Social Networking in the Classroom

Our students have actually been far ahead of us as teachers in the world of social networking. A powerful tool that creates instant connection and access to resources from all over the world, social networking has long been in the hands of our students. Since schools have been slow to embrace social networking, students took to self teaching themselves about this new technology. Unfortunately, the majority of students taught themselves to utilize social networking for social and entertainment purposes. Since social networking is a tool students are already familiar with, the task now shifts to schools on how to utilize this technology. The first priority needs to be educating students on how to utilize social networking for multiple purposes. Students have an opportunity to access resources that have never been accessible until now. Schools need to embrace the future of communication and connection that is social networking, and empower their students to better themselves by utilizing this technology.