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Student work-arounds to blocked sites just got a little easier! MySpace jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, today unveiling an application that will deliver a mobile version of the social network to Apple's hugely popular smartphone. Another reason why we need to emphasize digital citizenship rather than blocking access!

Research from Northwestern University finds that college students' choice of social networking sites -- including Facebook, MySpace and Xanga -- is related to their race, ethnicity and parents' education.

Teens who build and frequent social networking sites are learning 21st century skills (tech skills, creativity, diverse viewpoints and communication skills), according to a University of Minnesota study. This page takes you directly to video interviews with the researchers from U of M.

This article offers new research results regarding the academic benefits of students use of social networking sites.

Young people today born into a digital world are experiencing a far different environment of information-gathering and access to knowledge than a generation ago. Who are these "digital natives" and what are they thinking? How are they using the technology, and are IT experts adequately responding to them? These questions will be addressed in a new Library of Congress series titled "Digital Natives." The four-lecture series will examine the generation that has been raised with the computer as a natural part of their lives, with emphasis on the young people currently in schools and colleges today. The series will seek to understand the practices and culture of these digital natives, the cultural implications of the phenomenon and the implications for education -- schools, universities and libraries.

On the one hand, today's technology - particularly the Internet and cell phones - provides kids wonderful opportunities to learn, recreate, and communicate. On the other, it also provides the means for kids to make and compound mistakes, some of which can lead to trouble. The kinds of mistakes we're talking about are mostly errors in judgment, some large, some small, but all of them things you should think about.

Interesting perspective from a Berkman researcher on how our "memories" of events an are changing with use of the Internet and collaborative participation. Even rote memory of significant dates in History has changed because digital natives know they can find the info on the Internet so easily. Would be an interesting discussion to have with high school students.

This three-part article includes a discussion of classroom connections to social networking sites and the school's role in intervening when information that affects the classroom is publicly posted on MySpace or Facebook. The authors also provide five key social networking tips:
1. Establish a policy for dealing with incidents in which students break school rules and their inappropriate behavior is showcased publicly on social-networking sites.
2. Outline clear guidelines for administrators that spell out how schools should discipline students based on information garnered from social-networking sites, and let parents and students know about those rules.
3. Educate students about online-safety issues and how to use sites such as Facebook and MySpace responsibly.
4. Have a policy in place for dealing with cyber bullying.
5. If teachers are using social-networking sites for educational purposes, they should establish clear guidelines for how they intend to communicate with students via those sites.

Global Run is a community of students and teachers engaged in inter-national service-learning in support of the United Nations' Millennium Development goals. The Global Run pilot project addresses the many challenges teachers have in trying to "fit in" global awareness and character education into standards based curriculum.

Digital Technology 101 offers guidance and advice on how to monitor some of the most popular communication tools used by teens today: social networking, cell phones, instant messaging,

Exchanging of nude photos via cell phone among kids [another form of cyberbullying] falls under child pornography laws. The long-term implications for these kids can be serious - not to mention the initial humiliation and embarrassment. Prosecution to the fullest extent of the law means time in juvenile hall and potentially having to register as a "sex offender" for the rest of their lives!

Fighting cyberbullying isn't just a technical problem. We need to educate children and young people to anticipate, recognize and deal with risks and problems as and when they arise. Children and young people will continue to give out their personal details so they need to be taught more about the management of personal information, both their own and other people's. More importantly they must be encouraged to become emotionally resilient in all areas of their daily lives.

Workshop materials here were designed to teach school leaders about social networking. There are both Trainer agendas and Workshop participant agendas here so that educators could easily use the materials to train others. Links to additional support materials can be found on the sidebar/Quickstart section.

Well-integrated technology opens social networks for students and allows children to develop key social skills, according to two recent studies conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Amy Jussel, founder of the Shaping Youth blog, examines how media and marketing influence children in this quick-paced and lively blog.

Environments such as SECOND LIFE can both stimulate and educate, experts agree. Online gaming can help students develop many of the skills they'll be required to use upon leaving school, such as critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.

This chapter explores why young authors find value in expressing themselves on the Internet.

The popularity of Facebook, MySpace, IM, and email with youth in developed countries demonstrates how second nature the online world has become for youth.

great article on the new meaning of "friend" in the age of social networking

Very interesting post by Dan Shareski on the connections between parents, school districts, students and the internet.

podcast outlining a parent's fears about non filtering of Facebook at school