Social+Networking+&+Teens

What is it and why do the kids like it so much? How do we creat our identity? How do we share who we are with our friends and colleagues?
 * Social Networking**:


 * Definitions:**
 * A social network is a map of the relationships between individuals, indicating the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds. The term was first coined in 1954 by J. A. Barnes (in: Class and Committees in a Norwegian Island Parish, "Human Relations"). [|en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking]


 * A "social network site" is a category of websites with profiles, semi-persistent public commentary on the profile, and a traversable publicly articulated social network displayed in relation to the profile. http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2006/11/10/social_network_1.html
 * **Profile.** A profile includes an identifiable handle (either the person's name or nick), information about that person (e.g. age, sex, location, interests, etc.). Most profiles also include a photograph and information about last login. Profiles have unique URLs that can be visited directly.
 * **Traversable, publicly articulated social network.** Participants have the ability to list other profiles as "friends" or "contacts" or some equivalent. This generates a social network graph which may be directed ("attention network" type of social network where friendship does not have to be confirmed) or undirected (where the other person must accept friendship). This articulated social network is displayed on an individual's profile for all other users to view. Each node contains a link to the profile of the other person so that individuals can traverse the network through friends of friends of friends....
 * **Semi-persistent public comments.** Participants can leave comments (or testimonials, guestbook messages, etc.) on others' profiles for everyone to see. These comments are semi-persistent in that they are not ephemeral but they may disappear over some period of time or upon removal. These comments are typically reverse-chronological in display. Because of these comments, profiles are a combination of an individuals' self-expression and what others say about that individual.

[|Club Penguin] is popular with the elementary and tween crowd. [|Facebook] is popular with the high school and young adult crowd [|MySpace] is popular with the middle and high school crowd
 * Three Examples of Social Networking Sites:**

[|Classroom2.0] [|School2.0]
 * Social Networking Sites for Educators:**

Many websites have social networking components, such as online profiles at discussion board sites. Blogs and media sharing sites provide a space for comments. Notice the comment sections on [|YouTube], [|Flickr] and blogs like [|John Schneider's Lansing State Journal column online].

[|Danah Boyd] writes in her publication [|Social Network Sites: Public, Private or What?:] //Today’s teenagers are being socialised into a society complicated by shifts in the public and private. New social technologies have altered the underlying architectures of social interaction and information distribution. They are embracing this change, albeit often with the clumsy candour of an elephant in a china shop. Meanwhile, most adults are panicking. They do not understand the shifts that are taking place and, regardless, they don’t like what they’re seeing.//

//This leaves educators in a peculiar bind. More conservative educators view social technologies as a product of the devil, bound to do nothing but corrupt and destroy today’s youth. Utterly confused, the vast majority of educators are playing ostrich, burying their heads in the sand and hoping that the moral panics and chaos that surround the social technologies will just disappear. Slowly, a third group of educators is emerging - those who believe that it is essential to understand and embrace the new social technologies so as to guide youth through the murky waters that they present. This path is tricky because it requires educators to let go of pre-existing assumptions about how the world works. Furthermore, as youth are far more adept at navigating the technologies through which these changes are taking place, educators must learn from their students in order to help them work through the challenges that they face.//

[|Edutopia highlighted] the [|Philadelphia Science Leadership Academy], where social technologies have redefined learning spaces, the roles and relationships of teachers and students, and the mission of the modern high school.

In Delaware, [|Students and Teachers Share Web Space]: //Seaford High yearbook adviser Harry Brake no longer relies on the school's public-address system when he wants to make sure his students note an upcoming deadline. He posts a MySpace bulletin.// //"They all get it right away," he said.// //While teachers and students make headlines across the country for inappropriate photographs and messages on social networking sites, some Delaware educators are finding innovative ways to use the sites to connect with students.//

Do my students participate in social networks? Why? Do I participate in social networks? Why? Where are my networks located? What would be the advantages and disadvantages to participating in a social network with students and teachers?
 * Questions to consider**