This document discusses social networks and education. It notes that social networks allow individuals to create public profiles, form connections with other users, and view their connections. The main difference between social networks and other communication is that social networks make social connections visible. Social networks can help sustain strong and weak social ties as people move between communities. They also help young people, especially from low-income families, form peer connections based on interests rather than geography and access influential information and relationships.

1. Social Networks & Education “We need to move the discussion forward, beyond the superficial fascination with technology for its own sake, towards a more critical engagement with questions of learning, communication and culture” -Buckingham (2007)

5. Contrary to this belief…Scholars are finding online communication to be hyperpersonal (more friendly, social, and intimate)

7. Multimodal: users can “write back” blurring the lines between author, reader, producer and consumer

8. Citations Greenhow, C. and Robelia, B. (2009), Old Communication, New Literacies: Social Network Sites as Social Learning Resources. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14: 1130–1161. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01484.x http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://saurageresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/How-Teens-Use-Social-Networks.jpg&imgrefurl=http://saurageresearch.com/key-findings-mayjune-2010/