Social networking is popular among students. Do any school social networks exist? Since many high schoolers flock to social networks, it would be a good idea.

Some exist – but not enough

I know that a few high schools have social networks of their own. Most don’t (including mine). It’s a great idea that should not be overlooked. The chance for collaborative learning on the web could change the lives of many students.

Why school social networks are great

School social networks can greatly change the performance of students, or even a whole school. Here’s a few reasons why it would work and a few benefits that it would have over the school.

1. Students are already using social networks. If a school does create a social network, I’m fairly sure that most students will have no trouble figuring out how to use it. Many students already use social networks such as Facebook or MySpace.
2. Social networking could be used as a learning tool. Right now, most of the stuff flying around on social networks such as Facebook and MySpace isn’t worth reading. Those sites are filled with gossip. That doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to change that, though. A social network could easily be used for a different purpose (such as collaborative learning).
3. It can still do everything that a current school website does. School social networks won’t remove anything from what the school is already doing. For example, my school uses a website for news and a website for posting grades. This wouldn’t change if they created a school social network – they could post news and grades on the social network. Also, I bet that a lot more people would read the news and view their grades if it was integrated in a social network.

Social networking is an awesome tool that should be utilized by everyone, even educators. Do you have a story involving a school social network? Do you have any ideas/thoughts/suggestions? Please leave a comment below.

Tags: Education on the Web, School Social Networks, Web 2.0