A new study from Grunwald Associates LLC conducted in cooperation with the National School Boards Association begins, “Online social networking is now so deeply embedded in the lifestyles of tweens and teens that it rivals television for their attention…”
Personally, I think this is really good news. Especially because the study also found that, “many students engage in highly creative activities on social networking sites…” and I can guarantee you they are doing nothing creative when they are watching TV.
The students (almost 60% of them) also reported that they talk about educational topics online and more than 50% of them talk specifically about schoolwork. They are also creating content online, not just sharing it! They are making music, videos, photographs, artwork and blogging their creative writing.
So what does this mean for our library? I am happy to say that as of today we no longer block social networking sites such as facebook and myspace. But the most important thing that we can do as libraries is to teach (or at least offer the opportunity to be taught), how to navigate and negotiate these sites safely. We can also introduce them to sites that may be more to their liking or needs and give them the tools to become active participants. We can teach classes in podcasting and Internet editing of photos, etc.
If you would like to read the full report the link is here.
Mindy
