This book provides specific and practical ideas for using social media tools to enhance communications, instruction, and professional development within the K–12 school environment—invaluable information for school librarians, instructional coaches, technology specialists, and educational administrators. Social Networking for Schools is the only book to take a comprehensive look at the topic of social media use in schools. Starting with the numerous justifications for integrating social media into schools, it provides real-world examples of how to seamlessly integrate social media within your classroom or library, examines the methodologies for crafting the necessary policies and procedures to ensure that staff members are prepared to use these tools effectively, and discusses the policy and legal issues surrounding the use of social media in schools. The work uniquely identifies the three core ways that social media can be integrated within a school: as communications tools, as instructional tools, and for professional development. The collaborative effort of a former school librarian and current school administrator with a practicing school attorney, authors Steven M. Baule and Julie E. Lewis bring perspectives and critical insights to the topic not normally considered in similar literature.

"It is refreshing to see a volume dedicated first and foremost to understanding and building human relationships in schools. By developing strong networks, schools can foster open systems committed to distributive leadership and exemplary academic outcomes." —Sharon Conley, Professor University of California, Santa Barbara Discover how to navigate your school′s social networks to maximize communication and collaboration! Social networks reflect the usually invisible relationships that control the flow of information and power within a school. This compelling guide provides school leaders with an understanding of the real relationships within their schools and how to use their social savvy to promote school goals. This resource examines the types of social networks typically found in schools and provides samples of social network maps, steps for developing your own maps, and practical advice for managing social networks effectively. Learn how to leverage the power of: Task networks determined by work roles and organizational structure Friendship networks based on relationships between staff members Power networks that can influence opinions and resources Culture networks that can help unite staff By understanding the many relationships that contribute to a school′s culture, leaders can cultivate innovative ideas, enhance teacher capacity, manage conflict, and get things done.

As technology is being integrated into educational processes, teachers are searching for new ways to enhance student motivation and learning. Through shared experiences and the results of empirical research, educators can ease social networking sites into instructional usage. The Social Classroom: Integrating Social Network Use in Education collates different viewpoints on how social networking sites can be integrated in education. Highlighting both formal and informal uses of social interaction tools as learning tools, this book will be very useful to all educators, trainers and academic researchers in all aspects of education looking for a theoretical/practical approach to resourceful teaching.

Social Network Analysis and Education: Theory, Methods & Applications provides an introduction to the theories, methods, and applications that constitute the social network perspective. Unlike more general texts, this applied title is designed for those current and aspiring educational researchers learning how to study, conceptualize, and analyze social networks. Brian V. Carolan's main intent is to encourage you to consider the social network perspective in light of your emerging research interests and evaluate how well this perspective illuminates the social complexities surrounding educational phenomena. Relying on diverse examples drawn from the educational research literature, this book makes explicit how the theories and methods associated with social network analysis can be used to better describe and explain the social complexities surrounding varied educational phenomena.

In the era of such online spaces as Facebook, Instant Messenger, Live Journal, Blogger, Web Shots, and campus blogs, college students are using these resources and other online sites as a social medium. Inevitably, this medium presents students with ethical decisions about social propriety, self disclosure and acceptable behaviour. Because online social networking sites have proven problematic for college students and for college administrators, this book aims to offer professional guidance to Higher Education administrators and policy makers. Online Social Networking on Campus: Understanding what matters in student culture is a professional guide for Higher Education faculty and Student Affairs administrators, which rigorously examines college students’ use of online social networking sites and how they use these to develop relationships both on and off campus. Most importantly, Online Social Networking on Campus investigates how college students use online sites to explore and makes sense of their identities. Providing information taken from interviews, surveys and focus group data, the book presents an ethnographic view of social networking that will help Student Affairs administrators, Information Technology administrators, and faculty better understand and provide guidance to the "neomillennials" on their campuses.

Social Network Theory and Educational Change offers a provocative and fascinating exploration of how social networks in schools can impede or facilitate the work of education reform. Drawing on the work of leading scholars, the book comprises a series of studies examining networks among teachers and school leaders, contrasting formal and informal organizational structures, and exploring the mechanisms by which ideas, information, and influence flow from person to person and group to group. The case studies provided in the book reflect a rich variety of approaches and methodologies, showcasing the range and power of this dynamic new mode of analysis. An introductory chapter places social network theory in context and explains the basic tools and concepts, while a concluding chapter points toward new directions in the field. Taken together, they make a powerful statement: that the success or failure of education reform ultimately is not solely the result of technical plans and blueprints, but of the relational ties that support or constrain the pace, depth, and direction of change. This unique volume provides an invaluable introduction to an emerging and increasingly important field of education research.

In the digital age, numerous technological tools are available to enhance educational practices. When used effectively, student engagement and mobile learning are significantly increased. Social Media in Education: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice contains a compendium of the latest academic material on the usage, strategies, and applications of social media in education today. Including innovative studies on online networks, social constructivism, and collaborative learning, this publication is an ideal source for educators, professionals, school administrators, researchers, and practitioners in the field of education.