Social Networking in Schools

How can Social Networking benefit students?

Students and teachers can use social networking for more than just keeping in touch with others. Social networking, for example, can be used to help students compare themselves with other students and schools. When students are doing research they could look for other students in the world who are doing the same research or students who could help them.

Social networking can enhance projects in multiple ways. Some students may feel more motivated by the use of these technologies. Other students may feel comfortable using such programs if they have experience with technology at home. The students who are shy may feel that communicating with others through the use of the computer is better for them. This would also appeal to outgoing students because they would have the opportunity to talk with others.

I would like to use social networking next year to start web pals, instead of the traditional pen pal system that I have been using. Students could communicate with other students online through the use of email, blogging, wikis, etc. My students would be able to communicate with their web pals more often than in the past. Using the Internet would cut back on the time that the class had to spend sending the letters and waiting for replies. Web pals are not only more time effective, but money efficient too. The school would not have to pay for postage if I used the Internet instead. Students with access to the Internet at home could keep in touch with their web pal even more frequently. Parents would again have another opportunity to be involved in their child’s education.

Articles
Schools and Online Social Networking

Teens & Social Networking in School & Public Libraries

What you need to know about Social Networking

Social Networking is a tool on the Internet. This tool helps people meet new friends, stay in touch with friends, find people, etc. all online. Social networking is a new way of creating relationships with others. There are many different social networks for people to join. Every social network has a different purpose and appeals to a certain audience. Many of these sites are free and fun to use.

Staying safe online is extremely important, but it is hard to do sometimes. Social networking does have the potential to become unsafe. There are many steps to take to keep yourself protected online. Keeping your personal websites private is one way of doing this. Sometimes it is more fun to social network with people and friends you already know. Please make sure you do not share too much personal information with a stranger. Remember, what you learned in elementary school, “Don’t talk to strangers!” This also applies to Internet users.

Picture found at http://Social Network Analysis, A Brief Introduction/.

Check out these websites for more information about Social Networking.
http://Social Network Analysis, A Brief Introduction/

http://Social Networking Sites: A Parent's Guide/

http://List of Social Networking Websites- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia/

My Social Networks
http://My Friendster Page/

http://My Myspace Page/

Using Podcasting in the Classroom

Podcasting can by implemented in any classroom. Many teachers have probably used podcasting without even knowing it; I know I have. Teachers often find videos or audio recordings about a subject and share those findings with their students. Other teachers may create a podcast to which their students can view or listen.

Podcasting would be a great way to make your classroom interactive. For example, teachers could use podcasting to record videos of their students performing a play. The students could then share their podcast with parents or other schools. Storytelling could be another use of podcasting. Students could even participate in tours or create tours through the use of podcasting.

Students with audio, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles could benefit from podcasting.

Podcast could be a good way to interact with another school during a telecollaborative project. Students may wish to show another school a video of something they completed or created at their school. If students were collecting data, a podcast could be another format to share the data gathered.

Podcasting

"A podcast is audio or video on the web that can be cataloged and automatically downloaded." (Definition fromhttp://Podcasting - Learning in hand/)

There are three types of podcasting. Audio podcasting is the most popular. Most of these files are MP3 format. The audio podcasting on the web consists of mostly music (itunes). Enhanced podcasting is another form of podcasting. This type of podcasting has images that go with the audio files. The third type of podcasting is Video podcasting. Many people create videos for online use.

The great thing about podcasting is that they can be downloaded instantly. Anyone can go on the Internet to look for a song, video, or slide show and find it immediately.

Resources for Podcasting
http://Podcasting - Learning in hand/
http://Podcast.net/
http://Podcasting Tools/

Podcasting Articles
http://Podcasting Articles/

To create a podcast visit these sites
http://Make your first Podcast/
http://How to Create Your Own Podcast - A Step-by-Step Tutorial/

Wikis used in education

How can you use a wiki in your classroom?

There are many ways to use wikis for educational purposes. A teacher could use a wiki for projects in their class. The teacher could also use a wiki as a form of communication to the students and parents. Teachers could collaborate easily with other teachers in their school, county, state, etc.

I think a teacher could also use a wiki to organize a field trip. The teacher could post important events that are occurring during the field trip. The teacher could also make a list of suggested items for the students to bring with them that day. The parents could access this information very easily as well. Then when the field trip is over the students could post information about their day. The students could each create their own wiki about their field trip day as well.

I teach a biography unit with my third grade students. A wiki would be a great way for my students to gather and publish their information. I also like the fact that anyone student in the class can add details or edit a classmates' wiki. The students would be able to read about every historical person studied in the class. I could assign the students to add two new facts to another students' wiki. If my students worked together with a partner then each student could have their own wiki, but each student could add information to their partner's page.

Wikis help get the parents involved. Parents could add and edit the students’ pages. This would be a great way to gather a lot of information quickly.

Blogging in Education

Blogs are seen often throughout education. Many teachers may use blogs to have their students write about what they are learning in school. Other teachers may use blogs to discuss different projects that students may be researching. Students could then comment on their classmates’ projects through the use of the blog. If a class was communicating with another school, they could use blogs. Blogging would be very useful when teachers implement a telecollaborative project.

Blogging

A blog is basically an online journal. Blog stands for weblog. Most blogs can be viewed by anyone on the Internet. There is an option on blogs to make comments about someone’s post. Blogs are very unique because there are so many different aspects that a person can add to their blog. People may choose to put links to other websites, pictures, videos, surveys, profiles, or other items on their blog. Many people keep a blog to write about things that interest them. A blog can vary in many ways. People may write about their daily life, career, problems, trips, projects, tutorials, and many more. Blogging is a nice way to stay in touch with others without much effort.

Blog rescources
http://Just what is a blog, anyway?/
http://Blogger: Tour/
http://Learning.now - What exactly is a blog, Anyway?/

Make a blog
http://http://www.squarespace.com/join//

Google Docs & Spreadsheets in the Classroom

As a teacher, Google Docs & Spreadsheets would be very useful in my classroom. My students could gather data and then share their findings with anyone in the world. Having the spreadsheets available online would be very helpful when comparing and contrasting data. If my class participates in telecollaborative projects, these spreadsheets and documents online would be very beneficial for others to view and edit. My class may want to use one spreadsheet to organize all of the schools’ data, who are involved in the project. I love the fact that parents and other community members of the school could view these documents.

I could use the Google spreadsheets for math lessons, as well. For example if my class started collecting data in school to graph, my students could finish it or work on it at home, if they had access to the Internet. Other students in the class could also easily look at their classmates’ spreadsheet.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets

Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a Web 2.0 technology that is very useful to both the public and teachers. This technology allows you to post Excel and Word documents on the web for anyone to view. Every tool provided in Excel and Word are also available in Google. Many people use these Google spreadsheets as list makers. Anyone is able to open an account and create a document in Google.

There are many features of this technology. When using a Google spreadsheet, you can search on the web within that spreadsheet. Another feature is color-coded live comments. This makes the spreadsheet and documents interactive. Anyone is allowed to view and edit these documents. This could relate to writing in the classroom through the use of peer editing.

References for Google Docs & Spreadsheets

To find out more information about Google Docs & Spreadsheets, visit these websites.

5 Things You Probably Didn't Know You Could Do In Google Docs & Spreadsheets

Google Docs & Spreadsheets Tour

Google Docs & Spreadsheets - Wikipedia

The Official Google Docs & Spreadsheets Blog

My Examples of Google Docs & Spreadsheets

School Profile Spreadsheet

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pYeQclR2zjKkzC6q2YznZEw


School Profile Discussion Paper

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfczvrn7_0kt8tph

Wikis

Wikis are web pages that can be created or edited by anyone just by the click of a button. When a wiki is created it is often used by a group, not just an individual. On a wiki there is a button to "edit" the page and then "save" the changes. Many scientist and engineers use wikis.

There are some downsides to wikis. Sometimes the information on a wiki may be incorrect. Since everyone has access to most wikis, anyone can add information. The information found on wikis may not be accurate or have creditable resources. If you use information you find on a wiki, it is important that you double check that information at various sites.

I created my wiki at http://www.wikispaces.com/.

Within my Wiki I discuss the different types of Web 2.0 technologies. Please edit and add to my Wiki.

http://jhonnaloren.wikispaces.com/

Sites to create a free Wiki
http://pbwiki.com/
http://www.wetpaint.com/
http://www.wikispaces.com/

Resources for Wikis
http://What is Wiki?/
http://7 things you should know about… Wikis/
http://Wikis/

Picture found at http://Wikis/

Welcome!

This blog will discuss different types of WEB 2.0. What is Web 2.0? There are many types Web 2.0. Some of the Web 2.0 technologies I will discuss in this blog are Wikis, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Social Networking, and Blogging. Please feel free to add comments and suggestions. I wonder if some day Web 3.0 will be created. What do you think that will look like?

Picture found at http://What is Web 2.0?/