Because of technology, social networking has completely changed. Ideas can spread so much faster through the use of email, websites, and social networking sites. It's as simple as copying and pasting text, forwarding an email, or saving/sending an image. Even those who are not completely tech-knowledgeable can participate in the process with little difficulty. Through use of search engines like Yahoo and Google, users can find online tutorials and learn more about technology.
Social networking makes me think of the phrase, "It's not what you know, but who you know." In the Wikipedia entry for this week, the entry states: "...power within organizations often comes more from the degree to which an individual within a network is @ the center of many relationships than actual job title." This idea also connects with how ideas can spread so quickly through the use of technology. For example, with Myspace--- if someone has a small circle of friends and forwards something to them, the forwarded idea/concept may have little effect. If the same user has many people on their friends list from many "walks of life" and from many different places, the ideas will spread easier because they are being transmitted to a wide range of users.
Due to this quick spreading of ideas, there are definite implications for teaching and learning. The one that concerns me most is this: since ideas can spead so quickly online, I get concerned about students who may see incorrect information about particular news or social issues. If one student "spreads" this idea to another and then so on, wrong information will be embedded in their minds. I know, for instance, there are websites out there that claim the Holocaust didn't happen. There's websites that make other ludicrous historical claims too. Because of the quick spreading of ideas through social networks (online), there are huge educational implications. As teachers, we have to teach students how to judge the validity of a site and how to properly search online for academic material.
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