Journal 1

Social Networking for the K-12 Set by Jim Klein
Learning & Leading with Technology - Feb 2008

Two IT staff members and one curriculum specialist for the Saugus Unified School District have set out in an effort to break down barriers of information sharing and provide cohesiveness throughout the school district. They look to social Networking with the use of Open Source software as a way to establish an easily accessible teacher/student community that is rich in communication. By nature, these open source Web based forums are cost effective (they are free) and very approachable (they are on the World Wide Web). Having access to the source code is beneficial because it allows one to customize the software in order to meet ones needs. It becomes more specific to the user's purpose. The use of this technology has provided many benefits including higher test scores and student achievement with less overhead.
How could one provide the benefits seen in this article to those who do not have access to the internet from home?
One has to recognize that not everyone has access to the internet from home. Perhaps the bulk of assignments for which the students would need to access the internet could be done from the classroom or some sort of computer lab. I believe exposure (i.e. getting them familiar with technology), even the smallest amount, is important to a student's success. It is equally important not to alientate a student based on the availability of technology. Also, maybe the weight of the grade should not depend on the amount of internet access but more importantly the effort that the student shows with his/her time.
What would be one aspect of social networking from which you would hope to benefit?
As a new teacher, I would hope to benefit from the more experienced teachers regarding lesson planning & educational techniques. I would look for a forum that discusses what has worked and what has not worked in the past. I think that time is very precious for teachers in that there is so much to cover within a school year - there is no time to reinvent the wheel for every lesson.