Social Networking

The phenomenal growth of social networking in recent years, and more recently, the massive interest in, and uptake of, real-time applications in social media eg. Twitter, are contributing to new trends in lifelong learning, business, marketing, entertainment and more.

This Slideshare presentation, 'Integrating Social Networking & Web 2.0 Applications into e-Learning ', by Rob Gibson provides an overview of a range of social networking & social media applications and examples of potential use in an educational context. A good starting point for increasing awareness and for educators considering the role of new tools, web applications and strategies in an e-learning environment.

Social Networking

View more OpenOffice presentations from rgibson.

Blocked websites in schools survey

Sharon Elin has posted the results of a short online survey about blocked websites in schools on her edutwist blog.

"My school district is locked-down tight and fixated on security when it comes to internet access for students."

Sharon's curiosity about 'references to web2.0 sites being used in education by other educators' led to a survey on Google Docs, sent out by Twitter, Plurk and her edutwist blog.
I missed the original survey and only one Australian responded.

Despite a relatively small global response, and one skewed to educators already using social media/networking sites, the 'results', especially the use of comments/pull quotes, make for an interesting read and should stimulate further debate about filtering policies in school districts and jurisdictions and teaching and learning in the 21st century.
Trust and responsibility feature strongly in a myriad of issues.

Read Sharon's blog post , follow the link to the survey questions and results, comments and suggestions on Google Docs. and share.

Web2.0 screencasts

Liz B. Davis is assembling a number of screencasts on Web2.0 tools on her blog, "The Power of Educational Technology," and taking requests for any additions. Current screencasts include introductions and 'howtos' on using Delicious, Flock, Flickr, Diigo, Twitter and Google Reader.
These should prove useful to busy teachers and others exploring the potential of Web2.0 and teacher mentors, ICT coordinators etc. providing support and expand the range of social networks.
Thanks, Liz.

Mahara (open source) PLE

I discovered Mahara while doing some research on Personalised Learning Environments (PLEs) and e-Portfolios. Mahara emanates from New Zealand and means 'think' or 'thought' in Te Reo Māori. It is a "fully featured open source electronic portfolio, weblog, resume builder and social networking system, connecting users and creating online communities." It stands out from many others in its aim to be more student-centric.

Mahara has an impressive range of tools designed to allow users to "demonstrate their life-long learning, skills and development over time" and the ability for users to select and control who can see their Artefacts. Discussion around a Roadmap about self assessment grids is worth following. Check the lernenzwei 'GPS for Learning' project for more information.

Mahara features include a file repository, blogging tool (creation of Artefacts), all important social networking capabilities and a résumé builder. All Artefacts have built-in metadata to aid discovery. Check the website for more technical considerations.

Another area of interest is the JISC (UK) SPLASH project in higher education which aims to "provide a more personalised learning experience....and ... management of artefacts," developed by the creative efforts of learners using popular Web2.0 mashup technology.

David Delgado's posting "On E-learning 2.0 and the Personal Learning Environment (PLE)" provides an excellent visualization and definition of a PLE as "systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning, they are distributed, social and learner-centric." He uses another open source product, Elgg (which I have experimented with in recent years)and complements this with a range of Web2.0 tools and Moodle.

So much to explore! The PLE tag in Del.icio.us has been great!

Classroom2.0 on Ning

I've recently joined a Ning community, "Classroom2.0," as you can see by my new badge on this blog.
Classroom2.0 is a "social networking site for those interested in the practical application of computer technology (especially Web 2.0) in the classroom and in their own professional development."
I think Ning has great potential for teachers/educators setting up their own social networks and exploring the potential of Web2.0. I've recommended setting up a community in Ning for a couple of local groups of educators, getting started in social networkiing.