Social Networks
A social network is an online environment in which people connect around relationships, content, shared interests and ideas. During this course, we have already encountered blogs, which incorporate social features such as tagging, commenting, user profiles and online groups, to add value. Human beings have always been social learners, and, increasingly, we learn in digital networks as well as "real-life" networks.
Networked learning is based on the belief that when one of us gets smarter, we all do. When used effectively, online social networking can play a powerful role in both classroom and lifelong learning. As Steve Hargadon describes, "'Social Networks' are really just collections of Web 2.0 technologies combined in a way that help to build online communities."
You have probably heard of mainstream, massive, youth-oriented sites such as MySpace and Facebook. You may even use these sites (or similar ones) personally or professionally, or, like many "skeptics," you may view them as, at best, a waste of time and, at worst, a sign of the decline of civilization. Whatever your view, your students (especially in grades 5-up) are definitely connecting via social networking sites and, increasingly, so are professionals, parents, hobbyists, educators, social activists, and all manner of people and groups looking to share, build and organize around content, conversation and ideas.
A recent study by the National School Board Association, entitled "Creating & Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social -- and Educational -- Networking" found that that 96% of kids ages 9-17 with Internet access have used social networking technologies, and that 50% have used those technologies to talk specifically about schoolwork. The final report (only nine pages with lots of graphics -- not required, but definitely worth a read), in addition to presenting some really interesting findings, offers guidelines and recommendations for school boards regarding the uses of social networking in schools. It's worth considering -- if we don't model productive, responsible uses of social networking tools for our students, how will they learn to be productive, responsible users of these tools?
Watch the following explanation of Social Networking. It may be helpful as you watch to think of a social networking site as a community where we can LEARN, GROW and CREATE together. Try substituting "find jobs, meet new friends and find partners" with "explore ideas, build understandings, and share resources."
Often described as a "micro-blogging" service, Twitter combines many features of blogs and social networks. Twitter users "tweet" or post short messages (no more than 140 charachters) about what they are doing or thinking about. Users then "follow" one another to learn about what is going on in the lives of friends, celebrities, colleagues, or organizations. Some people use it to stay in touch with friends and family while others use the service to feel connected to their favorite celebrity or sports team. More and more companies are using it as an instant way to communicate with customers and others are using it to follow the news.
Interestingly, the median age of Twitter users is 31, as reported in this Pew study, and, according to Mashable, teenagers don't tend to use the site. Why, then, should educators be concerned with Twitter? Many districts maintain a Twitter account to communicate school-related news with parents and students. Individual educators find Twitter an excellent resource for networking with other professionals and staying abreast of the most recent developments in their field. Watch the following video for an explanation of Twitter.
- "One Hundred Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom" from Online College.org (The article is meant for instructors at the university level; however, many of the ideas apply to the K-12 world as well.)
- Watch this short video about how an educator used social media to help explain social media. He launched a social media reading list full of resources explaining the pros and cons of using these tools and what value they have to educators. This site is rich in information, and it's possible to devote hours to exploring its links, so take a few minutes to look around, but don't feel that you need to read every word!
- Twitter in the Classroom? video on YouTube
- 25 Ways to Teach With Twitter by Sonja Cole
- "Teaching With Twitter" by Steve Wheeler
Discovery Exercises
To complete Thing 3, you must:
A. Choose one of the following options:
- Visit and explore the social network, Classroom 2.0
- If you have not already, join Facebook AND add some professional resources to your feed
- Create a Twitter account and choose some other educators to follow.
NOTE: Because social media can be an overwhelming concept and exists in so many variations, you are only required to complete one of the previous options; however, if you are comfortable with social media or would like to explore an option with which you are less familiar, feel free to try your hand at more than one option!
B. Respond to your experiences in a blog post.
A. Choose a social networking option
Option 1: Explore Classroom 2.0
Increasingly, educators are beginning to leverage the positive aspects of social networking to improve both professional and student learning. In early 2007, Steve Hargadon created Classroom 2.0, a Ning social networking site for educators "interested Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in the classroom." The site currently has over 42,000 members sharing ideas and resources, asking questions and discussing ideas and concerns about using these new technologies to support teaching and learning. Exploring this site is a good way to learn more about Web 2.0, and to get a feel for how a social networking site can be used in education.
If you begin to feel overwhelmed by the amount of content, remember that you are not supposed to keep up with everything on a site like this, but rather to skim, explore and focus on those areas which are of real interest to you. In networked learning, the important ideas always come back around.
Option 2: Facebook
If you are not already on Facebook, sign up for an account. Try one of the following guidebooks for assistance:
Once you have created an account, or, if you already have a Facebook account, begin building your Professional Learning Network
Pages to "like" and groups to join:
- SISD 8 Things
- Facebook in Education
- Teacher Magazine
- Classroom 2.0
- National Center for Science Education
- National Council of Teachers of English
- Scholastic
- The New York Times
- Texas Education Agency
Option 3: Twitter
If you do not have a Twitter account, create one. These two sites are excellent resources:
Once you have joined Twitter and created your profile, find some other educators to follow. Try exploring Twitter 4 Teachers for some suggestions of "tweeple" to build your personal learning network. Also, be sure to follow 8 Things and the other "tweeps" in our course. Try a few tweets (you may consider sharing a resource or article you have come across, or a favorite site you use.) Have fun!
B. Reflect - Blog Prompt for Thing 3
In a blog post, reflect on your experiences with social media. For a reminder on blog post guidelines, click here. Make sure that you title your post "Thing 3."
- Describe your experiences with social media. What did you like/dislike?
- How are these sites changing the way we communicate?
- What are some of the positive and negative sides to using social media?
- How are social networking sites affecting the way our students learn? What implications does this have in the classroom?
- Can you see yourself using any of these tools personally or professionally? In what ways?
Bonus: Fun Twitter Tools
The rise of Twitter has spawned numerous third party sites that allow you to do everything from search Twitter updates, to view them on a map, to find out when a Twitter user most frequently tweets. Explore some of these fun and interesting tools:
- Twitterfall: Choose a trend or type in a search term, and watch the tweets containing those terms roll in!
- 7 Top Twitter Topic Trackers: A list of tools you can use to track Twitter users and tweets
- Twtpoll: Create an online poll using Twitter.
- Trendistic: A visual representation of Twitter trends over time.
- Tweetmeme: Displays the most popular links currently being shared on Twitter.
- Trendsmap: Displays Twitter trends on a map; find out what's popular all around the world!
- SleepingTime.org: Put in the username of any Twitter user, and find out when they are most likely to be asleep!
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