Social networking for professional use

[Cynthia Peterson]

As someone new to social networking (but not new to teacher-librarianship), I'm wondering what online social networking services you find beneficial for you as a teacher librarian -- other than this excellent resource, of course. I already belong to LM_Net. Your advice would be much appreciated.

[Cathy Nelson]

I would strongly recommend joining Classroom 2.0 as it is amazing in its wealth of educators willing to share resources, give tips, and really show that forward minded thinkers are out there educating today's youth for the 21st Century. Best, you will find they face the same issues day to day we (teacher librarians) face, and for those who have never been in a classroom or have been out of the classroom for a while, it gives the sense of what current trends are happening there. I consider it a valuable resource. I myself posted a question JUST TODAY about using survey tools and their reliability, and am already amazed at responses. It is a way to get a pulse for classroom teachers. It's a place to find global projects. It's a place to vent. It's a place to share. It's so much more--too much to adequately describe. It will lead you to other professional social networks as well. How does one "manage" the extensive amount of info in these sites (and Classroom 2.0, by the way is a Ning just like this one)? You use the rss feeds and subscribe in an aggregator. Seldom do i physically visit this ning or the other, unless i feel the need to respond or ask my own questions. But I consider it a valuable resources. How do you determine who to "friend" or make contacts/colleagues? You read their content and see if it resonates with you. If they have provided links to their other resources on their profile page, check them out. You can run into people who should not be here, but they will be generally easy to identify. I hope this helped some. Welcome to this network.