Journal 9 CL...Tapping the Wealth of Social Networks for Professional Development

Greenhow, C. (2009). Tapping the wealth of social networks for professional development. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3620082009/JuneJulyNo8/L_L_June_July_2009.htm doi: ISSN 1082-5754

This article discusses how social networks can be beneficial in classroom settings. In addition to general appeal—that it allows a forum to network and publicize our works and opinions--social networking also promotes democracy and can encourage reflective, critical thinking and collaborative learning and intelligence. Some social networking sites include Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. The article specifically focuses on social bookmarking sites such as Delicious and CiteULike. These sites allow individuals to share, recommend, and assemble pages that can serve as resources for research, academic tools, and interesting learning materials. Also, sites such as Ning, Twitter, and Classroom 2.0 can help to circulate questions, problem-solving techniques, and creative works. This can help teachers to improve their own work or find quick answers to questions. It can also help students gain emotional support and receive recognition for works well done.

1. How do social networks such as Twitter and Facebook influence students' writing and grammatical abilities?

I believe that technology and sharing works online is a great tool for students. However, there should be an emphasis on making sure students do not fall into writing for these sites as they would write in a chat or a non-academic related endeavor. People often use profanities, abbreviations, and generally poor writing when doing online chatting and communication, so while sharing academic work is a good idea with these sites, some grammar and usage rules should apply.

2. I think Twitter is incredibly difficult to understand and use. How accessible is twitter to most students?

I often believe that students who have grown up with technology are more able to understand and quickly grasp concepts that are technology-based. In my short time using Twitter, I find it to be difficult to get to where I am going, and, to be perfectly honest, I really don’t see any benefit to using it. I would assume that students who grew up using Twitter would find it easier to maneuver and would also enjoy it more as a social network (the way I appreciate facebook).