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Social Networking basics
• Web 2.0 describes way people are using the internet as an application rather than a set of static pages.
• The popularity of social networking services are a large part of Web 2.0
• At their most basic social networks allow users to create a profile for themselves and communicate with other “friends” on the network.
• Over the last ten years, social networks have developed into a variety of different genres, with different features and levels of interaction that appeal to different groups of people.
How popular are they?
People use social networks to connect with people whoshare a similar interest, hobby or passion. For example
– Facebook: is aimed at College/High School networks of friends (21,000,000 registered users)
– Friends Reunited lets you get back in contact with your old school or university classmates (12 million registered users)
– MySpace is a social network popular with young people who are into music (176,500,000 registered users)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites
My Space
Myspace.com is a popular social networking website offering an
international, network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups,
photos, music and videos
http://groups.myspace.com/learningspanish
Example Spanish cultural group
• Ask questions about the language and culture• Discussions can be in either English or Spanish• Learn about the culture through literature, poetry, latin
music, facts, history, politics, food• Share website links
But: feels limited for educational application
http://groups.myspace.com/learningspanish
A blog
• It’s like an online diary, with the most recent entry at the top of the page. Has a personal, informal voice.
• Visitors can comment on the blog entries and start a debate• You can search blogs using http://www.technorati.com/ • You can start a free blog with a service like http://www.typepad.com
or http://www.blogger.com
Blogs: educational application
There are lots of different uses for blogging withineducational environments• Content-related blog around academic specialty • Networking and personal knowledge sharing • Instructional tips for students • Course announcements and readings • Recommend links
For more information on blogs in education visit
http://awd.cl.uh.edu/blog/
Second Life• Second Life is a 3-D virtual
world entirely built and owned by its residents. It opened in 2003 and has nearly 7 million registered users
• Advanced social network, with it’s own economy, newspapers and institutions
• Users create avatars which meet up in the virtual world and interact using text chat (voice is being introduced)
• Instead of a homepage, people buy land and create a home, which they can customise or invite people to.
Second Life: educational applications
• Lectures (e.g., people who couldn't attend a face-to-face lecture; might be centered in Second Life, or streaming video from a f2f lecture)
• Faculty or students creating something that people can walk through or manipulate: something where learning benefits from happening in a simulated 3D environment.
• Activities that benefit from the participant's sense of being part of a group
• Learning a new language and culture by interacting with people from that culture
But:• Time and effort are needed to learn to use Second Life and to build
things.
Secondlife education page: http://secondlife.com/educationEducation Wiki: http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Life_Education_WikiSource: http://tlt-swg.blogspot.com/2007/03/educational-uses-of-second-life-notes.html
Conclusions
• Online social networks are very popular• They can have different educational applications• Look at how they are being used and find educational
elements in popular behaviour• Many networks are free to join, but may charge for
advanced features. • It’s important to use networks that are time efficient • Make sure there is enough benefit from the activity
to justify the effort
Task
• In groups of three discuss possible educational applications of one of the social networks mentioned in this presentation
