Here are my thoughts at the beginning of my Online Learning Journal for the subject INF506 “Social Networking for Information Professionals”.
Definition of Social Networking
- ‘social’ implies a personal connection between people who share similar interests, ideas or experiences.
- ‘Networking’ has overtones of making business contacts or of a network of roads or nerves/ blood vessels in the human body.
‘Social networking” = a linking of like-minded people through the use of interactive technologies that allow members to respond to others in their ‘social network’.
Social Networking Technologies and Sites I Use
Blogs: I
- have regularly read other’s blogs and created my own for several years, for both personal and professional use.
- have kept a personal blog for almost 2 years to reflect on recent life changes and as a means of maintaining a connection with distant friends.
- began organizing the blogs I read using Google Reader when my browser bookmarks list became unwieldy.
- this blog was begun for an assignment for Teacher Librarianship (ETL401) in February 2010, and have used it as an online journal of my learning into teacher librarianship
Delicious:
- began using it as a means of keeping track of research for assignments a couple of months ago
- haven’t used it’s networking function yet.
Facebook:
- have used Facebook for about 18 months as a means of connecting with distant friends, family and colleagues as well as finding old school friends.
- primarily used it for social and recreational use (games) until now.
What I Expect to Learn From Completing INF506
- how to set up and use various social networking technologies/ sites
- develop some understanding of the educational, informational and social value of such technologies/ sites
- refine my skills in evaluation and critical analysis
- complete my first social networking ‘project’ and gain knowledge, understanding and experiences that I can use in my future career as a teacher librarian
Robyn's Reflections 