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http://englishbabyblog.com/2008/06/23/its-official-social-networks-help-students-learn/

It’s Official. Social Networks Help Students Learn.

While it’s taking a fair amount of time, many educators are coming around to the idea that students can learn valuable skills from each other while interacting online, even in social networks.

The Economic Times reports that according to a new 6-month study by the University of Minnesota that watched the online behavior of students from 13 high schools in the Midwest, social network users were found to learn lessons in technology, creativity and “being open to new or diverse views and communication skills.”

How about that? Sharing ideas can encourage learning.

A student-empowerment movement is happening. Learners are becoming more reliant on their peers and less reliant on their teachers to disseminate information. Sure it’s valuable to have an English language teacher help correct grammatical mistakes, but it can be just as helpful when a friend shares that the most important phrase he learned on a recent budget trip to New York was “Where can I get some pizza?”

Teachers are an important educational resource but students often do a better job sharing real-world experiences. What sounds more engaging – memorizing how to ask directions or listening to a friend tell the story of how she misunderstood a bus driver and instead of riding to San Diego, she ended up in Las Vegas? A little bit of context goes a long way.

I used to hate English classes, because all we do is study and take exams. The language was meaningless to me. English was just a boring subject in school.

It all changed when I started to use my broken English and connect with people 8yrs ago. I think the human connection is the greatest joy and drive for me to learn English. English, baby! give everyone the chance to find that connection and enjoy the interaction through English.