Journal #8

Greenhow, C. (2009, June/July). Taping 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/JuneJulyNo8/36810g.pdf
Tapping the Wealth of Social Networks for Professional Development

This was an interesting article about information and communication technologies and how their uses in the work place is shaping the way we think, work and communicate. The author uses information from journals and books to find that with these forms of technology we our opinions can easily be publicized. Also for educators, the use of these technologies needs to research more for developing effective was to use them. She discusses two trends that she and her colleagues see happening now. The first is social bookmarking like Delicious. Sites such as this one provide a way for professionals to view other professional’s sites they are following. With this there is an openness, sharing and collaboration that can occur with professionals. The other trend is using social networking tools like Classroom 2.0 or Facebook. She states that this type of social networking allows for many to many broadcasting. Especially with education, teachers are able to put their work out on these sites to share or get feedback from other educators. She also gives links to some sites to learn how networks are creating social leaning opportunities.

Questions

1. After reading this article all I could think about was how do we find that trend in technology, when it first starts, where do we look?

I would think most young students are the one's who have enough time to find and use these tools first. High school or young college students would be the people who are utilizing the technology for mostly socializing. It is taking that information to the next step to use it in a way to benefit professionals that is beneficial to us all.

2. As a parent I would not allow my children to use certain websites like Myspace to post information about themselves. However I see it is a good tool to use for education purposes. How would teachers get around parents like myself, when wanting to use sites like Myspace?

I am not sure how to answer that question. Maybe the school as a whole could have a Myspace page and it is monitored by their technology technician. The content of the site could only be educational and related to what teachers allow. This may be a tough hurdle for some parents and educators to get through!