It is amazing to me how many social networks there are today. I am also surprised by how many children are using them to "explore interests and find information that goes beyond what they have access to at school or in their local community." Through these social networks they are able to connect to people far away from their school and their community. They don't know these people but they share a connection or common interest. Using the social networks they are learning things not taught at school which can be positive or negative. I am familiar with Facebook but not Ning which allows you to make your own personal Facebook-like network around a specific interest. There are over 6 million active users on Ning!
This chapter tells how to incorporate social networks in the classroom. Not sure just how I could use Facebook in my class. I would need to speak to students, parents, and administrators about using it. I could create a private site for my class for educational purposes. I think with my current population I would be able to do it. I would have to remind them to be appropriate and that it would be for educational purposes only. It may help the shy students to participate more. Jim Meredith, a Philadelphia Catholic schools social studies teacher stated, "Quiet kids in class spoke up online." Again there is a lot of potential for using these tools in the classroom. With proper training and open communication it may be a great tool for discussions about what is happening in our classrooms.
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