I have been using social networking sites for my personal life since high school. Does anyone remember ICQ? I used to spend so much time chatting on it in high school. I then moved on to AOL instant messenger when I was in college. Somewhere towards the end of my undergrad years, Facebook became popular but for some reason I didn't get involved with it until a few years later. When I did, I felt so far behind the times. After the first few weeks I only had like 20 friends and I was so intimidated by how many other people had 300 and 400 friends! I greatly enjoy the benefits of using social networking sites in my personal life. I maintain friendships with so many more people than I would be able to if I was restricted to only seeing them in person, talking on the phone or communicating through email. Social networking sites have opportunities for me to stay connected with my friends even if we aren't in contact in real time. I also love the applications that are offered through these sites. I enjoy being able to see pictures of my friends and being able to support a cause that they are a part of.
I am just beginning to learn the benefits of using social networking sites in my professional life. I intend to start creating accounts through websites such as Linkedin that will be used for my career rather than my personal life. I think it is best to create separate accounts or separate blogs for personal vs. professional purposes. I am excited to see the growth that I will have as a learner by being a member to sites like the MACUL and also following educational technology blogs that I am following through my RSS reader page. These networking sites are opening up avenues for me to obtain information outside the confinements of my school building or district. There are so many things that I have already learned in the past week by being exposed to these sites that I am looking forward to being challenged and stretched as I continue to seek out technology resources to improve my teaching practices.
After studying the different social networking sites I see the potential that they have to influence student learning in my classroom. I think that using programs such as Skype in the classroom will create authentic learning experiences for my students. I would like to use this networking program to be able to communicate with someone that is living in a place that we are learning about or communicating with someone who has relevant information but doesn't live close enough to give a presentation in person in my classroom. For example if we are learning about different landforms, we could Skype with someone who lives in a coastal region or mountainous region. The students could learn information about these landforms and what life is like there by having a conversation with a real person who lives there. I would also like to use a social networking site like Twitter or Facebook as an avenue for my students to have book discussions. I do literature circles in my classroom. My students meet with their small groups to discuss the book. But I would like to use online networking to allow my students to have a discussion with other students from different classes in different schools that are in other states who are reading the same book. I see the potential for students to gain collaborative skills as they use the internet to make sense of a book they are reading with their peers that are in the classroom and outside of the classroom. I also see the benefit of using these networking resources to expand my students' worldview. They would be building positive relationships with other students that are from different areas of the state, country, or world. I believe my students would gain skills in viewing things from different perspectives.
It is my goal to incorporate social networking sites into my classroom and to continue using them in my professional and personal life. I will be committed to using these tools safely and wisely. I plan to teach my students the proper etiquette for using these resources as well as giving them instruction on how to use them securely.
You have many wonderful ideas for incorporating social networks into both your professional and personal life. I didn't grow up with any of the tools you mentioned at the beginning of your post. I more or less, discovered them on my own in the 1990's when I purchased my first computer. This past school year I used Skype to communicate with teachers (and classrooms) in Alberta, Canada and New York as a part of my classroom's global project. If you are seriously thinking about connecting to other schools, I suggest you try ePals. They are a global free resource that allows teachers to connect with each other. You can just look for a sister-school or you can become a part of one of their ongoing projects, like Digital Storytelling. Great resource for expanding your PLN. The past two years have been very rewarding, as I extended my teacher's network to Europe, Asia, and down under. URL: http://www.epals.com/
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