[Sig-bwp] Facebook Use in Education?

[Gerry Mckiernan]

***APOLOGIES FOR RECEIPT OF DUPLICATE POSTINGS***
Colleagues/

I am greatly interested in learning of Any and All Past, Present, and Future initiatives that have used / are using / will use Facebook (and/or other social networking service/site) for Any and All ***Educational*** Purposes. [I'm acquainted more or less current Library Applications / Implementations [:-)]

I've searched The Usual Suspects (e.g., ERIC, PsycINFO) but I find very/very little **Scholarly Literature**on ***Educational/Learning*** Applications of Online Social Networking Sites [?] [Too New?]

***BTW-1: What Top 3 Educational Listservs/e-Lists would you recommend for this request/posting? Thanks!***

For those who are not yet acquainted with Social Networking Sites (SNS), Wikipedia characterizes a Social Network Service as a service that 

"focuses on the building and verifying of online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others, and which necessitates the use of software.

Most social network services are primarily web based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on."

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service ]

As Many Well Know By Now: Over the past several months I have made a systematic effort to identify significant and  news-worthy developments relating to Social Networking Sites and to profile these in my _Friends_ blog which is devoted to  "Social Networking Sites for Engaged Library Services." _Friends_ is located at 
 
[ http://onlinesocialnetworks.blogspot.com/ ]

While focused on library applications and implementations, _Friends_ also profiles developments in other sectors, including Education. 

I am particularly interested in scholarly works on online social networking in all environments and have included profiles of a number of articles, dissertations, theses, reports, etc. in _Friends_.

BTW-2: Do Visit _Friends_ and while you're there Please Consider Subscribing [:-)

[ http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/Friends ]

BTW-3: I will deliver a presentation here at ISU in late October titled

_Facebook 101: An Introduction to Online Social Networking and its Potential for Education_

Over the past few years some colleges and universities have begun to recognize online social networking sites as virtual communities that offer opportunities for their faculty to interact more directly with students. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of Facebook, a major Web-based social networking site; describe its major features and functionalities; and profile several local and national projects that have utilized Facebook for engaged instruction and learning.

[ http://www.celt.iastate.edu/events/homepage.html#tech ]

BTW-2: Early next month I will deliver a presentation at the LITA National Forum in Denver titled

_In Your Face(book): Social Networking Sites for Engaged Library Services_

We believe that social networking sites such as Facebook are excellent environments to
foster and facilitate contact and communication among members of a local community.
We also believe that as a structured, yet open, communication venue within an
educational community, Facebook can also serve a place and space in which library and
librarian services can be more actively and visibly promoted.

[ http://www.lita.org/ala/lita/litaevents/litanationalforum2007denver/forum2007.cfm ]

Slides from both presentations will be self-archived  and profiled in _Friends_ by the end of October.

!!! Happy Fall !!!

/Gerry

Gerry McKiernan
Associate Professor
Science and Technology Librarian
Iowa State University Library
Ames IA 50011

!!! Social Networking is People !!!
[ http://www.facebook.com/p/Gerry_McKiernan/16926735  ]
[ http://onlinesocialnetworks.blogspot.com/ ]

Iowa: Where the Tall Corn Flows and the (North)West Wind Blows ...
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