Social+Networks

[|Instagram]
__//**What is this? **//__

Instagram is a free photo-sharing and social network site. Instagram allows users to upload pictures and share them with other social network sites such as twitter and facebook. This social network system was developed in October 2010, and currently has 100 million registered users. The pictures that you upload to instagram can be set through a number of digital filters/effects. Instagram was created to solve three problems:
 * 1) Mobile photos are dull and never come out looking their best. The filters transform your photos into professional-looking snapshots.
 * 2) Sharing on through multiple social networks is a hassel. Instagram helps you take a picture once, then share it (instantly) on multiple services.
 * 3) Instagram allows you to upload your pictures fast and efficienly.

__**//Teaching and Learning//**__
How can instagram be used in the classroom? The perfect example of a classroom environment that could utilize "instagram" is any art room. Instagram could be used as an online gallery to display student work. Students could be required to upload finished products on to the instagram website, and in return, allow their classmates to view their work. Also, instgram gives the option for users to leave comments on any picture that is uploaded by their followers. This quality would allow students to critique their peers work. With most art students already being required to upload digital portfolios, instagram would be a great social network site to make things easier for everyone.

//**Instagram Gallery Visual**//
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**[|facebook]**

**// What is this? ~ //**
Facebook is a free social networking site that is not simply just a distraction for learners, because it keeps all students, parents, and teachers connected to one another if used properly. More and more educators are beginning to realize that it can be used as a collaborative learning tool in the classrooms. By utilizing this, students will be able to share information beyond the walls of the classroom with one another, learn important 21st century skills, and encourage collaboration among all students, rather than simply forming “cliques”. In addition, students can receive constant reminders about anything pertaining to class, can have easy access to research online resources and share those with one another, and can also participate in group projects or other assignments and receive feedback quickly. Parents can also become more involved in knowing what is going on in the classroom. Teachers can have a better understanding about the interests and backgrounds of each of their students, and through this, educators can try to facilitate instruction better around their interests. Facebook can certainly create a type of social bond between students, teachers, and parents! Facebook’s community-based format can foster discussion, reflection, and social awareness, which are all key components to the learning process! Just click on the link provided above and fill out the information on the web page to sign up for a free account!

**// Teaching & Learning: ~ //**
Through the use of Facebook, students can participate in a more active learning experience that is beneficial to them, rather than a passive one where teachers are simply just lecturing to students on a daily basis. For those teachers who often have trouble putting names to faces, through the constant interaction and updates on Facebook with students, this can help them to associate names and faces in the classroom. A number of teachers have found that if Facebook is used in their particular classrooms, then students are less tempted to use them inappropriately during class time, especially on their mobile devices. Instead of students always consuming the content being taught, students can use Facebook to create their own discussions, post their own questions/concerns, and post links to helpful online resources that they may have come across during their research. Not only can students collaborate with their peers and teachers, but teachers can also ask experts or outsiders to participate in their Facebook groups and spark a new level of discussion or involvement. Students can also communicate with others in the world, who speak another language, so they can learn about different cultures around them and even discuss the topic of diversity, which is important in schools nowadays. Teachers can also schedule daily learning activities for their Facebook group classroom, such as a word of the day or maybe even a history lesson of the day, in order to address some sort of learning topic that can be enjoyed together at that time and even referenced later on. Students can even have access to extra-credit assignments posted or just even fun-activities students can complete in general. In addition, for students who may be absent during any given class, they could have easy accessibility to what they missed and “stay in the loop”, if it is posted on Facebook. This would not only benefit the students on keeping up-to-date, in terms of what is going on in the classroom, but it would also help parents to know what is going on. Teachers can be sure that students are actually working on projects or larger assignments outside of class by asking students to post pictures of their “works-in-progress”. Also, by educators posting documents on Facebook, such as permission slips or even flyers that usually get sent home to parents, teachers would be saving paper, which is a huge issue currently in schools. In general, teachers, students, and parents can post pictures, videos, links, resources, questions, concerns, and dialogue on Facebook, which are all critical skills for them all to acquire in the 21st century!

**// Examples: ~ //**
For those larger class projects that require students to communicate and work together outside of the classroom, students can form groups on Facebook for completing these projects, sharing information, and bringing everything together with track-able involvement. For example, students can send pictures to one another to show the progress they have made with their part of the project. So, all students can be on the same page at all times, but do not necessarily need to physically be with one another, and can communicate by using the internet.

Another example involves this idea of “show-and-tell”, where students may not be able to bring physical items into the classroom, such as their pet python as an extreme example, but through Facebook, they can share photos and videos of those items through the internet.

Debates can also be completed on Facebook through discussion outside of the classroom as well. So, maybe there was not enough time during a particular class to finish a debate about some issue, such as global warming, but by using Facebook, teachers can continue the debate outside of the classroom by posting a discussion on the group page.

Material that needs to be reviewed prior to an examination or quiz, can be addressed on the Facebook group page by the teacher tagging important items, such as links, photos, notes, and other additional resources that can be useful for the students to study prior to an exam or quiz day.

Teachers can get instant feedback on what students thought of an assignment or activity they completed by using the polling tool on the Facebook site. This is just another way to get quick and easy feedback from students or even parents!

Facebook is full of all types of learning apps, including formulas used for math, slideshow applications, class notes, and much more! Teachers just need to explore all the opportunities provided on the Facebook social networking site!

Below is a picture of a blank template for a Facebook profile page! 

**[|edmodo]**

//**What is this?**//
A secure social networking site for teachers and students and parents. You can post classroom materials, share links, videos, access homework, grades and school notices and presentations.

=
//**Teaching & Learning ~**// Great tool especially for K - 12 students where facebook is not available. Easy for students to use if they have experience in facebook. Participants must be invited so it is a secure site. =====

=
//**Examples ~**// The Virtual Book Club is using this to discuss readings and for teachers to plan video conferences. Students in Northern Ireland were not able to use Facebook so this was an acceptable alternative for the project. Penn Hills has the license and invited the students from Quaker Valley and St. Mary's College in Derry to join. ===== [|**yammer**]

//**What is this?**//
An enterprise social networking site.

//**Examples ~**//
__**Pinterest**__

 ** //What is this?// - **

Pinterest is a new social networking site and is a virtual pin board. This new site lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. Pinterest connects you with other users so you can browse and share each others ideas and pins to find new inspirations from things such as recipes, home decor, lesson plans, women's fashion, etc. The site uses photos which is a fantastic visual and extremely stimulating. In other words, Pinterest is quite addicting once you start. So users beware!!

//**How to sign up -** //

inspirations New users can click the Pinterest link above to get started. You can sign up through Facebook or your email address. Using Facebook creates a connection between the two, so when you post a new pin on Pinterest, it will show up on your Facebook. You can utilize this feature if you'd like, but it is not necessary.

//**What can you do with Pinterest?** //

Here is a screen capture of the home page on Pinterest. To give you an idea of how to navigate the site, I will explain some of the features! At the very tippy top on the right hand side is your profile with your profile photo. The bright red Pinterest title in the center is a link that takes you to the home page (the page shown here). Underneath the title, you will see various drop boxes. They are labeled: Following, Categories, Everything, Popular, Gifts. When you click on those links, they will take you to the various pinterest news feed pages. For example, under Categories, the drop box will give you categories to choose from such as Home Decor, Humor, and Food and Drink. When you click on the specific category, the news feed page will show only photos that fall under that particular category. When you are under the home screen, it shows all of the Pinners that you follow (meaning your friends). On the left hand side you can see the recent activity box which shows you all of the recent activity connected to your individual pinterest.



Now for the Pinning portion of the lesson. Whenever you see a photo you like, you can click on it and it will bring up an enlarged photo, like the one below.

Once the image is enlarged, you will notice that when you mouse over the image the option to Like or Repin appear in the upper left hand corner of the image. If you would like to 'Repin' this image, it will then be attached to your profile and will appear in anyones news feed that is friends with you as a new pin. If you decide to repin an image, you can choose to add it into specific boards within your profile. For example, some pinners create boards such as Recipes, Workouts, Fashion, etc. The particular pin in the image above would fall into most peoples' food related board. However, you get to choose where so it could fall into any of YOUR specific boards. Some people are creative with their boards. For example, here is a screen shot of various boards until an individuals profile in Pinterest.

Whats really great about this site is that once you click on an image to enlarge it, if you click a second time it will take you to the original site of the image. There are some great resources for teachers on here. Lesson plans galore, tons of creative ideas for students and teachers, and so much more!


 * [|window live] **

**// Examples ~ //**

 * [|FillanyPDF] **

//** What is this? **//
Lets you create forums to build your own community. You can share posts, documents, different type of media, tasks and take notes. Search the web for forum topics from a huge range of online forums, discussion groups, boards and chat-rooms.