ARE WE REALLY SOCIAL WITH SOCIAL MEDIA? Erasmus Project

Project Title

ARE WE REALLY SOCIAL WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Gender equality / equal opportunities; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

In human history there were three civilization phases, the first phase was called the agricultural revolution , the second was industrial revolution, and the third was called information revolution or the age (Toffler, 1980). The information revolution has brought a new way of life in economic, social, cultural and political areas. Information and Communication Technologies are regarded as one of the most important factors that provide this structural transformation in the process of transition from industrial society to information society.

According to a survey which was conducted by TUIK (2018) to determine the purpose of personal usage of Internet in the last 3 months in our country (Turkey), the percentage of those who use Internet in order to use social platforms/networks amounted to 86.9% for males, for females 80.7% and totally to 84.1%. Also, according to “Digital in 2018 Report” (WeAreSocial), Turkey is the first country in Europe with 2 hours 48 minutes on average of social media daily usage. A new research in 2019 conducted by Growth From Knowledge and Cereyan Medya, showed that 80% of the people in Turkey have social media account and they spend 4 hours on social media daily. In that, misuse or excessive use emerges from inadequate competencies and is therefore interpreted as usage disorder or addiction in the literature. According to these studies results, excessive use of social media cause depression, social anxiety, less life satisfaction, less self-esteem, social isolation, low academic performance, mental and physical problems, addiction and cyberbullying. Online environments have become a needed technology which is used by all age groups in almost every aspect of life.

Therefore, it is necessary to assess the risks carried by the results which are generated by effects of applications that young people adapted quickly, rather than to qualify beneficial or harmful. Especially, investigating the purpose, frequency, duration and meaning of social media environments of the students in the school age according to their development periods are important on behalf of reducing risks that will be encountered. It is a fact that the individual spends an average of 4 hours a day in social media. These don’t mean that there are no benefits of social media, but as can be seen in the results of the researches, pros and cons of this issue must be examined.

In this context, we defined our objectives in three main titles keeping in mind specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based criteria:
– To create awareness about excessive use and misuse of social media
– To improve digital competences
– To explore alternative ways of spending time

Developing the digital competences to use the social media consciously, creating awareness about the disadvantages of social media among students, teachers and parents, observing the efficiency of good practices conducted internationally and putting forward innovative suggestions. This ICT based project is organized by Muğla Şehit Ziya İlhan Dağdaş VET School. We have 5 partners from Crotia, Estonia, Poland, Latvia and Turkey. While we were choosing our partners, we mainly focused on their works, activities, knowledge, experiences, motivations and solution proposals in our subject.

To reach our goals, activities will be performed by PRINCE2 methodology which includes analysis and a specific research design for examining a problem. Also, teachers should have digital competencies for the transfer of results and experiences to students. And finally, the education programs of high schools in all partners will be examined, their strengths and weaknesses will be identified and solution suggestions will be debated.

It is obvious that Erasmus+ projects ensure participants to get in contact with other cultures and improve intercultural communicative skills and become more motivated for learning or improving foreign language competencies. Communication and cooperation between partners’ staff will also reinforce the own organized culture among them. We will collect data which can be reused and re-edited internationally to determine teachers’ and students’ relevant needs. Therefore, it will provide significant contributions to the vision of the schools involved as developers in this project.

Our target groups are students, teachers and parents. Sharing of teachers’ and students’ knowledge and experiences at schools will contribute to future generations being aware of the disadvantages of social media overuse. Being aware about it and having digital competences are directly proportionated and both make people more successful in social life. So, problems about this issue will reduce thanks to awareness and students will adapt school environment and changing society more easily. It’s obvious that ICT is irreplaceable part of 21st cent. and future, it is also important to use it in the right way to build healthy relationships and society.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 156311 Eur

Project Coordinator

Mugla Sehit Ziya Ilhan Dagdas Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi & Country: TR

Project Partners

• XX Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace
• DAUGAVPILS 16.VIDUSSKOLA
• XI. GIMNAZIJA
• Zubeyde Hanim Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi
• Narva Pähklimäe Gümnaasium