Social Networking

• Facebook and MySpace are social networks allowing anyone to network with people from around the world.  Friends can be found using just their name, email, or their network.  Teachers can use this format to connect with their students, to let students get to know them on a more personal level.  Some instructors use one of these spaces as an additional format to communicate important class information to their students.  Educators choosing to use Facebook or MySpace must be careful about what they put online as anyone can see it (unless they set their profiles to private).

• LinkedIn is a business-oriented networking site (comparable to a social networking site), mainly used for professional networking. 

• Teachade is a social networking site specifically for educators. You can access and contribute class resources, as well as start and/or join blogs. It can also serve as a support group for National Boards, Pro Cert., etc. candidates.

• Ning  is online service to create, customize, and share a social network.

• Skype    
  Skype is a free downloadable program that enables you to call and chat with any other Skype member for free.    Although this feature is not free (about $3/month), you can also use it to call cell phones and land lines.

• Social Bookmarking (del.icio.us) is a marvelous way to access links from any internet-linked computer, as well as to share useful links with a social network. (It also enables you to recall sites you bookmarked when you're not on your own computer or using your own browser.) This is a useful tool for us to share reference sources or for research collaboration. Using this site, you can track and organize online source materials and commentary, then share your collection via a group account, a special tag (one-word descriptors assigned to saved bookmarks), or existing on-site networks. For a short, visual introduction to social bookmarking especially geared to teachers, check out the "How to explain delicious to your parents" video clip on the site's blog.

• Twitter is a social networking and microblogging service utilizing instant messaging, SMS or a web interface. While many of us found it difficult to determine the value of Twitter, Walter found a fabulous article, What I Learned from Twitter Today, that illustrates the benefits of this particular system of communication, as well as the value of social networking in general.

All of these network tools are free, although most contain advertisements, and upgrades might include additional costs.