App # 1 for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use-Slack
Slack is a software built to replace emails and “SMS" in teamwork projects. Slack offers a searchable history feature where you can go back to what you said without having to remember. Going back to a message that from months or years ago is difficult or near impossible in email or “SMS" when teamwork is involved. Slack offers three packages free, standard, plus, and enterprise grid. If you are not sure if slack is your best option or your team is small and just starting, use the free package. The free package is full of goodies to enable short term usage. Only ten thousand messages will be stored for your team and deleted when they exceed that limit. A maximum of ten app integrations (Office 365, Google Drive ) is allowed. The free version also offers one on one video and voice chat between teammates.
The standard version has unlimited message storage with monthly billing. It is best for long term usage in a small-sized group. There is no limit to the number of integrated apps. The standard package gives one-on-one voice and video chat for up to 15 teammates. Slack standard offers secure collaboration with other companies within and without slack.
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I selected the free version to use with my classmates for discussion. It went on to send my friends an invite in their emails with an address that they could join. The usernames appear on the left side of the panel.
Using slack is easy, only an email is required to begin. One creates a workspace that asks for the email. A verification code is sent to your email. Input your username, so that slack knows you. Next, you need to create an address for your slack workspace that ends with “.slack.com”. You can send invites via email to coworkers or teammates.
I created a channel that discusses schoolwork. On the left panel, there is a list of channels and a list of usernames under the heading “messages". At the bottom, the bar is where you input messages. Before typing messages it is important to click either a channel to
post a message on the channel or a username to directly message that person.
slack.com
App # 2 for Personal, Pedagogical, or Professional Use-Zoom
Zoom is a video conferencing app used in online classes, meetings, and telecommuting. Zoom has enabled companies to be productive during the quarantine. Sign up is free using email or Facebook. Upon creating an account you get a dashboard that allows you to manage meetings and create meeting templates.
Click to host a meeting with your video on or off, or just sharing your screen. A generated link is shared to invite other participants. You need to download Zoom to your device if it's the first time using it. Participants have a unique participant id. You can mute audio so that other participants can’t hear you. You can also turn off the video in the bottom bar. To invite others you need to create a meeting password and send emails to others. In the meeting, you can mute all audio when you want all your attention to yourself.
We chose Zoom due to its low latency and ability to share whiteboards and draw diagrams in a stream. The chat can add files and send messages to individuals or the group. The Zoom meeting can also be recorded for future references. You can leave if you are not hosting and end the whole Zoom meeting if you are the host. It is free for 40 minutes. Zoom is very relevant to teaching as you can stream boards to students and encourage class participation during the lockdown (Szente, 2020).
zoom.us
App #1-Snapchat
Snapchat is a camera app with the capabilities of sharing messages known as snaps. Snaps can be videos or images. The app has powerful filters that use artificial intelligence to add objects like rainbows and bunny ears to a face picture. These cool features enable kids to show their creativity and sense of humor. The fun behind the snaps is what is r appealing to the kids. One unique feature is the disappearing snaps. As the name suggests, once the snaps are shared they delete themselves. A snap map enables you to view snap stories around you that are scattered on a heat map so you don’t miss out on a social buzz around your area.
After opening a Snapchat account, I discovered that there was no restriction between adults and children in the app. It did not come as a surprise when I chose to search for other public snaps that I came across content unfit for kids’ consumption. If Snapchat created a special ecosystem for kids then it could be safer for them.
Snapchat restricts the age limit to thirteen years, however, asks for no means of verification. There is a hidden danger in the usage of disappearing snaps with countdown timers (Charteris et al., 2016). The user's attention is heavily focused for a very short time. A student's attention span needs to be long enough to sit a full class lesson. Snapchat is designed to grab attention and features like a snap streak that rewards a user for continuously sending snaps 24 hours a day for three continuous days.
As children grow, it is important to teach them productive values such as time management while using apps. Teach children about the attention economy and how engineers employ all tactics to keep them glued to their screens. This is a cautionary measure that ensures the cognitive health of children and that their time is used productively.
www.snapchat.com
App#2 Tiktok
Known as the short video sharing app that makes your day, Tiktok is not short of videos that can make you laugh on a bad day. The app requires an email and a username to get started. On the app's homepage, several thumbnails call for attention and upon clicking them, a short video plays. Creativity is on high display with music cuts, lip-sync, and video effects that can rival Hollywood all that in an app. There is the option of following a user, liking their content, and also commenting on the content.
Finding a post related to topics of interest is easy. Simply type into the search bar at the top a text preceded with a "#" symbol. Short video posts have these tags on them with related topics and challenges. The reward is a showcasing of the user profile on top of a certain page for a week giving the user a celebrity status for a while. Upon searching for educative videos, I found content that taught mathematics by solving quadratic equations in a short period. However, I noticed that time flew fast as I scrolled upward and endless funny short clips kept streaming as I burst into laughter.
From my usage of the app, I noticed that it can be distracting if one is using the app for official purposes. Tiktok is best used for entertainment. A warning is the probability of addiction to rewards due to short videos. Misuse of time is possible with children when such entertaining apps are in use. It is imperative to note that addiction is not limited to chemical rewards and the brain recognizes a reward even as a pleasing experience (Kuem et al., 2018). This leads to low productivity and damaged interpersonal relationships.
Parents must keep track of the app usage levels of their children from a young age. Children should be taught the value of time and the essence of using it productively.
tiktok.com
App#3 Whatsapp
Whatsapp is a mobile and desktop messaging app that allows users to create groups for discussions or send personal messages. One can share a status reel of images or short video clips that have texts with status descriptions appended. One can make a voice call or a video call to other users.
To open a Whatsapp account, a phone number is needed. You have an option of uploading a profile picture that will be visible to users on your contact list. Whatsapp displays to other users your online status. Be careful with ignoring messages, as Whatsapp notifies the sender of a message if they have been left on reading by a two-tick system. One tick beside a message shows that the recipient has not received it, two ticks indicate received but not opened, when the ticks turn blue, it is read.
Whatsapp is a powerful tool at your disposal. I am concerned with harassment with messages. If one is not interested in replying, there is a risk of looking rude to the sender and possible anger among teenagers who are looking for the attention of their peers. It could lead to cyberbullying.
Beware of fake news spreading on Whatsapp (Herero-Diz et al., 2020), since there is no fact-checking technology in use. Information spreads faster than it can be checked for truth.
Parents are advised to know the friends that their children interact with online just as they know their real-life friends.
whatsapp.com
App#4 – Instagram
Instagram is an application that allows you to take photos and videos and share them. It allows you to follow other user's pages. You can find local celebrities if you want to keep up with their life.
Instagram gives you a timeline that contains recent posts by the people you follow. You can follow friends and family. Instagram helps you edit a picture with filters before posting it. Adding a cation gives the picture context.
There is a discover page where there are public posts that one can explore. Here you can find people to follow in case posts interest you. Not to worry, you can keep your account private to keep your posts only visible to your followers.
You can direct message the people you follow. Instagram requires your phone or email to start.No age verification is needed to access Instagram. At the top of your homepage, stories of users you follow are displayed.
www.instagram.com
App#5–Discord
Discord is a communication app designed for communities to collaborate and share discussions about different topics. This app has features that include voice chat, video group chat, and text chat. Discord incorporates all other social media apps making it very powerful.
To begin you need to set up a discord server. The server offers a text channel and a voice channel. You can name channels to anything based on the channel’s utility.
In server settings, you can add custom roles for members of your server. Users of your channel can have custom settings. Here you are customizing servers and the power of moderators. Permissions are at the core of this app. It is possible to mute voice chats of members too. To avoid spamming and streaming in your server, you have full control. You can kick out bullies and spammers. Discord has numerous features that empower a user. You can mute other users in your channel.
You can use bots in your discord server and give it automation roles. Bots in discord are marked with a yellow color. The bot can do basic features like giving roles and sending welcome messages to new members. It can also ping everyone on your server, notifying them you are live streaming in your Youtube account. Discord offers video calls and streaming capabilities. In channels that are marked as NSFW(Not Safe For Work), users have to confirm they are 18 years and above to use. Game developers and publishers can verify their accounts and get community badges. Users can boost each other’s servers to get extra features and improvements.
Like any other communication app, it is important to be safe from cyberbullying. Parents need to monitor their children’s usage and their psychological state to see if they are less productive or are losing touch with reality.
Safeguard recommended is planning time usage of the app. Parents can agree with the children about the amount of time per day they spend on the phone.
discord.com
References
Charteris, J., Gregory, S., & Masters, Y. (2018). ‘Snapchat’, youth subjectivities and sexuality: disappearing media and the discourse of youth innocence. Gender and Education , 30 (2), 205-221.
Herrero-Diz, P., Conde-Jiménez, J., & Reyes de Cózar, S. (2020). Teens’ Motivations to Spread Fake News on WhatsApp. Social Media+ Society , 6 (3), 2056305120942879.
Kuem, J., Ray, S., Hsu, P. F., & Khansa, L. (2020). Smartphone Addiction and Conflict: An Incentive-Sensitisation Perspective of Addiction for Information Systems. European Journal of Information Systems , 1-22.
Szente, J. (2020). Live Virtual Sessions with Toddlers and Preschoolers Amid COVID-19: Implications for Early Childhood Teacher Education. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education , 28 (2), 373-380.
