Embrace the power of the name badge

For some, mentioning the word “networking” will conjure images of corporate expenses, company credit cards and excess; for others, memories of name badges, cheap wine and awkward conversations. And for many, the term will remind them of the explosion of online social networks – just a decade ago non-existent and now ubiquitous.

It is the exponential growth of these social networks that is one of the driving forces behind the renewed interest in networks and the potential that they hold. Understanding and harnessing this potential could bring great reward for schools and teachers alike. While online social networks might be new, Professor David H Hargreaves in Personalising Learning (2004) points out that “networks (themselves) are as old as the human race”. Tribes, for example, were fundamental to the architecture of early human society.