Entry 4: Benefits Recognised: Now support is needed to enable integration of social networking resources in schools

I don't want to talk about how our schools will change, I want to talk about how our schools will innovate...by using social networking

Social networking an innovational learning tool

While the benefits of social networking in schools have been acknowledged they are still not fully implemented. I found another blog that discusses findings from research on how social networking is advantageous to have in schools. It talks of parents and wider communities support for social networking tools to be taken up in schools. This support is important, as it promotes good online habits at home which will transcend into the classroom. Also forming relations between community and school will ensure the use of social networking tools takes place. Support could be key to achieve full integration of social networking resources in schools. 

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"In fact, 76% of parents expect social networking will improve their children’s reading and writing skills, or help them express themselves more clearly, according to the study, and parents and communities “expect schools to take advantage of potentially powerful educational tools, including new technology.”

http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/social-networking-in-schools-gets-a-boost-from-nsba/

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Entry 3: Educational Alternatives: Elgg and EctoLearning

Concerns of cyber-bullying, predators and distraction are inhibiting the use of social networking resources in schools. The  many benefits of these resources to student learning have been recognised and consequently educational alternatives have been developed to overcome the disadvantages. Some include, Ning, Elgg and EctoLearning. 

Educational networking sites like these provide a safe environment controlled by the school district that enables students, parents and educators to actively participate in the use of 21st-century social networking technologies.  

Don't Tell Your Parents: Schools Embrace MySpace

http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/04/myspaceforschool

This site elaborates on the features of Elgg that promotes and encourages a safe alternative to other social networking resources, enabling access to online socializing in school systems. 

What is Elgg?

Ellgg is an open-source social networking software developed at the University of Brighton, has been designed specifically with academic uses in mind. Students, tutors and researchers each get a profile page, a blog, photo sharing and friends lists, and they can create and join on-site discussion communities. 

What are the positive features? 

The collaborative, conversational exchanges that occur outside the school in social networking sites like myspace, twitter and facebook can now be used in the safe alternative of Elgg. It creates a collaborative, conversational and informative environment to allow learning to take place in a context relevant and instructive to students.  Most importantly it is a shift from one teacher spouting information to the creation of a personal student centered learning environment, where resources like blogs, podcasts and articles can be read and communicated with ease. In an education context, it will allow students and researchers to collaborate outside the walls of their own institution

EctoLearning: 

EctoLearning is Social, Collaborative Learning.

New resources are are being made to give social networking an educational foundation form the bottom up, removing any risk of extra curricular networking that may lead to bullying or exposure to inappropriate material

EctoLearning is a social, collaborative, online learning environment that directly addresses the needs of the modern learning environment by making the new communication skills and competencies for content creation and sharing central to the classroom experience.

EctoLearning is also a full Learning Management System (LMS) with attendance tracking, grade book, and a sophisticated assessment engine including the use of rubrics based evaluations.

Entry 2: Social networking belongs in schools.

I found a blog that makes some strong arguments towards the importance of incorporating social networking in schools to keep up to date with the 21st century. While Facebook and Myspace may not be suitable for the educational context of the classroom, there is no need to ban all forms of social networking sites. Safe and relevant social networking sites are starting to develop, for example, elgg and Ning. 

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Social networking designed for schools
But it also makes sense to think about ways to incorporate specialized social networking tools in class. The Flat Classroom Project is one example where educators have built social-networking sites (mostly using Ning) specifically for use in class and home assignments. Not only does this allow for educationally relevant communication for students in the classroom, but for them to interact with students in far away classrooms both in the U.S. and abroad so students around the world can reach and learn from each other.

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Companies have realised how vital social networking is in schools to encourage social interaction through collaboration, and tools they use outside of school, bridging the gap between the home context and school for more effective education. It also  helps students connect with people in other countries for cultural awareness and for ICT education. The blog has an podcast detailing companies who are starting to build social networking tools catered for the school environment, discussing what is on offer and what many school are currently missing. 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10459983-238.html

Entry 1: Lifting the Limits on Social Networking Sites.

I discovered this article by kevin Brady in the School Administrator, feb 2010, Vol. 67, Issue 2, pg 8. 

It denotes the issues inhibiting the use of social networking sites despite the benefits to learning. These include fear on safety and the divide in opinion leading to its disuse. 

The article notes a general difference of opinion between educators and students and parents concerning use of social networking websites such as Facebook or MySpace for school purposes. Educators seem to be concerned about inappropriate content, sexual predators and cyber-bullying while parents and students are more open. It notes several sites designed specifically for schools, such as "Elgg" and "Ning."

It highlights that by building community support and reducing educator reluctance, social networking tools could be implemented in schools. Educators have a choice: They can allow students to develop social networking skills on their own or play a significant role in exposing them to the educational benefits these sites provide, using technologies that simultaneously protect student privacy and promote safe navigation.

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"A majority of the parents and students expressed high expectations about the positive role social networking technologies could play in students' lives. About 60 percent of the students surveyed indicated they use social networking sites for online discussions about schoolwork."

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This comic first made me laugh then got me really thinking of the effects of social networking resources. We lose the face to face contact of real life experience by being online all day. 

Research Question and Topic Number 1: Social Networking

Some of the social networking resources available online...

I will be focusing my research on:

• The benefits of implementing social networking resources in an educational setting.
  
• The reasons why they are not commonly used in schools and how this can be overcome.

Question: How are social networking sites beneficial to learning in schools? And how can they be implemented in a school context?