Is the use of social networking tools, such as blogs and wikis, effective in improving the reading and writing abilities of 9th graders?

I believe blogs wikis and the social media have greatly enhanced the engagement of 9th graders in reading and writing capabilities. Social networks are a great tool for starting or continuing classroom discussions and responding to "thinking questions.” Except for the spelling which seems to be in detriment because of all of the spelling shortcuts that have derived from texting, students are learning how to better express themselves in written prose and therefore may use a vernacular that is usually only found in written formats. Blogs and wikis are most effective because they increase and open of lines of communication between peers as well as between teachers and students. Students can post questions and engage in and synthesize information as it arises. These formats also allow students to relish in thought as they contemplate the true nature of the information being discussed. According to one author, these tools offer students a variety of ways to demonstrate their knowledge, they appeal to diverse learning styles and foster independent learning skills.

Academic and Research Libraries on Facebook?

I have been gathering information that has been useful in keeping academic library our services relevant for a new generation of users. What I did was to take a look at other universities that I assume are having similar problems. That is students non use of academic libraries
I concluded that taking a long tail approach to services is the most successful—that is taking services to the user through physical and virtual presence—catering to niche markets. This type of presence appeals to a much larger more and diverse audience. I believe we will harness a collective intelligence with our patrons using Web 2.0 tools. Web 2.0 are participatory simple technologies that allow for collaborative and social web application. Web 2.0 technology is geared toward Gathering information for individuals and collecting it for them to absorb at their leisure.
Librarians need this technology to reach out for patrons that we otherwise will never contact. We need these tools to remain relevant to information literacy. In order for us to become an integral part of the 20th century learning community we must adapt to the social nature of our students, particularly our undergraduate students who may fit their studies around unsocial hours. We must Emphasize the librarian’s role as “ guide to information” rather than the traditional role of an information keeper. Web 2.0 technologies allow libraries the opportunity for more outreach and creativity.