it's always about something

over the last few months I have been trying out new ways of getting students to communicate, while all the time I am becoming very tired even annoyed by the social network side of the internet. today I introduced them to a site I set up called sum-thing, they seem to have fun creating profiles and messaging as well as fulfilling many of the learning objectives I had planned, not all bad it is perhaps just me.

I have found myself getting really fed up with 'social networks' last night, while checking facebook (why I keep doing it I just don't know, I closed down the myspace account I had months ago). why am I concerned about things that some people I know some I don't really know are doing on days when I wasn't even near?

better still I have started to draw/design on pieces of paper again!

I realise that sounds odd but I had almost stopped drawing. but it felt so nice to write things down, could just be a passing phase but something is changing for the better.

a blatant plug >>

I make no apologies,  just thought I would give a plug for cornwall's coolest (not the best name perhaps but still) a social networking site worth a look if you are in the SW. I have to say I don't know much about its creation but like the idea. 

facebook, my space, & the like are fine especially to share pictures with friends and family else where (globally) but I can see a real future in smaller regional social networks, where the chance of actually knowing the people who are contacts, for social and work reasons

ning >> the social network thing

somehow it is just be a case of 'if you can't beat them join them'. so I have been setting up a social networks for the students I teach, over the last year or so we have had much trouble with the bypassing of the educational filters using proxy servers.


so I spent ages today creating accountable areas of social network type opportunities for them using ning. hopefully whilst learning about the ever increasing uses and the obvious misuse of bebo, myspace, facebook even youtube.
we will for a short time (at least) allow them to control as well as moderate content. it is an never ending battle for which there will never be an answer just an understanding, until then the bulk of the education needs to be with the use of the powerful applications by a large number of computer literate under 20's by an often less than understanding under 50's. the power of computers in the study/work place is still to reach its height so filtering is not the answer, understanding just might be.