Educators want to understand how students in grades 7 through college use social networking tools for instructional and achievement purposes. This action research project aims to learn about changing technology usage directly from users, to inform teaching practices around cooperative learning. The research questions ask how many students see social networks as learning tools, how they use them in terms of frequency and activities, and whether usage patterns and impacts differ across middle school, high school, and college students. External research discusses positive collaborative learning and business outcomes, social network structures, and successfully using social media in courses.