Journal #2

“Social Networking” by Jim Klein

Klein describes the many technological opportunities that schools have, but do not typically take advantage of. It may be that the school does not have the means to make it happen or that it just may not be a top priority. He worked to create a project that was cost efficient, easy, and met the needs of the students and staff. It is a social networking tool that allows only the employees of the school to make changes, and it provides the option of blocking the sites content from certain groups of people including the general public. Just some of the uses include blogging, teacher posted announcements and newsletters, and lesson plans. The students are also getting involved creating blogs, podcasts, and videos for the site as well. Some teachers that have used the program have reported an increase in test scores since they began using some of the techniques in the classroom.

Will cost be a factor in developing and promoting the use of a social networking website in schools?
I do not think that it will be too costly at all. I can imagine that it would be difficult to sell anything to the administration right now with the budget crisis that we are in, but it seems as though Jim Klein and his team came up with their program using little or no money. There are many different companies that can offer free social networking options.

Is security of some concern?
From what I have read in Klein’s article, the program that they used offered an option to block from the students, other faculty, and the general public. If the program offers these options then I do not think that security is an issue. In fact it seems to be very beneficial and it has a lot of positive attributes. It is nice to see that the students are also enjoying the transition.