ESP Teachers and Security and Privacy issues
Content
From the perspective of ESP educators: Legal and ethical issues in the use of mobile based Facebook learning.
Abstract In today’s world, more and more institutions of higher education are exploiting the benefits of mobile mobile learni learning. ng. Using Using Facebo Facebook ok as the educat education ional al tool tool to enabl enable e learne learners rs to stay stay connected with the learning at all times can significantly enhance the knowledge acquisition process and combining the use of Facebook with the mobile learning can help forming a hybrid teaching methodology which can facilitate E! learning in the quickest, most effecti"e and efficient way. #eedless to say that this fairly new teaching methodology poses certain le"el of risks and challenges to its users and it is extremely important to identify and then resol"e these issues so that the desired language outcomes can be successfully achie"ed. $hese risks and chal challe leng nges es can can not not only only hamp hamper er the the pace pace of lear learni ning ng but but caus cause e demo demoti ti"a "ati tion on and and unwillingness unwillingness to cooperate with the learning process for both E! learners and teachers. $hrough this study, the security and pri"acy problems are discussed as the two chosen ethical and legal issues for the mobile based Facebook learning. $he research examines examines the impact of these issues from the perspecti"es of E! educators and based on the results from the inter"ie inter"iews, ws, makes makes the conclusio conclusion n and recommendati recommendations ons for remedying remedying these problems. Introduction: $hanks to mobile learning, the uni"ersities and colleges across the globe are able to reach out to their learners in the fast, most effecti"e and efficient way possible. %a"ing an ideal and prod produc ucti ti"e "e mobi mobile le lear learni ning ng en"i en"iro ronm nmen entt can can enab enable le teac teache hers rs to ha"e ha"e plet pletho hora ra of opportunities for pedagogy, knowledge knowledge distribution and interacti"e sessions. &ith the help of mobi mobile le lear learni ning ng,, stud studen entt can can ha"e ha"e an ease ease in inte intera ract ctin ing g with with educ educat ator ors s and and thei their r counterparts and ha"e great assistance in their learning by ha"ing "ast number of learning materials on their disposal. $he use of mobile learning in e"aluating students’ performances is also one of its "ital benefits. 'n t he one hand, with the help of mobile learning de"ices and their applications, E! practitioners can deli"er learning content and engage their students in a learning process which is dynamic, flexible and allows a certain degree of freedom and independence that, through the results of some studies, ha"e pro"en to be quite beneficial for the higher moti"ations of both the learners and teachers. 'n the other hand, use of Facebook as a learning tool and combining it with mobile learning can form a hybrid teaching meth method odol olog ogy y which hich help helps s E! E! teac teache hers rs to ha"e ha"e two two most most pow powerfu erfull medi medium ums s of communication on their disposal and the effecti"e use of this modern teaching method can significantly assist E! students in their desired knowledge acquisition. It is interesting to note that although the use of Facebook in E! teaching is relati"ely a new phenomenon phenomenon but it is gaining momentum and up to this date, a fair amount of studies ha"e been conducted to explore the producti"e use of Facebook leaning for t he language students. $he use of Faceb Facebook ook in E! learni learning ng allow allows s teache teachers rs to ha"e ha"e se"era se"erall ad"an ad"antag tages es,, especial especially ly when it comes comes to monitorin monitoring, g, pro"iding pro"iding feedback feedback and comparin comparing g results results and findings in an effecti"e and efficient manner. 'ne of the examples of using this hybrid teaching methodology is when E! practitioners are required to run an E! course related to technical writing of pilots and air technicians. $he teachers can create a class Facebook
page and in"ite students to (oin the group. 'nce all the students ha"e been added then teacher can start posting the writing prompts and some "ideos rele"ant to the topic and then ask students to watch the "ideos to establish the required knowledge to produce a short essay by considering these prompts. etting a deadline is necessary and once students start posting their works then teachers can pro"ide their feedback instantly and help learners to alle"iate mistakes and problems. )ccessing Facebook on their mobile de"ices can help increasing the efficacy of this whole process of learning for the learners it can cause increased moti"ation because according to many researchers, it has been concluded that learners learn quicker and better when they are in their comfort *ones. +espite of se"eral benefits associated to mobile learning and the use of Facebook in language acquisition, there are some "ery serious challenges and risks that need to be kept in mind before educational institutions grant permission for the use this hybrid teaching methodology. ome of he most challenging and difficult issues to deal with in mobile based Facebook learning are related to the problems about security and pri"acy of the details of the users. alfunctioning of mobile de"ices, loss of signals and wifi connecti"ity, thefts and risk of hacking are some of the commonly discussed problems too. &hen it comes to using Facebook for educational purposes, lack of interest, fear and scepticism about peers, teachers’ re"iews and comments are some of the main issues -afar, /0123. It is without a doubt an established fact that mobiles phones are prone to se"eral risks and this could also a serious challenge to o"ercome for the E! practitioners to promote mobile based Facebook learning -%owel, et.al., /0043. In addition to this, there is another important issue which is to find the right balance between the E! practitioners’ typical responsibilities and the extra workload due to the use of this hybrid teaching methodology. tudies ha"e pro"ed that more workload means less producti"ity and in the case of E! teachers, their (obs are already "ery demanding, requiring them to deal with multiple areas of language acquisition process 5 pedagogy so o"erwhelming them with the additional work of managing and monitoring mobile based Facebook learning may cause demoti"ation and lack of acceptance of this new teaching approach -'sang and $suma, /0163. $he structure of this paper deals with the pre"ious studies and their findings in relation to the topic of this paper first. Furthermore, it attempts to describe the research question and the methodology for obtaining the results for analyses and discussion. Finally, it draws the conclusion based on the findings and suggests scope of further research in the pertaining areas of mobile learning within the context of E! learning
Literature Review
$he ad"ent of mobile learning has made learning more flexible and enabled students ha"e certain le"el of freedom when it comes to studying -&agner, /0043. 'ne of the reasons of mobile learning being accepted and recogni*ed by the teachers as well as the learner because there has been unprecedented growth in the mobile phones industry and the latest de"elopments has made mobile phones technologically so ad"anced that their functions are increasingly utili*ed by the language teachers to promote and deli"er language skills and expertise. 7ooking back at those times when the si*e of mobile phones and tablets were the biggest obstacles in the mobility of these de"ices, it was out of question to come up with the idea of using mobile learning in the language classrooms but in the last decade, the introduction of touch screen and ultra light mobile phones and other mobile de"ices ha"e pushed the demand further for the use of mobile learning for language acquisition purposes $he rise of mobile learning in the language classrooms can also be attributed to the rise of issues and problems which are unique an exclusi"e to mobile learning. $he increasing risks of information security and pri"acy issues in the case of the use of mobile de"ices in E! classroom are some of the ma(or issues which need constant attention. )llowing students to
bring their mobile de"ices into the classrooms can exacerbate the security and pri"acy problems for the teachers as well as the learners. From the teachers’ point of "iews, the extra monitoring and sur"eillance to make sure that the mobile learning for students is problem free and the security and pri"acy of the information and the mobile de"ices are not compromised is one of the significant challenges and a huge responsibility and less prepared teachers can significantly get demoti"ated due and lose interest in mobile learning. ome other ma(or problems, that can be caused by the security and pri"acy issues, for the E! teachers in mobile learning can be related with the safety and confidentiality of the information and de"ices which can be comprised in case of the de"ices are accessed by an unauthori*ed person. Furthermore, inability to keep the information secure on the mobile gadgets is also one of the ma(or problems. #ot being able to restrict or stop the hateful and8or illicit actions can also lead to some serious issues in mobile learning and of course, the inadequate filtration of data and not following the copyright law may pose serious and damaging consequences for the users of mobile learning in E! class -%wang, et.al.,/0043. It is without a doubt an established fact that the use of mobile based Facebook learning is relati"ely a new teaching methodology that is still going through the phase of recognition and acceptance among the language teachers. $hough this new hybrid teaching methodology is getting positi"e response, the popularity of this teaching technique is being held back due to the some serious risks and problems. 'ne of the most important issues is the safety and security of the students’ information while being engaged in Facebook based mobile learning. &hen engage with mobile based Facebook learning, not only teachers need to make sure that the risks related to the use of mobile de"ices are "ery well explained and the required precautionary measures are taken to ward off any potential threats related to the security and pri"acy issues of mobile de"ices, they also ha"e to educate students to the potential threats related to the use of Facebook on mobile de"ices. It is concluded from numerous researches that Facebook does not ha"e "ery robust security system in place to guard the users’ information. $he password protection to keep the accounts safe from the unauthori*ed access, use of an +9 as an authori*ation and stressing on encryption are some measures that Facebook takes to keep up with the security and pri"acy of their users but they are not enough to completely secure the users data and their respecti"e accounts. )ccording to some researchers, the inability of Facebook to completely alle"iate the security problem is the biggest challenge for them in the modern time -:ones and oltren, /0093. &hene"er language teachers decide to opt for mobile learning and combing it with the Facebook, they must be ready for some ma(or security and pri"acy issues that they are bound to encounter while creating the learning en"ironment. Focusing particularly on the technological de"ices and their related problems, some of the ma(or issues can range from the theft of mobile de"ices to software and hardware issues. ome other issues like phishing, and the risk of unscrupulous users accessing their accounts may also deter teachers to a"oid this new teachning methodlogy -)ll, /00;3. $he issue of pri"acy and security settings is not gi"en much importance when it comes to the users of the social networking websites especially Facebook. 'n the one hand, a lot of users simply ignore the recommended security measures and keep their profile open to anyone who wants to see and check their profiles while on the other hand, most of the #s like Facebook do not ha"e a secured default settling to pri"acy and a person who the user does not know can still see his information but it is worth to state that e"en the most secured pri"acy setting is prone to attackers’ access to user’s information -<uatilaka, /0113. $he Facebook users’ own ignorance towards the security of their details such as gi"ing out their passwords to their friends and family members to take care of the management of their numerous profiles is also fuelling the increased numbers of online security and pri"acy problems mainly identity thefts and authentication %ogben -/00;3. Facebook being the
largest #s has also been labelled as the leading cause of the security issues for its users -ophos, /00;3. In this research, the issues and challenges which E! teachers consider important are discussed. $his research stri"es to ass E! teachers’ point of "iews on the problems and challenges related to security and pri"acy issues which ha"e potential to hamper the language acquisition process when students are engages in Facebook based mobile learning. Research uestion ESP teachers: Inter"iew 1. &hat are the "ital issues hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning for the students and educators in the E! classrooms= !ethodolog" $he inter"iews are used as the key method of gathering the data for this research. $hey primarily target the E! educators from the uni"ersity. In the inter"iews, the teachers are asked the question regarding the "ital issues hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning for the students and educators in the E! classrooms. It is made sure that the respondents’ details are kept anonymous, the faculties and the uni"ersity’s name are not re"ealed, and the data is only used for the research purposes. tatistical graphs, diagrams, and tables are used to analyse and depict the results.
#utcome $he results from the inter"iews are used to answer the research questions. $he details are as follows>
ESP teachers: Inter"iew $% &hat are the vital issues hindering the process of Facebook based ESP learning for the students and the educators in the ESP classrooms' $o answer this question, 9 E! teachers are selected from the two chosen faculties of the foreign languages, and English literature. $he inter"iews were conducted in person and the results show that 40? of the teachers consider the loss of data, loss and or theft of mobile de"ices, internet problems, identity theft, online performance on Facebook, criticism of peers and teachers, sharing comments and re"iews on Facebook for learning, teacher’s re"iew of work on a shared platform and peer assessment as the most "ital issues hindering the process of mobile based Facebook learning for the E! students. $he same percentage of the educators -40?3 also belie"e that the E! learners’ carelessness in posting and sharing comments and other learning materials may cause issues which would be difficult to monitor and deal with. @0? of the teachers indicate that they are quite reluctant to encourage students to use their mobile de"ices and access Facebook for E! learning because of the aforementioned security and pri"acy issues. $hey feel that for the E! learners, any security or pri"acy issue they face while being in"ol"ed in this type of learning may hold them accountable. 20? of them also consider negati"e attitude and lack of interest towards the use of technology in E! learning by some of the students as an important issue. /0? consider the issues related to the I$ infrastructure in E! classroom causing problems for this type of E! learning among the learners. 10? of the teachers depict that the lack of
E! teachers’ knowledge in I$ in general and social networking sites i.e. Facebook in particular, and unwillingness to encourage learners to use mobile de"ices for E! learning "ia Facebook are also some of the key factors hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning among the students. Issues highlighted in the intervie( )ESP teachers% 7oss of data 7oss and or theft of mobile phone Internet problems Identity theft online performance on Facebook criticism of peers and teachers sharing comments and re"iews on Facebook teacher’s re"iew of work on a shared platform !eer assessment E! learners’ carelessness in posting and sharing comments $eachers’ reluctance to encourage students for using mobile de"ices #egati"e attitude and lack of interest -E! $eachers 5 tudents3 I$ infrastructure 7ack of knowledge in I$ and #s of E! teachers. *able /: %ighlighted issues in the inter"iew with the E! teachers
*eachers+ responses -?3
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2iscussion Aased on the feedback from the inter"iews of the E! teachers, it is quite e"ident that a number of the highlighted issues in the questionnaires i.e. the loss of data, loss and or theft of mobile de"ices, internet problems, identity theft, online performance on Facebook, criticism of peers and teachers, sharing comments and re"iews on Facebook for learning, teacher’s re"iew of work on a shared platform and peer assessment, are considered important and most frequently occurring problems affecting the pace of the E! learning of the students by the E! educators. a(ority of the teachers also confirm that the E! learners’ carelessness in posting, sharing comments and other learning materials can pose serious problems not only for them but for their peers as well. Beluctance in encouraging students to use their mobile de"ices and accessing Facebook for E! learning by the teachers is also an issue that is brought to light during the inter"iew and more than half of the teachers think that it could be because of the security and pri"acy risks associated with this type of Facebook based learning on mobile. ome educators also feel that they do not want to be held accountable in case of any of these issues get experienced by the students. ome of the teachers also point out the students’ negati"e attitudes and lack of interest towards the use of technology cause problems in this type of learning. Inadequate I$ infrastructure i.e. slow or inaccessible internet, lack of computers and other related de"ices and so on, is also considered a "ital issue by some of the E! educators and in their opinions, it causes demoti"ation and unwillingness among the teachers about the usage of mobile based learning "ia Facebook. 7ack of E! teachers’ knowledge in I$ in general and social networking sites i.e. Facebook in particular, and unwillingness to encourage learners to use mobile de"ices for E! learning "ia Facebook are also considered some of the key factors hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning among the students by the E! teachers during the inter"iew. 3onclusion and further research
$his research discusses the "iews of the E! educators about the security and pri"acy issues in the mobile based Facebook learning. $he use of mobile de"ices to get in"ol"ed in Facebook based E! learning is relati"ely a new teaching technique and though it is found from the research that not many E! educators ha"e a great deal of knowledge about this type of teaching method, they certainly accept its benefits and are willing to experience it. ecurity and pri"acy issues highlighted in this research are of great concern for E! educators and it is quite essential to address these problems in order for this new teaching technique to become popular and practiced in the E! classrooms. $he security of the mobile de"ices and to make sure that the details on them are safe and protected is not only the responsibility of the E! educators but the E! learners too. E! educators should make sure that the students are gi"en a thorough induction on the whole teaching process, benefits, risks and precautions about the mobile based teaching "ia Facebook which consequently allows students to gain the necessary knowledge in security and pri"acy issues as well as pro"ide them the required confidence and moti"ation so that they can be more acceptable towards this teaching technique. tudents should be clearly ad"ised to follow the standardised and prescribed security and pri"acy measures to make their learning risks free and smooth. Furthermore, teachers, being moderators, should also make sure the continuous and efficient monitoring of all the learner’s online acti"ities on Facebook on constant basis so that no confidential information and data of the learners are shared online. oreo"er, they should keep a close eye on students’ works and comments being shared on Facebook to identity any issues related to some students’ hesitation to take part in learning, eradicating bullying, and any sort of negati"ity. In conclusion, the use of mobile de"ices for Facebook based E! learning does not only pro"ide autonomy to the teachers but enable students to take control of pace, progress and producti"ity of their learning too. ecurity and pri"acy issues can deter learners as well as the educators to a"oid using mobile based Facebook learning in the E! classrooms so it is important to comply with the suggested security and pri"acy measures in order to make the learning process secure, effecti"e and efficient for the learners. $his study aims to explore the "iews of educators about the security and pri"acy issues while using Facebook on mobile de"ices within the context of the E! learning so any further research may explore the implication of these issues in English for <eneral !urposes, English for )cademic purposes or any other genres of the English language acquisition. $he larger data sample, examination of other legal and ethical issues than the ones discussed in this research, and using E! students or gender as the main focus for the sur"ey and inter"iews can also be the good starting points for any future research. References )ll, ., -/00;3, obile 7earning $ransforming the +eli"ery of Education and $raining, http>88www.*akeli(k.net8media8boeken8obile?/07earning.pdf, I# 1;1;C26;0 Issues in +istance Education eries -'nline3, p.p. 12DC124. E. +. &agner, Beali*ing the promises of mobile learning, :. Gomputing in %igher Education, "ol. /0, no. /, -/0043, pp. 2C12 <. :. %wang, G. G. $sai and . :. %. Hang, Griteria, trategies and Besearch Issues of GontextC)ware Ubiquitous 7earning. Educational $echnology 5 ociety, "ol. 11, no. /, -/0043, pp. 41C;1.
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content8uploads8/01/8028gsmasafeguardingsecurityandpri"acyinmobileeducationwhitepaper. pdf , pp.1@. <unatilaka, +.,- /0113, ) sur"ey of pri"acy and security issues in social networks, http>88www.cse.wustl.edu8(ain8cse9D1C118ftp8social.pdf , !.2C9. %ogben, E.<., -/00;3, ecurity issues in the future of social networking, E#I) !osition !aper for &6G &orkshop on the Future of ocial #etworking, p. 6C2. http>88www.w6.org8/00480;8msnws8papers8FutureJofJ#J<ilesJ%ogbenJE#I).pdf :ones, %., oltren. :.%., -/0093, Facebook> $hreats to !ri"acy, !ro(ect )G> I$ !ro(ect p./@C/D http>88groups.csail.mit.edu8mac8classes8@.4098studentCpapers8fall09Cpapers8facebook.pdf Lim, %., 7ee, ., 5 Lim, . -/0123. Effects of obile Instant essaging on Gollaborati"e 7earning !rocesses and 'utcomes> $he Gase of outh Lorea. Educational $echnology 5 ociety, 1D -/3,p.6/. Lumar, et al.,-/0193, ocial networking sites and their security issues, International :ournal of cientific and Besearch !ublications, Kolume 6, Issue 2, )pril /016, pp. /C6. http>88citeseerx.ist.psu.edu8"iewdoc8download=doiM10.1.1.600.2@D95repMrep15typeMpdf
7enhart, ), et al., -/0113. $een kindness and cruelity on social networking sites> http>88www.pewinternet.org8/01181180;8teensCkindnessCandCcrueltyConCsocialCnetworkCsites8 #eil 5 c+e"itt )ttorneys online session, /010> http>88www.nealmcde"itt.com8assets8news8$opJ10JocialJediaJ7egalJIssuesJFI#)7.!+F ophos -/0103, ecurity $hreat Beport> /010, a"ailable at http>88www.sophos.com $owards aturity’s InCfocus Beport, -/0163> http>88towardsmaturity.org8shop8wpC content8uploads8/0168018InCFocusC/016CBeportCobileC7earning.pdf , p.;. U#EG' Institute for I$ in Education, -/0103, obile learning for quality education and social inclusion, http>88iite.unesco.org8pics8publications8en8files86/12@D;.pdf , p.@. U#EG' &orking !aper, -/001/3, obile learning and policies> Ley issues to consider, http>88unesdoc.unesco.org8images800/1800/1D@8/[email protected] , pp.6;C20. &ishart, :. and <reen, +.,- /0103, Identifying Emerging Issues in obile 7earning in %igher and Further Education> ) report to :IG, Betrie"ed 'ctober, /010 C bristol.ac.uk, p. /D. http>88www.bristol.ac.uk8mediaClibrary8sites8education8migrated8documents8emergereport.pdf afar, .). -/0193, $he role of social networking websites in assisting blended learning class discussion and peer assessment in an E! classroom, English for pecific !urposes &orld, I# 1@4/C6/9D, www.espCworld.info, Issue 22, Kol. 19, /012, pC/C6. afar, .). -/0193, $he role of social networking websites in assisting blended learning class discussion and peer assessment in an E! classroom, English for pecific !urposes &orld, I# 1@4/C6/9D, www.espCworld.info, Issue 22, Kol. 19, /012, pC6.
*eachers+ intervie(:
&hat are the "ital issues hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning for the students and educators in the E! classrooms=
Abstract In today’s world, more and more institutions of higher education are exploiting the benefits of mobile mobile learni learning. ng. Using Using Facebo Facebook ok as the educat education ional al tool tool to enabl enable e learne learners rs to stay stay connected with the learning at all times can significantly enhance the knowledge acquisition process and combining the use of Facebook with the mobile learning can help forming a hybrid teaching methodology which can facilitate E! learning in the quickest, most effecti"e and efficient way. #eedless to say that this fairly new teaching methodology poses certain le"el of risks and challenges to its users and it is extremely important to identify and then resol"e these issues so that the desired language outcomes can be successfully achie"ed. $hese risks and chal challe leng nges es can can not not only only hamp hamper er the the pace pace of lear learni ning ng but but caus cause e demo demoti ti"a "ati tion on and and unwillingness unwillingness to cooperate with the learning process for both E! learners and teachers. $hrough this study, the security and pri"acy problems are discussed as the two chosen ethical and legal issues for the mobile based Facebook learning. $he research examines examines the impact of these issues from the perspecti"es of E! educators and based on the results from the inter"ie inter"iews, ws, makes makes the conclusio conclusion n and recommendati recommendations ons for remedying remedying these problems. Introduction: $hanks to mobile learning, the uni"ersities and colleges across the globe are able to reach out to their learners in the fast, most effecti"e and efficient way possible. %a"ing an ideal and prod produc ucti ti"e "e mobi mobile le lear learni ning ng en"i en"iro ronm nmen entt can can enab enable le teac teache hers rs to ha"e ha"e plet pletho hora ra of opportunities for pedagogy, knowledge knowledge distribution and interacti"e sessions. &ith the help of mobi mobile le lear learni ning ng,, stud studen entt can can ha"e ha"e an ease ease in inte intera ract ctin ing g with with educ educat ator ors s and and thei their r counterparts and ha"e great assistance in their learning by ha"ing "ast number of learning materials on their disposal. $he use of mobile learning in e"aluating students’ performances is also one of its "ital benefits. 'n t he one hand, with the help of mobile learning de"ices and their applications, E! practitioners can deli"er learning content and engage their students in a learning process which is dynamic, flexible and allows a certain degree of freedom and independence that, through the results of some studies, ha"e pro"en to be quite beneficial for the higher moti"ations of both the learners and teachers. 'n the other hand, use of Facebook as a learning tool and combining it with mobile learning can form a hybrid teaching meth method odol olog ogy y which hich help helps s E! E! teac teache hers rs to ha"e ha"e two two most most pow powerfu erfull medi medium ums s of communication on their disposal and the effecti"e use of this modern teaching method can significantly assist E! students in their desired knowledge acquisition. It is interesting to note that although the use of Facebook in E! teaching is relati"ely a new phenomenon phenomenon but it is gaining momentum and up to this date, a fair amount of studies ha"e been conducted to explore the producti"e use of Facebook leaning for t he language students. $he use of Faceb Facebook ook in E! learni learning ng allow allows s teache teachers rs to ha"e ha"e se"era se"erall ad"an ad"antag tages es,, especial especially ly when it comes comes to monitorin monitoring, g, pro"iding pro"iding feedback feedback and comparin comparing g results results and findings in an effecti"e and efficient manner. 'ne of the examples of using this hybrid teaching methodology is when E! practitioners are required to run an E! course related to technical writing of pilots and air technicians. $he teachers can create a class Facebook
page and in"ite students to (oin the group. 'nce all the students ha"e been added then teacher can start posting the writing prompts and some "ideos rele"ant to the topic and then ask students to watch the "ideos to establish the required knowledge to produce a short essay by considering these prompts. etting a deadline is necessary and once students start posting their works then teachers can pro"ide their feedback instantly and help learners to alle"iate mistakes and problems. )ccessing Facebook on their mobile de"ices can help increasing the efficacy of this whole process of learning for the learners it can cause increased moti"ation because according to many researchers, it has been concluded that learners learn quicker and better when they are in their comfort *ones. +espite of se"eral benefits associated to mobile learning and the use of Facebook in language acquisition, there are some "ery serious challenges and risks that need to be kept in mind before educational institutions grant permission for the use this hybrid teaching methodology. ome of he most challenging and difficult issues to deal with in mobile based Facebook learning are related to the problems about security and pri"acy of the details of the users. alfunctioning of mobile de"ices, loss of signals and wifi connecti"ity, thefts and risk of hacking are some of the commonly discussed problems too. &hen it comes to using Facebook for educational purposes, lack of interest, fear and scepticism about peers, teachers’ re"iews and comments are some of the main issues -afar, /0123. It is without a doubt an established fact that mobiles phones are prone to se"eral risks and this could also a serious challenge to o"ercome for the E! practitioners to promote mobile based Facebook learning -%owel, et.al., /0043. In addition to this, there is another important issue which is to find the right balance between the E! practitioners’ typical responsibilities and the extra workload due to the use of this hybrid teaching methodology. tudies ha"e pro"ed that more workload means less producti"ity and in the case of E! teachers, their (obs are already "ery demanding, requiring them to deal with multiple areas of language acquisition process 5 pedagogy so o"erwhelming them with the additional work of managing and monitoring mobile based Facebook learning may cause demoti"ation and lack of acceptance of this new teaching approach -'sang and $suma, /0163. $he structure of this paper deals with the pre"ious studies and their findings in relation to the topic of this paper first. Furthermore, it attempts to describe the research question and the methodology for obtaining the results for analyses and discussion. Finally, it draws the conclusion based on the findings and suggests scope of further research in the pertaining areas of mobile learning within the context of E! learning
Literature Review
$he ad"ent of mobile learning has made learning more flexible and enabled students ha"e certain le"el of freedom when it comes to studying -&agner, /0043. 'ne of the reasons of mobile learning being accepted and recogni*ed by the teachers as well as the learner because there has been unprecedented growth in the mobile phones industry and the latest de"elopments has made mobile phones technologically so ad"anced that their functions are increasingly utili*ed by the language teachers to promote and deli"er language skills and expertise. 7ooking back at those times when the si*e of mobile phones and tablets were the biggest obstacles in the mobility of these de"ices, it was out of question to come up with the idea of using mobile learning in the language classrooms but in the last decade, the introduction of touch screen and ultra light mobile phones and other mobile de"ices ha"e pushed the demand further for the use of mobile learning for language acquisition purposes $he rise of mobile learning in the language classrooms can also be attributed to the rise of issues and problems which are unique an exclusi"e to mobile learning. $he increasing risks of information security and pri"acy issues in the case of the use of mobile de"ices in E! classroom are some of the ma(or issues which need constant attention. )llowing students to
bring their mobile de"ices into the classrooms can exacerbate the security and pri"acy problems for the teachers as well as the learners. From the teachers’ point of "iews, the extra monitoring and sur"eillance to make sure that the mobile learning for students is problem free and the security and pri"acy of the information and the mobile de"ices are not compromised is one of the significant challenges and a huge responsibility and less prepared teachers can significantly get demoti"ated due and lose interest in mobile learning. ome other ma(or problems, that can be caused by the security and pri"acy issues, for the E! teachers in mobile learning can be related with the safety and confidentiality of the information and de"ices which can be comprised in case of the de"ices are accessed by an unauthori*ed person. Furthermore, inability to keep the information secure on the mobile gadgets is also one of the ma(or problems. #ot being able to restrict or stop the hateful and8or illicit actions can also lead to some serious issues in mobile learning and of course, the inadequate filtration of data and not following the copyright law may pose serious and damaging consequences for the users of mobile learning in E! class -%wang, et.al.,/0043. It is without a doubt an established fact that the use of mobile based Facebook learning is relati"ely a new teaching methodology that is still going through the phase of recognition and acceptance among the language teachers. $hough this new hybrid teaching methodology is getting positi"e response, the popularity of this teaching technique is being held back due to the some serious risks and problems. 'ne of the most important issues is the safety and security of the students’ information while being engaged in Facebook based mobile learning. &hen engage with mobile based Facebook learning, not only teachers need to make sure that the risks related to the use of mobile de"ices are "ery well explained and the required precautionary measures are taken to ward off any potential threats related to the security and pri"acy issues of mobile de"ices, they also ha"e to educate students to the potential threats related to the use of Facebook on mobile de"ices. It is concluded from numerous researches that Facebook does not ha"e "ery robust security system in place to guard the users’ information. $he password protection to keep the accounts safe from the unauthori*ed access, use of an +9 as an authori*ation and stressing on encryption are some measures that Facebook takes to keep up with the security and pri"acy of their users but they are not enough to completely secure the users data and their respecti"e accounts. )ccording to some researchers, the inability of Facebook to completely alle"iate the security problem is the biggest challenge for them in the modern time -:ones and oltren, /0093. &hene"er language teachers decide to opt for mobile learning and combing it with the Facebook, they must be ready for some ma(or security and pri"acy issues that they are bound to encounter while creating the learning en"ironment. Focusing particularly on the technological de"ices and their related problems, some of the ma(or issues can range from the theft of mobile de"ices to software and hardware issues. ome other issues like phishing, and the risk of unscrupulous users accessing their accounts may also deter teachers to a"oid this new teachning methodlogy -)ll, /00;3. $he issue of pri"acy and security settings is not gi"en much importance when it comes to the users of the social networking websites especially Facebook. 'n the one hand, a lot of users simply ignore the recommended security measures and keep their profile open to anyone who wants to see and check their profiles while on the other hand, most of the #s like Facebook do not ha"e a secured default settling to pri"acy and a person who the user does not know can still see his information but it is worth to state that e"en the most secured pri"acy setting is prone to attackers’ access to user’s information -<uatilaka, /0113. $he Facebook users’ own ignorance towards the security of their details such as gi"ing out their passwords to their friends and family members to take care of the management of their numerous profiles is also fuelling the increased numbers of online security and pri"acy problems mainly identity thefts and authentication %ogben -/00;3. Facebook being the
largest #s has also been labelled as the leading cause of the security issues for its users -ophos, /00;3. In this research, the issues and challenges which E! teachers consider important are discussed. $his research stri"es to ass E! teachers’ point of "iews on the problems and challenges related to security and pri"acy issues which ha"e potential to hamper the language acquisition process when students are engages in Facebook based mobile learning. Research uestion ESP teachers: Inter"iew 1. &hat are the "ital issues hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning for the students and educators in the E! classrooms= !ethodolog" $he inter"iews are used as the key method of gathering the data for this research. $hey primarily target the E! educators from the uni"ersity. In the inter"iews, the teachers are asked the question regarding the "ital issues hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning for the students and educators in the E! classrooms. It is made sure that the respondents’ details are kept anonymous, the faculties and the uni"ersity’s name are not re"ealed, and the data is only used for the research purposes. tatistical graphs, diagrams, and tables are used to analyse and depict the results.
#utcome $he results from the inter"iews are used to answer the research questions. $he details are as follows>
ESP teachers: Inter"iew $% &hat are the vital issues hindering the process of Facebook based ESP learning for the students and the educators in the ESP classrooms' $o answer this question, 9 E! teachers are selected from the two chosen faculties of the foreign languages, and English literature. $he inter"iews were conducted in person and the results show that 40? of the teachers consider the loss of data, loss and or theft of mobile de"ices, internet problems, identity theft, online performance on Facebook, criticism of peers and teachers, sharing comments and re"iews on Facebook for learning, teacher’s re"iew of work on a shared platform and peer assessment as the most "ital issues hindering the process of mobile based Facebook learning for the E! students. $he same percentage of the educators -40?3 also belie"e that the E! learners’ carelessness in posting and sharing comments and other learning materials may cause issues which would be difficult to monitor and deal with. @0? of the teachers indicate that they are quite reluctant to encourage students to use their mobile de"ices and access Facebook for E! learning because of the aforementioned security and pri"acy issues. $hey feel that for the E! learners, any security or pri"acy issue they face while being in"ol"ed in this type of learning may hold them accountable. 20? of them also consider negati"e attitude and lack of interest towards the use of technology in E! learning by some of the students as an important issue. /0? consider the issues related to the I$ infrastructure in E! classroom causing problems for this type of E! learning among the learners. 10? of the teachers depict that the lack of
E! teachers’ knowledge in I$ in general and social networking sites i.e. Facebook in particular, and unwillingness to encourage learners to use mobile de"ices for E! learning "ia Facebook are also some of the key factors hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning among the students. Issues highlighted in the intervie( )ESP teachers% 7oss of data 7oss and or theft of mobile phone Internet problems Identity theft online performance on Facebook criticism of peers and teachers sharing comments and re"iews on Facebook teacher’s re"iew of work on a shared platform !eer assessment E! learners’ carelessness in posting and sharing comments $eachers’ reluctance to encourage students for using mobile de"ices #egati"e attitude and lack of interest -E! $eachers 5 tudents3 I$ infrastructure 7ack of knowledge in I$ and #s of E! teachers. *able /: %ighlighted issues in the inter"iew with the E! teachers
*eachers+ responses -?3
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2iscussion Aased on the feedback from the inter"iews of the E! teachers, it is quite e"ident that a number of the highlighted issues in the questionnaires i.e. the loss of data, loss and or theft of mobile de"ices, internet problems, identity theft, online performance on Facebook, criticism of peers and teachers, sharing comments and re"iews on Facebook for learning, teacher’s re"iew of work on a shared platform and peer assessment, are considered important and most frequently occurring problems affecting the pace of the E! learning of the students by the E! educators. a(ority of the teachers also confirm that the E! learners’ carelessness in posting, sharing comments and other learning materials can pose serious problems not only for them but for their peers as well. Beluctance in encouraging students to use their mobile de"ices and accessing Facebook for E! learning by the teachers is also an issue that is brought to light during the inter"iew and more than half of the teachers think that it could be because of the security and pri"acy risks associated with this type of Facebook based learning on mobile. ome educators also feel that they do not want to be held accountable in case of any of these issues get experienced by the students. ome of the teachers also point out the students’ negati"e attitudes and lack of interest towards the use of technology cause problems in this type of learning. Inadequate I$ infrastructure i.e. slow or inaccessible internet, lack of computers and other related de"ices and so on, is also considered a "ital issue by some of the E! educators and in their opinions, it causes demoti"ation and unwillingness among the teachers about the usage of mobile based learning "ia Facebook. 7ack of E! teachers’ knowledge in I$ in general and social networking sites i.e. Facebook in particular, and unwillingness to encourage learners to use mobile de"ices for E! learning "ia Facebook are also considered some of the key factors hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning among the students by the E! teachers during the inter"iew. 3onclusion and further research
$his research discusses the "iews of the E! educators about the security and pri"acy issues in the mobile based Facebook learning. $he use of mobile de"ices to get in"ol"ed in Facebook based E! learning is relati"ely a new teaching technique and though it is found from the research that not many E! educators ha"e a great deal of knowledge about this type of teaching method, they certainly accept its benefits and are willing to experience it. ecurity and pri"acy issues highlighted in this research are of great concern for E! educators and it is quite essential to address these problems in order for this new teaching technique to become popular and practiced in the E! classrooms. $he security of the mobile de"ices and to make sure that the details on them are safe and protected is not only the responsibility of the E! educators but the E! learners too. E! educators should make sure that the students are gi"en a thorough induction on the whole teaching process, benefits, risks and precautions about the mobile based teaching "ia Facebook which consequently allows students to gain the necessary knowledge in security and pri"acy issues as well as pro"ide them the required confidence and moti"ation so that they can be more acceptable towards this teaching technique. tudents should be clearly ad"ised to follow the standardised and prescribed security and pri"acy measures to make their learning risks free and smooth. Furthermore, teachers, being moderators, should also make sure the continuous and efficient monitoring of all the learner’s online acti"ities on Facebook on constant basis so that no confidential information and data of the learners are shared online. oreo"er, they should keep a close eye on students’ works and comments being shared on Facebook to identity any issues related to some students’ hesitation to take part in learning, eradicating bullying, and any sort of negati"ity. In conclusion, the use of mobile de"ices for Facebook based E! learning does not only pro"ide autonomy to the teachers but enable students to take control of pace, progress and producti"ity of their learning too. ecurity and pri"acy issues can deter learners as well as the educators to a"oid using mobile based Facebook learning in the E! classrooms so it is important to comply with the suggested security and pri"acy measures in order to make the learning process secure, effecti"e and efficient for the learners. $his study aims to explore the "iews of educators about the security and pri"acy issues while using Facebook on mobile de"ices within the context of the E! learning so any further research may explore the implication of these issues in English for <eneral !urposes, English for )cademic purposes or any other genres of the English language acquisition. $he larger data sample, examination of other legal and ethical issues than the ones discussed in this research, and using E! students or gender as the main focus for the sur"ey and inter"iews can also be the good starting points for any future research. References )ll, ., -/00;3, obile 7earning $ransforming the +eli"ery of Education and $raining, http>88www.*akeli(k.net8media8boeken8obile?/07earning.pdf, I# 1;1;C26;0 Issues in +istance Education eries -'nline3, p.p. 12DC124. E. +. &agner, Beali*ing the promises of mobile learning, :. Gomputing in %igher Education, "ol. /0, no. /, -/0043, pp. 2C12 <. :. %wang, G. G. $sai and . :. %. Hang, Griteria, trategies and Besearch Issues of GontextC)ware Ubiquitous 7earning. Educational $echnology 5 ociety, "ol. 11, no. /, -/0043, pp. 41C;1.
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*eachers+ intervie(:
&hat are the "ital issues hindering the process of Facebook based E! learning for the students and educators in the E! classrooms=
