Social+Networking

= Social Networking = In this day and age it’s common to have “friends” all over the country and even all over the world with the emergence of social networking. No longer do you need to send an email to all of your contacts to update them on your life, just update your MySpace or FaceBook page. You can make connections with others around the world based on your common interests and ideals. media type="youtube" key="6a_KF7TYKVc" height="344" width="425" Video by Lee Lefever of CommonCraft found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc&eurl

Educators must be careful about jumping in to social network sites like MySPace to connect with students. However, these sites cannot be summarily dismissed. As teachers we need to recognize the popularity of these online tools and help guide students in the responsible use of them. While most social networking sites are not recommended for educators, there are a few listed below that can be useful for educators in certain circumstances. Some Social Networking Sites:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/ - free membership. Typically blocked by most school systems becasue of content.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ - similar to MySpace. Typically blocked.

Nigg: http://www.ning.com/ - Private networking site were you create your own social network.. Could be used for teachers and students to use for projects, etc. (Keeping the focus purely on education/course activities.) ELGG: http://elgg.net/ - A more controlled, private version of MySpace. Could be used in an education setting due to the private nature. Boyd, Danah. (2006). Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace. http://www.danah.org/papers/AAAS2006.html
 * Reading List **

Carnevale, Dan. (2006). Email is for Old People. http://chronicle.com/free/v53/i07/07a02701.htm

O’Hanlon, Charlene. (2007). If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em http://thejournal.com/articles/21082_1 Thinking Machine. (2007). Think Social Networking for Education. http://thinkingmachine.pbwiki.com/Think+Social+Networking+for+Education Willard, Nancy. (2006). Schools and Online Social Networking. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues/issues423.shtml