Higher Education

While we struggle with it, and many block it, news from the British is that they recognize social networking at an entirely different level.

From the Telegraph comes this story.

A degree in social networking?  It seems like the next logical step.  Earlier this week came word that there was at least speculation that social networking would be incorporated in the K-12 curriculum.

I found the quote at the bottom of the article very interesting.  The quote indicated that the curriculum could be self-taught.  Isn’t that the point?  We’re learning how to use Facebook, Twitter, and Bebo on our own.  How much more effectively could they be used if we apply academic rigor to them?

There is a global reach to these things.  There’s a great deal of potential and potential wealth to the successful.

Image via Wikipedia

Imagine what could be taught academically to learn skills above and beyond posting a picture of yourself out on the town with the lads having a yard of ale.

• strategic advertisement in marketing to get potential readers driven to your product;
• designing online games and collaboration spaces at the highest level in computer science;
• how to teach and imploy ethical online behaviour in the social studies;
• how to design and write for an entirely different audience in language classes;
• how to determine pricing and manage the flow of income and expenses in business;
• how to scale server farms to ensure uninterrupted flow of data in your technology courses;
• how to ensure that your presence and applications appeal to users of all races and languages in second language and social science courses;
• how to incorporate mapping and GPS concepts in your geography course;
• designing collaborative environments that work – if you’ve joined, you’ve seen best of breed and worst of breed – what works?
• and so much more.

Yes, I could see exactly how this could generate a higher level course with so much planning on the part of the university.

Social networking isn’t a passing fad.  I’m pleased to see that at least one university is planning to treat it as an academic endeavour.

The potential for better and more immersive environments could be the result.  At the bare minimum, a generation of graduates who go beyond drinking pictures could emerge.

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