Social Networking on the Internet

The main thing I took away from this week’s information is that there are both positive and negative aspects of social networking on the web. Some positive aspects are:

· Students can build on the relationships they previously have
· Students can easily find peers that have similar interests
· Students can share ideas and collaborate through social media

Some negative aspects of social networking on the web are:

· Students can potentially list too much information about themselves
· Students can unknowingly make themselves available to predators
· Students might possibly become victims of cyber bullying

As an educator, I think it is very important to be aware of the risks and benefits of using social networking sites in schools. The more we know about what is dangerous, the better chance we have of preventing it. Also, I think knowledge is power. The more we educate students as to the potential hazards, the more they will think twice about how they use the Web, and what information they post.