Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Social Networking:
Michelle Blunk
Abstract
The evolution of Internet and computer technology affects the way we live and the way we learn.
Anytime, anywhere access to information is now part of life and learners expect such experiences
possible for users to develop knowledge and learn the skills required to participate in the new
forms of socialization available in the digital age. The knowledge revolution has transformed our
jobs, our homes, our lives, and therefore must also transform our schools. This means that
educators must understand the role of media literacy in learning and successfully apply it to their
purpose of teaching. Educators must be trained, certified, and supported in order for them to be
media literate and acquire the ability to create, contribute, and engage in the benefits. We are just
Technology has reached a point where nearly anyone who has access, has a voice. This
voice is communicated through social media, can be extremely powerful, and can force
individuals, companies, and communities to change the way they behave. Research of the history
and sociology of technology proves that technological development is not predictable or linear
and we are just starting to see the influence of social media on society (Kirby, 2010).
people. Literacy is being able to read or write. Media literacy is the ability to read and recognize
the communication that you are presented. Therefore, “. . . media literacy is more than being able
to use the latest technology to access information, it is how you critique and analyze the
The changes in technology show a movement from traditional and closed environments to
open connected environments with Web 2.0 tools. This paper will analyze how social networking
relates to the educational foundations of today, its current use, and what it may offer education
tomorrow. Media Literacy is mentioned throughout as a means to better understand the impact
technology has in our world and how connecting with each other creates knowledge.
“Connectivism” is considered the new approach to learning by the use of social networking
Current Issues
Halverson’s (2009) review of the article, “How New Technologies Have (and Have Not)
Changed Teaching and Learning in Schools,” focuses on two technologies today that affect
teaching and learning. One is instructor directed “technologies for learning” such as virtual
charter schools, and the other is client-directed “technologies for learners” like video games and
virtual environments (Daneshgar & Van Toorn, 2007). The uses of traditional methods of
teaching and learning are now being challenged by instructor directed “technologies for learning”
such as WebCT Vista. This learning atmosphere provides a virtual workspace where social
networking takes place. In this online educational setting, dialog and structured discussions are a
means to socialize and engage in learning. This kind of schooling is also offered by virtual charter
models. “This new alternative provides curriculum to home learners through advanced
technologies within the charter school setting, allowing for innovation, freedom from traditional
structure, and tuition-free education for students” (Klein & Poplin, p. 369).
Social Networking 5
Client-directed ‘technologies for learners’ includes co-authoring of content and the sense
of belonging to various online social networks and learning communities through the use of tools
like wikis, blogs and podcasts. Media also reaches audiences world-wide in the form of virtual
archives. The Golden Bridge Virtual Exhibition recreated the Heatherbank Museum of Social
Work public exhibition on the theme of historic child migration from Scotland to Canada between
1869 and 1939. This example of social networking includes a map of the migration journey taken
by the children with clips of witness testimony from the Living Histories film, audio narrative
giving historical background information, and the Testimony Tree with audio of home children’s
experiences. (http://www.iriss.org.uk/goldenbridge/index.html)
Online Social Networking can be fun and entertaining for students. It appears that students
socialize to the extreme and probably go to Google instead of an encyclopedia. Ward (2008)
wants us to realize that this online generation takes ownership and preference to being a creator
than just viewing what has been created for them. Social Networking creates a community and
expands a learner’s experience by communicating with anyone from around the world. A vast
majority of school leaders are not sure how these technologies can be, or should be, used in
schools, but educators have the responsibility to prepare students to transition to adult life with
Today’s educators must begin to understand the role of digital media in learning and
incorporate media literacy in their instruction, as it is obvious that young people are already fluent
in Web 2.0 technologies (Carr, 2009; Halverson, 2009). Social networking is increasingly used as
a communications and collaboration tool of choice and can it be an effective teaching tool capable
A survey conducted by The National School Boards Association and Grunwald Associates
LLC on popular social networking activities, indicates that today’s youth are “collaborating and
utilizing their creative skills that may eventually outweigh watching television.”
Figure 1 - Online social networking is now so deeply embedded in the lifestyles of tweens and
teens that it rivals television for their attention, according to a new study from Grunwald
Associates LLC conducted in cooperation with the National School Boards Association.
Note: Nine-to-17-year-olds report spending almost as much time using social networking services
and Web sites as they spend watching television. Among teens, that amounts to about 9 hours a
week on social networking activities, compared to about 10 hours a week watching TV.
http://www.masternewmedia.org/learning_educational_technologies/social-networking/social-
Social Networking 7
networking-in-education-survey-on-new-generations-social-creative-and-interconnected-
lifestyles-NSBA-20071109.htm
Online Social Networking is the norm for the majority of youth outside of school but most
schools are cautious about its use in school and have rules against social networking activities.It
may be assumed by high school administration that new forms of entertainment, such as video
games and internet access could have possible social effects on academic performance. In fact, the
term Technicism has been used to define an over reliance or overconfidence in technology as a
benefactor of society. These being some of the negative approaches to Online Social Networking,
brings us to focus on the critical need to teach and learn of media literacy. As with any
educational tool, teachers using social networking will need to strive to use it in a way that
benefits students learning. Rheingold (2007) describes the importance of teaching our youth
media literacy:
We teach our kids how to cross the street and what to be careful about in the physical
world. And now parents need to teach their kids how to exercise good sense online. It's
really no more technical than reminding your children not to give out their personal
information to strangers on the telephone or the street. When it comes to helping them
learn how to be citizens in a democracy, media literacy education is central to 21st century
civic education. Making connections between the literacy’s students pick up simply by
being young in the 21st century and those best learned through reading and discussing
Brokaw (2008) is concerned that students are not being taught by trained educators and
wants them to see the big picture. “When I talk to young people these days I am inclined to
remind them that global poverty will not be eliminated by hitting the delete button, that climate
Social Networking 8
change will not be stopped by hitting backspace. It will do us little good to wire the world if we
I believe that social networking is the way of the future in our efforts to educate and
collaborate on a global scale. It will provide students with increased social cognition and
motivation in future classrooms. Educators must become educated in the power of its use for
Conclusion
Online Social Networking can be a useful technological tool to benefit society. Becoming
media literate as a whole will create a global opportunity for advancing the educational process
in our fast-paced world. We are just starting to see the influence of social media on society and
the role of digital media in learning. As the minds of educators are opened to the vast opportunity
social networking can contribute to the design of instruction, using Web 2.0 tools will bring
way.
Social Networking 9
References
Brocaw, T. (2008, April 2). Life is not virtual [Video]. Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
17(1), 2-10.
Daneshgar, F. & Van Toorn, C. (2007). Exploring WebCT-vista capabilities for supporting
Halverson, E. R. (Winter 2009–10). Digital literacy’s and the future of schools. Journal of
Kirby, D. (2010). The future is now: Diegetic prototypes and the role of popular films in
Klein, C. & Poplin, M. (2008). Families home schooling in a virtual charter school system.
Mentis, M. (2007). Different technologies for differentiated education: Social networks, identity
education.au’s final seminar for 2007. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved February 1, 2010
from http://www.educationau.edu.au/sites/default/files/Rheingold_Melbourne_Speech.pdf
Technicism. (2008, September 25). Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14,
Ward, A. (2008, September) Are you ready for the next generation technology? American School
Board Journal,195(9).