Journal 8: "Tapping the Wealth of Social Networks for Professional Development," by Christie Greenhow from the June/July 09 issue of L&L.

Greenhow, C. (2009, June/July). Tapping the wealth of social networks for professional development. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3620082009/JuneJulyNo8/L_L_June_July_2009.htm

Christine Greenhow explains how social networking has become such a large part of the social community and it can be a great tool for the users growth as a person. They are able to validation, advice, and other comments about the information they post on certain social networking sites like Myspace. She goes on to explain that there is no reason why this medium can't translate in to the professional fields and provide a platform for professionals to gain the same feedback in similar settings. Greenhow describes a story about another writer who found that Twitter was being used for instant information by another panelist at a meeting. It was amazing how other sources could accessed so fast and that the information was validated and credited in real time. She then talks about how there isn't a lot of research on the integration of professional development from social networking tools because it is so new. However, it is happening and there will continue to be assessments of its value in the education field and others.

I think this information is great just from the little exposure I have had with sites like Classroom 2.0 and Delicious. It is a way for information to spread and it to be gained by only those interested in the same topic. It will be a great source in the future as these forums become even more credible through their users' input.

1. Why are these tools valuable for professional growth?
They are important, because prior to these technologies, it was hard to circulate new ideas. Now, with these tools, it is possible to share many-to-many.

2. What do these tools operat one ethically?
They operate on the principles of openness, conversation, access, sharing, and transparent revision, according to media scholar Laura Cohen.