SOCIAL NETWORKS
I'll start by saying I found this chapter the most boring out of any in this book so far. It might be because the other chapters were so much more interesting and full of new material and this chapter was more mediocre. I think I found it not as appealing because I already know about Facebook and I feel I will stay away from facebook in my classroom. Yes, it gave great examples of how Facebook can be a great tool in the classroom, but I felt all those tools could also be found on a class wiki/blog or a site comparable to D2L.
One thing I have never thought about is the two different ways that kids (like me) are using social networking. First, is the "friendship-based way" and the second is to "further explore interests." The second one is what is important regarding education. Students can connect with people from around the world and share interest and passions with people that could only be possible through the world of technology. This type social networking is "self-directed, peer-based learning."
One subject they touched on was Ning which was new to me. It's a site that allows you to create your own personal Facebook-like network around whatever your specific interest is. The best part of Ning for educators is that it is totally self-contained- meaning all of that sharing and posting happens under one roof and it can be private to whoever you want it to be private to. The site is either all private OR all public. Another downfall of Ning (if you a younger grade educator) is that its services restricts the use of the site to children younger than 13. Therefore, because I want to be an Elementary teacher Ning probable won't work in my classroom. This site allows for students to test our their writing skills for an audience and to interact and collaborate with your peers.
Two benefits I found after reading this chapter were how sites like Ning and Facebook can be used in the classroom to allow quiet students to speak up and also to keep in touch with peers when maybe sick or after they have moved. The idea I found most intriguing was how you could use these sites to connect from experts around the world! There was even an example in the text of a teacher who did just that in his classroom. What a great experience for your students! Definitely something to look into :)
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