School Board Study Shows Social Networks Educational
August 15, 2007 by Jayvee Fernandez
Filed under Computers
Schools that ban social networking sites deny students a powerful educational tool, says a new study by the US National School Boards Association.
A new study released today by the National School Boards Association and Grunwald Associates LLC exploring the online behaviors of U.S. teens and ‘tweens shows that 96 percent of students with online access use social networking technologies, such as chatting, text messaging, blogging, and visiting online communities such as Facebook, MySpace, and Webkinz. Further, students report that one of the most common topics of conversation on the social networking scene is education.
Nearly 60 percent of online students report discussing education-related topics such as college or college planning, learning outside of school, and careers. And 50 percent of online students say they talk specifically about schoolwork.
The inclusion of an office suite in Facebook only reflects a larger trend: social networks are growing up. Anyone who thinks this is just dumb kid stuff is missing out on a massive social education opportunity.
Indeed! You don’t even have to be in the USA to appreciate the value of Social Networks. Follow this link to see how one school in the Philippines does it. Roughly translated: “If you can’t beat the kids, join them (in conversations).”