Social Networks: How they fit into my life and the lives of my students and peers

Social networks make the hidden opportunities of the real world visible. By joining a social network, I am able to get things done much more efficiently than by relying on my everyday connections. When I join a social network, I am connected to my friends, my friends' friends, and the friends of my friends' friends. As a teacher, I was once afraid of using social networks in the classroom. However, social networks are increasingly becoming apart of our students' lives and students thrive using them. It only makes sense to use social networks in the classroom and engage students to learn the subject matter more meaningfully. As educators, we can design lesson plans that implement social networks to create a body of learners who are passionate and engaged about what they are learning. Teaching students that social networks can go beyond just the social realm focuses them towards their own professional growth through social media. 

http://www.commoncraft.com/video/social-networking

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/06/16/03networking.h03.html