Transcript Why social networks

Social Networks in Education:
Theoretical Dimensions and
Applications
Mofet international
Ami salant
January 27 2010
Why social networks ?
During the past decade the conceptual impact
of social capital and internet-based networks
has become been more influential in the
academic world in general and in the
education fields in particular.
The rise of the internet and social
networks
Online social networks are Web sites that
enable people to create a network of
connections to other Individuals.
Through the Internet communities that make up
social networks, people can contact others
they would like to know for personal or
professional reasons but whom they
might otherwise be unlikely to meet .
Sociological dimensions
Social scientists have investigated three kinds
of networks:
ego-centric
socio-centric
open-system networks
Socio-centric networks
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Socio-centric networks are, in Russell
Bernard’s term (personal communication),
networks in a box.
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Connection between children in a classroom,
between executives or workers in an
organization are closed system networks.
Open system networks
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Open system networks are networks in which the
boundaries are not necessarily clear, they are not in
a box – for example, the elite of the United States, or
connections between corporations, or the chain of
influencers of a particular decision, or the adoption of
new practices.
In some ways these are the most interesting
networks. Social networks in the internet are a
manifest of the open system networks.
Looking-Glass Self
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Now let us proceed to the notion of an
important sociological concept :
Charles Cooley and his concept of the
Looking-Glass Self
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The looking-glass self is a sociological
concept that a person's self grows out of
society's interpersonal interactions and the
perceptions of others. Cooley clarified it in
writing that society is an interweaving and
interworking of mental selves.
The term "looking glass self" was first used
by Cooley in his work, Human Nature and
the Social Order in 1902.
The Looking-Glass Self: An example
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The Looking-Glass Self is the notion of how we view
ourselves reflected back from others and the feelings
that we develop as a result of what we imagine they
see in us .
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For example, if someone posts the “25 Most
Random Things About Me” on facebook and a
parent, friend, or relative reads that they
automatically form a new opinion about that persondepending on what “things” they see and read.
SOCIAL COMPARISON
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Let’s see another sociological concept:
Social comparison
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Social comparison theory suggests that we
form our own attitudes and behaviours by
comparing ourselves with other people and
their opinions.
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Mostly we compare ourselves against people
whom we believe we're reasonably similar
to.
Facebook and the theory of social
network
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Facebook capitalises on people's drive for
social comparison by offering a plethora of
applications like the visual bookshelf that lets
you see what books your peers are reading
and the 'Compare me' application that
allows you to find out where you stand
relative to your friends for various categories
like cutest, sexiest and smartest.
Albert Bandura
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Ok, now it’s time to meet one of the most
important personality who has an important
role in researching social networks:
Who is professor Albert Bandura ?
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Albert Bandura (born December 4, 1925, in
Mundare, Alberta, Canada) is a psychologist
specializing in social cognitive theory and
self-efficacy. He is most famous for his
social learning theory
Albert Bandura
Biographical Sketch
http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/bandurabio.html
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Albert Bandura and Social learning
theory
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Social learning theory is a broad theory
developed by the psychologist Albert
Bandura.
The premise is that people learn new
attitudes by observing others and noting
the consequences of these actions. If those
observed are rewarded positively then those
observing are more likely to behave in the
same way.
Social learning theory: An example
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Observing others succeed and being able to interact
with them is hugely encouraging. Sites that are
designed to highlight success and which reward
people succeeding set up a strong social learning
dynamic. For example,
QuitNet.com, a site for those who want to stop
smoking, highlights success stories throughout
the site and provides a discussion forum for
interaction.
Open networks vs. closed networks
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More open networks, with many weak ties and social
connections, are more likely to introduce new ideas
and opportunities to their members than closed
networks with many redundant ties. In other words, a
group of friends who only do things with each other
already share the same knowledge and opportunities
A group of individuals with connections to other
social worlds is likely to have access to a wider
range of information.
Bridging two networks
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It is better for individual success to have
connections to a variety of networks rather
than many connections within a single
network.
Similarly, individuals can exercise influence
or act as brokers within their social networks
by bridging two networks that are not directly
linked (called filling structural holes
Social Networks Provide a Trust Filter
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When implemented right, or by closing the
loop tighter on your network, a social network
can help you better sort data and information
by helping you surface the information that
matters.
A great example of this in action is Robert
Scoble’s Link Reader
http://www.google.com/reader/shared/scobleizer
Another example related to education
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http://www.downes.ca/news/OLDaily.htm
Stephen Downes OLDaily ~ by Stephen
Downes
Do you trust Robert’s taste
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If you trust Robert’s taste in information and
subscribe to his Link RSS reader, then you’re doing
this.
Another level of doing this is through things like the
Blog Friends application on Facebook, which
allows you to see what’s of interest to the people
you’ve friended on Facebook.
Similar premises in both cases, and another way that
social networks (according to Rachel Happe from
IDC) deliver value.
Social Networks Improve Information
Speed
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The speed of trusted, relevant information
matters, Twitter shows us this all the time
Twitter is faster in lots of cases than more
official places for information.
Velocity and trust filter
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There are opportunities to build and fine-tune
information sharing networks that would improve
velocity, filter by trust, and capture organic
unstructured information in an easy-to-use method.
Think about how this might work for you as an
individual consumer of data, as a researcher of
information, and as someone in a network of people
who share information.
From online communities to social
networks
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“Social Networks” are really, in a way, collections of Web 2.0
technologies combined in a way that help to build online
communities.
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However , the information sharing within the online
communities could not be extended beyond the boundary of the
particular community. Whereas in social networks the
information sharing evolves without any boundaries.
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Another aspect which is stronger within the social network is
the ability have stronger articulation of "self" in terms of writing
(such as blogs), editing ( such a WIKI)
Social networks shortcomings
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According to new research conducted by
psychologist Dr. Tracy Alloway at the
University of Stirling in Scotland, we’re not
only facing an increasingly thinning state of
focus and awareness, we’re either
enhancing intelligence or actually
diminishing it based on the networks in
which we participate.
LINK