Social networking has been popular among young people for a long time, and educators felt the need to use it for good. Therefore, they have started to use social networking in education, and web 2.0 tools as a part of social networking are the main form that has potential implications for education. Social networking, especially web 2.0, provides user-generated content, of which benefits assume a transition between education and entertainment. At the same time, the use of this technology requires the development of 21st-century skills. Yet, critics still have concerns in relation to the move away from traditional print to digital whereas others think that what needs to be done is to keep up with the age to help the younger generation to learn.
Student attitudes, behaviors, and use of technology are also discussed and studied while those above are all subjects of discussion stemming from the use of technology in education. As related to student behavior and attitude, Prensky argues that digital natives(the ones growing up with digital media) and digital immigrants differ in learning and demands. In the same line with the argument of Prensky, studies show that millennials have common learning characteristics, not all of which can be attributed to social networking. In the sense of uses of technology, it is also noted that technology has both risks and opportunities.
Technology not only changes our way of learning but also changes the ways knowledge is found, transmitted, and consumed. It changes the approaches to begin the process of course design. It changes the learner itself while leading their needs to vary more, and thus changes the interrelationship between teachers, students, and content.
Considering all the features of web 2.0 that enable students to construct their own learning, many researchers think that course design based on constructivist theories is highly compatible with web 2.0. Yet, there are others who look beyond constructivism and associate it with web 1.0 thinking. One of them is Siemens. He posits a theory called connectivism that presents a model of learning which reflects a society where learning is no longer a personal activity and acknowledges the fact that the ways people learn and function are altered when new tools are used.
When all is considered, it can be said that social networking and web 2.0 are more than tools and services since there are powerful ideas behind those tools that have so much potential for education such as user-generated content, mass participation, openness, and easy access.
(E-Learning and Social Networking Handbook, Mason R., Rennie F, Routledge, 2008.)
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