Uses for SNS in Schools

The YALSA provided me with several ideas about how teachers could use SNS in schools and why they could be beneficial:

• A math teacher has students serve as scribes on
  class blogs. Students post notes, visuals, formulas,
  activities and comments related to each day’s lesson.
  They also post reflections about their learning at least
  once before each test. Using the technology in this
  way gives students the chance to process learning
  and as a result better understand the content.
  See http://pc4sw06.blogspot.com/
• A school uses blogging software to publish its
  newspaper. The blog format allows for timely
  publication and the ability to make updates easily.
  This format also allows for comments from readers
  and easy navigation to archived stories. Publication
  costs are minimal (no color print costs!) and there is
  no limit to the length of the paper, allowing for more
  student participation. See
  www.uni.uiuc.edu/gargoyle/
• An author creates a blog as a way to reflect on the reading and writing experience. Teens
  who enjoy the author’s work keep up on what the author is writing and thinking through the blog. The author blog is used as a research source and as a way to communicate with the author about books, reading, and writing.
  See www.sparksflyup.com/weblog.php
• 
  Two biology teachers in different parts of the country are working with students on the topic
  of water quality and ecology. The teachers create a joint wiki for the unit of study. As
  students find information on the topic, they post to the water quality wiki findings,
  observations, and useful resources. Together students build an online resource (their own
  encyclopedia) on the topic.
• A high school student creates a My
  Space site for a British poet she needs
  to study. As she gathers information,
  she enters it into the poet’s My Space
  profile. She uses the blog function to
  post the poems she analyzes. Before
  long, other MySpace authors and poets
  (some real, some not) befriend her
  poet. They comment on what is written
  and lead the student to more
  resources. The student has to adopt
  the persona of her poet and imagine
  what the poet’s responses might
  actually be.