Networking

The ability to search for, synthesize and disseminate information
Quotes on networking skills from Jenkins’whitepaper:
* “in a world where knowledge production is collective and communication occurs across an array of different media, the capacity to network emerges as a social core skill and cultural competency.”
* “it’s not the hardware that has value, but how the participants of networks tap into these networks and large scale social communities”.
* “students can no longer rely on expert gatekeepers to tell them what is worth knowing.”

Tips for discussion:
In general
- do networking skills come natural for todays youth, or should we (as in adults/media-coaches) put in some effort in teaching these skills?
- what are the benefits of possessing some networking skills? Define some of the benefits. Look for examples you personally know in your surroundings.
- what are the risks? Define some of the risks. Think of real examples you know about.

Media literacy and the role of governments and/or mediacoaches:
- should governments be involved in the teaching of these skills or in appointing media-coaches?
- should libraries or librarians, as the traditional gatekeepers (there are others too ofcourse) of information, act as media-coaches?

Miscellaneous:
- do different rules apply for different networking goals (school, learning, jobs, friends/social)?
- when you look at some of the networks that revolve around sharing of (illegal) content: do you think teenagers should be taught more about copyright and ownership? Why is digital content in this respect so much different then physical “content”?

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