Schools online

Online network use in schools Social and educational opportunities Notley, Tanya Source: Youth Studies Australia; Sep2008, Vol. 27 Issue 3, p20-29, 10p Notley argues for decreased sensoring in schools. Social relationships that form between students in online social forums are improving communication in real world social envirironments, and an important access point for all kinds of facilities. The quote's below is taken from this article. 'The key reason why online networks can enhance social capital is because the increasing ubiquity of the internet and related ICTs impacts on the way social relationships and social networks are created, mediated and maintained. If a majority of people communicate and connect online, this in turn impacts on the way they accumulate social capital (Notley & Foth 2008). In this way ICTs can and do have an impact on bonding, bridging and linking forms of social capital (Huysman & Wulf 2004).' 'Other researchers have also emphasised the learning benefits that online network use can provide through the development of skills in peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, collabo- ration and critical evaluation (Gee 2003; Ito 2006; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2007; Sefton-Green 2005). Case study research has suggested that the flexible, personalised, experiential and informal learning opportunities that online network platforms provide can better suit young people who have struggled with the industrial one-size-fits-all style of teaching that still characterises the mainstream school systems in most developed nations (Green et al. 2007). However, rather than suggesting that online networks offer learning tools that are superior to traditional school-based learning, some researchers argue that online networks can and should be used to support an education system that conforms to the learner, rather than the learner to the system.'