The document discusses the benefits of social networks for pre-service teachers. It defines social networking and provides examples of popular social networking sites like Twitter, Ning, and Facebook. It also lists several websites that provide teaching resources and professional development opportunities for educators, which pre-service teachers can utilize through social networks. Students were asked about their use of social networks and their opinions on whether social networks are useful for the teaching profession.

1. Dr. Bernadette Kelley Associate Professor Florida A&M University Co-Presenter: Matthew Pridgen, Student Kappa Delta Pi Convocation October 29-31, 2009

2. Introduction What is a Social Network? Benefits of Social Networks for Pre-service teachers Video: Students opinion on the effectiveness of social networks Types of Social Network Sites Website Resources Conclusion

3. Social networking is the process of initiating, developing and maintaining friendships and collegial or professional relationships for mutual benefit. Current discussions surrounding social networking deal with web-based or technology-mediated tools, interactions, and related phenomena, but social networking occurs in many forms, including face to face.

4. Commute with peers and other professionals Stay informed about new technology, strategies & academic tools Access vital information to enhance professional development

7. Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets . Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 Characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers .

8. Ning is a social network designed around creating social networks. Ning invites users to create their own social network . Ning is a portal to mini-social networks since you can choose to join any of the thousands of user-created networks, and in other ways, it is a social network development platform. The open-ended nature of Ning makes the possibilities limited only by your own imagination.

10. Facebook is a global social networking website. Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

12. Tech & Learning : serves the K-12 education community with practical resources and expert strategies for transforming education through integration of digital technologies. http://www.techlearning.com/Default PBS Teachers: PBS Teachers is PBS' national web destination for high-quality preK-12 educational resources. Here you'll find classroom materials suitable for a wide range of subjects and grade levels. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/ ED.Gov : ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. http://www.ed.gov/teachers/dev/contedu/edpicks.jhtml

13. Finding Dulcinea: Teaching Resources: A Web Guide for Educators http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Education/Teaching-Resources.pg_02.html Teacher Professional Development Directory : The Directory is the only integrated print and online directory of K-12 professional development products and services. http://directory.teachersourcebook.org/directory.cfm

14. Do you use a social network? If so, which one? What do you use the social network for? Do you think social network s are beneficially to the teaching profession? If so, why?