Introduction

Out of the many cell phone users in our country, many are probably using 3^rd if not 4^th generation phones. We are a nation addicted to the cell phone. I am not making a judgmental statement but simply making the point that with so many millions of cell phones around, networking in fact active social networking is a natural outcome, for good or bad. If you want to know more about the impact of social media in Malaysia read the article The Impact of Social Networking in Malaysia. In all likelihood you are engaged in one form of social network or another. Well what is social networking?

For me a social network is about relationships. The human species is a gregarious social animal used to living within families, groups, communities and societies. Our ability to communicate has helped us in this arrangement. Throughout our known existence that is how we have lived and with every scientific discovery and technological invention and innovation, we have extended the range of tools for us to form, build and sustain our networks. From drum beats to smoke signals, the telephone and now the computer and internet have been our tools to build these networks and put them to use in one way or another. The latest of these, the computer and the internet, with its enormous power to process large amounts of information has amplified this ability far beyond even our wildest dreams. While social networks and the media platforms that supports these has been used mostly for business and other social purposes it is finally beginning to get some traction in the world of learning.

This unit is about the role of social media as a one of the new emerging tools in education and will be presented in five parts as illustrated in the table below: