Mahara- the Educational Facebook.

I Have only really started playing around on Mahara but my first impression was similiar to the first time I signed up for facebook. The way you can communicate and share resources with other students is quite similiar. I don't think this form of communication would be as social as facebook but instead a vital tool for researching and collaborating ideas and opinions. Mahara is a great way of networking and I am only just starting out. I am so sureprised at all these different ways of connecting to the outside world that I honestly can't believe how naive I have actually been. I don't like feeling ignorant and I am certainly glad to now be aware of such ICT's. Now to how this technology can benefit students. One of the major concepts within this course is how ICT's can effectively engaged students in a class room environment. So why not give them an educational Facebook or myspace. Give them a communication system that they also use in a social environment and see how well they adapt. If I used this ICT back in high school I can assure you I would have been much more focused and probably would have enjoyed my time there a whole lot more. The key to a happy student is to engage them by keeping up with their technological needs. A happy student is a productive one.