Social Networking

(Posted by Steve Davis on behalf of Gabrielle Smith.)

As someone who tries to not on social networking sites I find it
annoying/irritating that my education, and even my grade, is affected
in some way by my having to post articles or give my thoughts online.
I think I can attribute this to a few reasons. One, I, in my youth,
prefer the old school method of reading from a book or magazine and
then writing about it. The second is the fact that I am a recovering
procrastinator and I try to avoid anything that might keep me from
what has to get done. To prove this point is that I no longer read
novels and have decided that the Iliad, which I am reading for a
class, will be my "fun" book. The last reason would probably still
be credited to my "old school" thinking. I don't see social networks
as educational so, in my opinion, they shouldn't be. However I'm not
so rigid in my thinking that I cannot see the benefits these site can
and do bring to the educational system.

These networks are a great way to know as much as you can about
almost everything. There is so much valuable information placed on
sites like Delicious that it would a downright shame to not get a
hold of it. Furthermore sites like these can help students learn how
to research and pick good, creditable sites. Also if we are to be as
active as possible in saving and protecting the environment, this
paperless route is a great place to start. Honestly, what can be
more fun than saving a tree or two while using a brain cell or two?
Another plus is that this change in technology, which isn't
necessarily a bad one, means that we ought to change with it if we
are ever going to relate to the rest of the world and possibly know
what it knows.