teenagers well prepared?

New programs and applications on the market are changing so quickly. However, teenagers are very much in tune with a lot of new applications and program mostly those associated with social media. They can manage these social media programs and find information at a moment’s notice. My teen daughter is very skilled in the PowerPoint program and can do a slide show for a presentation with no hesitation. After talking with her recently I found out that at her school they no longer offer several classes.

Without computer classes will our teenagers be prepared? Technology is used on a daily basis for everything from work activities to simple bank transactions. I think these and other basic computer classes need to be offered to students which gives them the opportunity to learn new applications that are changing so often. In order for our teenagers to be prepared they need access to classes in computer technology.