Mutually Communicating and Informing

Upon arrival at their respective locations, interns could send messages to teachers, parents and colleagues using a blog. The internship service as well as teachers, parents and friends could receive the news using the ‘What do you think?’ tab. This feature permitted us to act quickly on behalf of students, even on a daily basis when necessary. At times we were able to ‘chat’ directly with students who were online.

Breaking the Feeling of Isolation

At the ITHQ, we are aware of the need to manage boredom and depression, given that for the majority of students this is their first time away from home and friends for such an extended period of time and that they are truly scattered across the globe. The internship service created a ‘telephone aid line’ using our Facebook profile to allow students to soldier on giving mutual encouragement to meet the challenges which are a part of their profession and the internship process.

Improving Communication

Photo attachments in messages made certain information much more understandable. A picture spoke a thousand words when the internship service could receive a photo of student accommodation attached to a complaint about that issue. A judgment as to whether the student’s discomfort was justified or merely a case of culture shock was easier to make and in the second case, the service was able to give appropriate support to help the student make the transition from North American values to those of their host location. After an adjustment period of about two weeks to their environment, student communication took the form of e-mail to parents, friends or the ITHQ.

Promoting Sociability

As Facebook is a social medium, we were able to send birthday greetings to ‘friends’ as we knew their birthdays. The internship service also built a photo album with pictures from events that happened over the summer which was shown during the graduation ceremony. Back from their assignments, students expressed great appreciation over the constant support and on-going social contact that allowed them to stay in touch with their friends, their parents and their school from around the planet. Facebook delivered an amazing enriching pedagogical experience for both students and the ITHQ.

Have you had a similar experience using social media? Share your views using our Reader Response feature.

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