My findings

Through experience, extensive research and exploration of Bebo; I have discovered the advantages of this social networker, and how it can be used to promote learning in and out of the classroom. I will be looking at the element of communication using Bebo as a means of creating social networks. When researching the communication element of Bebo I discovered a fantastic reading by Milton Keynes (2007) that evaluates digital learning and social networking using the internet.

I was interested in the area that evaluated the communication skills that can be developed through digital learning through Bebo; Keynes (2007) establishes that the government, local authorities and schools are encouraging the use of the internet to promote learning in a wide range of areas. 'Exploiting the online world is now a key means of extending and personalising the educational experience of all learners, and to young people, this is an obvious and natural way to learn'( Keynes, 2007. p.5) This is a very valid statement, children are becoming exposed to Elearning at a young age therefore by using their knowledge and skills they already have in this area teachers can teach communication skills suing a medium that the children are interested in.

When looking at other methods of communication on the internet that children have access to we become accustomed to networkers likechatrooms, according to Keynes (2007) these 'enable users to engage in ‘conversations’ with people across the street or across the world. They are similar to telephone conversations except that messages are typed instead of spoken. Usually everyone in a chatroom can see all the other participants’ contributions. Unlike email, once chat sessions are finished there will often be no obvious record of what has been posted'(p.5)The danger to children of public chatroom use is that people do not necessarily tell the truth about who they are.

If children provide personal information it is possible that they could be traced and contacted by another user who could then cause harm. Schools often see chatrooms as a home-leisure pursuit; however, the role of chatrooms in schools is likely to change. Systems exist which allow teachers to set up secure chat sessions where they can control who is taking part and when they occur. Personal safety programmes should explore with pupils the potential dangers of using chatrooms so that children understand how they can protect themselves. I personally believe that Bebo is a much safer wasy for children to comunicate amongst friends, mainly because their are many more safety procedures put in place where children can prevent people they don't know from reading their blogs and postings, also all of their entries/ posts are recorded and saved therefore these can be tracked if inappropriate discussion and communicating is occuring. This would be a fantastic way of enabling a class of students to socially network with each other.In future posts I will elaborate on the various ways to communicate through Bebo, who you can communicate with, the safety precautions that are taken.

Throughout these posts I will use a variation of readings and books to infuse my understandings and inform what I now know about Bebo. From this I will critique the element of communication through Bebo and explore viewpoints on the matter. Social Networking areas are websites which help connect friends using a number of online tools such as blogs, profiles, internal email systems and photos. Well known sites include Bebo and Myspace, and they are very popular with pupils.