The growing use of social media
In today's USA Today newspaper, an article showcases the growing use of social media tools for the summer Olympic games. Everything from sharing videos, digital ideas, blogs, and websites. As these authors note, "more than one in three mobile phone owners have video-capable cellphones and...more than 147 million people worldwide not participate in a social network via their mobile phone" (USA Today, Friday, August 8, 2008). The use of web-based technologies are growing more social and providing increasing ways to share and communicate. This blog, http://www.asssitivetechnology.vcu.edu, is one of those ways we use social media to share best practices in AT and instructional technology tools. Another, ning.com, is being used by the Virginia Society for Technology in Education organization (http://vsteonline.ning.com/ to encourage educators to share and communicate. These tools are growing in popularity among younger users and offer opportunities to promote effective practices and bring individuals together around common interests.