Exploring the role of Social Media in Education and Career Planning

Mother: “Rohan! I am fed up with the way you waste time on social networking sites. They are simply a hindrance in your studies.”

Rohan: “Mom, it’s not as redundant as you think. In fact, nowadays social media has been very effective and helpful. It not only entertains us but also help us in apposite networking and information.”

Mother, “Haha! Stop befooling your mother. How can social media be of any good use? Does it assist you in your studies or in making an appropriate career decision?”

Rohan, “Of course mom. It definitely does! Provided we use it to good effect.”

You all must have experienced similar conversations wherein parents stress on the detriments of social medial whereas you advocate its essentiality but in vain. Through this article, I intend to break your mental blocks regarding the uses of social media and assist you in discovering its multifaceted roles in your education and career planning.

Now, you must be wondering how social media can help you explore plausible career opportunities and decide an appropriate course of action for a successful career. While keeping in mind the inherent risks involved in social media, it is equally important to be familiar with the plethora of potential benefits that social media offers in order to attain your educational objectives.

Social media redefines the way we relate to other humans and to the organizations with which we are affiliated. It is dialogical – a two way communication that brings people together to discover and share information, build networks and enhance professional development.  

Social networking sites like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, iBibo, Hi5, Myspace etc. are not only a platform for meeting new people and getting in touch with old friends but it is also a common dais for sharing and exchanging information, knowledge and creativity with concurring individuals. Social media fosters deeper learning experiences, promote collaboration, and provide timely feedback. A few ways have been listed below which can help you explore the new dimensions of learning and career planning with the help of innovative activities on social media:

·       Discussion Forums: You can create study groups on sites like Google+, Facebook etc. in order to initiate discussions about specific subjects. Members of the group can post links, media, queries, editable documents, events, and can comment on the posts too. You can invite students from various schools to be a member of your groups as it will augment informative and qualitative aspects of the trending discussions. Request your teachers and seniors to monitor the authenticity and appropriateness of the content, and answer the queries posted on the study groups. Learning in collaboration with your peers and teachers will enable you to build better school communities. Moreover, it is fun too!

·       Class Blogs: If you are fond of blogging, create your own class blogs on sites like edublogs, weebly, kidsblog etc. Blogs are a form of online journal with one or several authors that encourage creative writing, improve grammar skills and enhance your knowledge about various subjects. You can also import study relevant blogs from Blogger, LiveJournal and other blogging services to your individual profiles or study groups.   

·       Expand your circle of knowledge: Sharing knowledge (or study material!) with others help you expand your knowledge horizon. You can help each other with homework and research by sharing documents, study material, assignments, and notes on sites like dropbox, scribd, icloud etc. Slideshare is the world’s largest community for sharing online presentations. You can also tag your friends in Facebook notes to share relevant information and embed images about specific educational topics and career information.

·       Nailing down the competitive exams: Preparation for competitive exams may elicit anxiety and stress. However, joining groups related to specific competitive/entrance exams like SSC, IAS, AIEEE, JEE, CLAT, NET, CTET, NCHMCT, NIFT and many more, wherein individuals discuss queries, share their experiences and other relevant information regarding the exams can provide some relief. It serves as a good platform for interaction between people who have passed the exam and those who are aspiring for it.

·       Straight from the horse’s mouth: Locate an expert in the field of your interest and ‘shadow’ them on the net. Sites for professional networking like LinkedIn helps you to view the profiles of professionals who are well placed in their careers. You can also follow them on Facebook to familiarize yourself with the ideas they broadcast and their public updates. You may also join career related pages or groups to know further about the practical aspects of your impending profession and the latest developments. Joining pages and groups of the colleges in which you are interested to study would acquaint you with the ethos of that college including its students, alumni, events and happenings.

Not only this much! In the age of Web 2.0, you can do much more with social media like initiate a campaign; spread awareness; assess the reviews of a particular educational course, college, and career; use google tools for education, find breaking news stories on Twitter, use geotagging to find places you are studying, download e-books and audio books from sites like libgen and ebooks, etc.

A Word of Caution!

In this digital age if you err in judgment, you could have massive repercussions. Any injudicious post on social media can be used against you in future by your prospective employer. Deletion is just an illusion as everything is recorded on their database even after it appears deleted. When in doubt, remember to opt for the discretion of your parents and teachers. Also, over dependence on the internet for every idea may surpass your own thoughts and creativity. 

“Participation is no longer an option as Social Media isn’t a spectator sport” (Solis 2008). Engaging in social media not only helps you shape your online presence but also make you digitally literate. So go ahead cautiously and discover the power of social media!

The article is published here: http://www.idreamcareer.com/social-media-for-career-planning/

A ‘Royal Road’ to Psychology!

If your mind is often boggled by the way our brain processes information, how we learn, why we forget; how  we think, why  we feel , why  people react the way they do, etc.; then your quest is likely to be answered by Psychology.

Psychology is a science that helps us understand describe and predict human (and animal) behaviors. It also explains cognitive processes, affective states, experiences and states of consciousness. This study is growing dynamically with the ever evolving society. It is a multifaceted discipline which lies at the crossroads of other disciplines like biology, medicine, sociology, linguistics, medicine, anthropology, history and education as its content overlaps with other subjects, with unfailing regularity It is considered  both as a Science and a Social Science, even though a majority of schools, offer it  with the Humanities stream.

What is ‘not’ Psychology?

You may have heard a lot of notion about Psychology which are commonly constructed and concretize the already existing myths regarding Psychology. For instance, we often hear that psychology is a ‘luxury for the rich’ and that it does not have much scope in the Indian context.  It is essential to deconstruct these false notions prevalent about the subject, so that you can make a well informed career decision.

a)    Psychology will not help you read minds, or predict what the other person will do next. Psychology is not an occult science but it empowers you to derive meaning from the otherwise not so obvious situations.

b)     A lot of students perceive psychology as easy and think that it would require no hard work. As they say, there is no shortcut to success! Psychology includes a lot of understanding and critical thinking as the subject matter deals with humans. In most of the boards like CBSE, there is due weightage allotted to practical work as well. Psychology is a challenging yet interesting subject. You can succeed with your efforts and determination.

c)    

    Psychology is considered as sheer common sense. People think that psychologists get paid huge sums of money for listening and giving advice which their family and folks can also give. They think that psychologists waste their time researching about stuff which is typically common sense. Just because something seems true does not necessarily make it so.. Psychologists study these research questions in a scientific manner and predict human behaviors based on the results and observations. Our commonly held beliefs and attitudes are assessed for truth and falsehood in a rational and objective way.

d)  An interesting misconception is that psychology will help you hypnotize people and extract their private information against their wishes. Hypnotism is a special technique which is practiced by a particular school of thought and their therapists. Not every counselor or psychologist knows how to practice it.

So the next time you hear any such myth, don’t forget to debunk it. After all, awareness is contagious too!

Career Prospects

The increasingly complex world has helped opportunities for psychology graduates to grow manifold. These range from working in hospitals and schools to NGOs and corporate houses. An undergraduate course in Psychology is career oriented as it offers atheoretical understanding ofthe major schools of thought along with providing practical skills in psychometric testing and various psychological tools. Specializations in the areas of Social Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Organizational Behavior (OB), Rehabilitative Psychology, Health Psychology, Sports Psychology and Medical Psychology are available. Those of you who opt for Counseling Psychology can further specialize in marital counseling, child counseling, family counseling, drug rehabilitation and trauma counseling. 

You can add to your skills  by opting for additional courses like Special Education and learning disabilities which train you to become special educators; both in mainstream and  special schools. As a matter of fact, it is now mandatory for schools to employ both a counselor and a special educator. Given the complexity of managing and retaining human capital, there is a growing demand for psychologists in the corporate sector as well. An MBA degree preceded by graduation in psychology, preferably Human Resource Management, is well sought in corporates. Well-established companies seek such professionals for recruitment, training, talent management, and learning and development. Research analysts studying consumer behavior and market trends are also sought by market research companies.

One can pursue a career in journalism, public relations and advertising too. A specialization in forensic psychology can get jobs in police departments and crime branches. You can study social work and pursue careers in NGOs, family courts and social welfare organizations. Further specialization in child and women welfare, educational needs and criminal behavior can be obtained. 

There is a lot of scope to pursue career in academics as a researcher, school teacher and assistant professor. After post-graduation in Psychology one can pursue B. Ed. and work as a PGT Psychology or clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) which is held every six months for eligibility as an assistant professor by the University Grants Commission (UGC). UGC also qualifies the meritorious candidates for Junior Research Fund (JRF) for pursuing PhD.

Your career choice notwithstanding, there are a few basic prerequisite qualities and skills that you need to possess, for a successful career in Psychology. Firstly, you should have good interpersonal skills and an inherent interest in human behavior Secondly, you should be able to empathize with people, and be patient and tolerant to various situations. Apart from this, trustworthiness, open mindedness and emotional stability are also essential qualities of an effective psychologist.

Studying psychology will not only give you a wide spectrum of career options to choose from, but is also likely to add positivity and harmony to your life. Apart from the financial benefits, intrinsic satisfaction and rewarding relationships are almost certain with a career in Psychology. What else can one ask for!

This article is published here:  http://www.idreamcareer.com/career-as-a-psychologist/

Beyond the Cognitive: Reflections from my Teaching Experience

"To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield" is the guiding philosophy of the school (name withheld) where I went for my School Experience Program. The ethos of the school reflects the ideals of Maharishi Dayanand and Mahatma Hansraj. It reflects the "Value System" prevalent in India which aims at nurturing our socio-cultural heritage as enshrined in the Vedas. Learners are imbibed by these values so as to develop them into good human beings. To this effect; the Vedic ritual of performing 'Havan' has a place of pride in the school’s curriculum and is performed regularly to purify the air and environment. The education in the school is an amalgamation of ancient Vedic values and contemporary scientific temperament. Along with the intellectual development, the school aims to promote the traditional Indian values with due emphasis on competence, creativity and inculcation of scientific outlook and aesthetic appreciation.

I taught Social sciences to class IX^th and Psychology to class XI^th. The majority of students in class IXth were boys whereas in class XIth it was the other way round. Though the students were full of energy and enthusiasm, their curriculum permitted little time for self-reflection, but I felt a need to re-channelize their energies. Interestingly, even though the boys in XIth std were less in number and got sufficient attention from the teacher, they were still reluctant to study and attempted different means to distract the teacher in order to avoid participation in the classroom. Exploring the issue further, I learnt that Psychology was offered as an option against Political Science. Perhaps it was because of a limited choice of subjects rather than the interest that compelled them to opt for Psychology. On the other hand, the girls looked forward to share their personal experiences which enriched the classroom discussion. This made me wonder whether the girls were more intuitive and inward looking or were they simply more interested in studying Psychology?

At the end of the term I felt a need to evaluate myself viz.-a-viz. my teaching and my interaction with my learners. I asked both the classes to fill a feedback performa which consisted of ten indicators of teacher effectiveness. Besides these indicators, there were a few qualitative questions. One of the questions required them to answer what they had learnt from their teacher. Quite a few of them wrote that they learned to control their anger. They mentioned that many a times they would try to provoke me, or enrage me, but I remained tranquil and composed.

I was both perplexed and touched by their responses, and what amazed me the most was that a similar feedback was received by not less than 12-13 students from both the classes. They perceived anger as a negative trait and, admired the teacher and her management of anger. This experience laid a path for a self-reflection of my journey as a teacher. I wanted to understand the way in which my learners conceptualized anger, why they expected me to be angry and how was I different from the other teachers? I was overwhelmed that I could make them aware of their anger and kindle a need to manage it.

I reflected on this underlying yet essential difference between the relationship they shared with me and the relationship they shared with other teachers. Before my School Experience Program, I had already reflected on the kind of relationship I wanted to establish with my learners. I viewed my learners as sentient beings who deserved respect and dignity. I encouraged them to share their thoughts and opinions while my focus remained inculcate sensitivity and tolerance in them. I don’t claim absolute tolerance but I never thought of using anger as a tool to establish control or discipline in the classroom.

I was amazed that the learners were aware of their naughty behavior and deliberately tried to elicit an aggressive reaction from their teacher. Not receiving the expected reaction made them perceive the teacher as different from the rest. While pondering over these issues, I began to read Krishnamurti and got many answers from him. He believed that there is a peculiar quality to aggression which is isolation. Even I feel that an aggressive person is alienated from the world. This alienation is twofold: one is when the world distances itself from him. Second is when the person is frustrated from the world and develop resentment towards it and creates a psychological barrier which prevents others from entering. When as teachers we get aggressive in classrooms, the students develop a fear for us and consider us as different from them. Students show their non-acceptance in the form of noncompliance. At times, this leads the teacher to develop a negative opinion about the students and distance herself from them. As far as my context is concerned, I still wonder whether I was able to form a personal connection with them at the affective level where a mutual understanding of others’ emotions prevailed or not.

I think that this is similar to what power and authority does to a human. When you are in an authoritative position you generally tend to look down upon others as less knowledgeable or less capable than you. A most common fallacy in which the teachers lead their entire life is that of supremacy. This sense of supremacy has emerged from our religious and cultural milieu which privilege gurus to enjoy supremacy even over God. Because of the prevalent norms around the conceptualization of guru it is being incongruously equated to teacher which gives her undue power. Although a teacher may feel a sense of pride to be considered as supreme but the underlying authority completely disengages the teacher with the learners. The role of teacher is reduced to passing knowledge and no deeper engagement is possible.

To my mind, for a teaching learning process to be effective, some amount of transformation should take place in the teacher as well as the learner’s personal transformation is initiated by the realization that you are capable of looking into your inner self. While I was reading the feedback of my students I felt as though I was undergoing some kind of transformation. Though I had an idea about the kind of relationship I will establish with my students I never consciously behaved in a subtle way or masked my anger. At that point I realized that it was not that I was trying to overcome my anger or control it. It was that I did not feel the emotion of anger at all. Krishnamurti said that you become what you fight. I think this happens because when you have to fight or control anger consciously, there will be an urge to keep on thinking about the ways to fight it. In this manner, the emotion of anger would still persist in our minds and no meaningful transformation would be probable. One may question that how can one get rid of anger and transform oneself.

I believe this can be arrived through self-awareness when one can attempt to delve deeper into oneself and try to comprehend the cause of anger. But this must be done objectively as a third person who witnesses. If we initiate a dialogue between ourselves and our anger, we tend to defend and attribute reasons which will not let us view it as it is. The problem of anger can be solved when we look at it without condemning it or passing judgments. Self-awareness is the first step forward on the path of personal transformation.

The transformation which we undergo would not be worthwhile if it doesn’t reach others. Would my transformation be meaningful if it was just restricted to me? I wouldn’t have considered my behavior as noteworthy if my students wouldn’t have learned from it. This experience became significant only because of its power to transform me as well as initiate a transformation in my learners. Though the transformation was implicit to me, it was effective as it was able to bring me closer to my inner self and my learners.

Therefore, I believe that personal transformation can’t take place in seclusion. It will lose its significance if social transformation would not follow. The personal transformation I experienced was a result of my deeper engagement with not only myself but also with others.