Social Networking at Work

I always thought I was pretty informed in the world of social networking. I love Facebook, and I tend to waste a lot of my time on Facebook. But, Facebook was the limit of my networking. I had heard of Ning, and I always intended to open a LinkedIn account, but I never got to it.

I have used Facebook to connect with my job in Residence Life - after all, my main focus group is college students that are constantly on Facebook. I promote events, speakers and meetings through group pages. It is also a great way to build community because we post photos of everyone getting involved. However, I never looked at social networks as a teaching tool, especially Facebook. The reading, Social Networking Goes to School, opened my eyes to all the ways social networking can be used in the classroom. I love the idea of using Twitter to have students help each other with math, how cool is that?

Educational Networking is also a new idea to me - I knew social networking was a great way to stay in the loop with friends and family but I never thought about connecting with other educators. I have already spent a large chunk of time checking out MACUL on Ning. I have also found news ideas on Twitter - something I never thought I would connect with work! I intend to utilize the groups available to me on Facebook, Ning, Twitter, etc. to become a better educator.

I look forward to learning more about social networking tools in regard to work. Once again, finding ways to make teaching and connecting easier!