Great tool! Academia.edu

This tool is one that really highlights the benefits of technology in the educational field. In my Inquiry and Measurement course last semester we were given a tutorial on the Florida State Library system and I was so impressed by how much the online library system had advanced since my undergraduate (five years ago). 

This tool expands research capabilities by incorporating all academic research papers and the pool of individuals who contribute to the site. I built my profile as a graduate student from Florida State and was about to find a few of the students in the Instructional Systems Program who had contributed to the site's data base. One of the individuals I found was out TA, Shuang Hao who contributed to one of Dr. Dennen's books which can be found at: http://fsu.academia.edu/ShuangHao/Papers

 

I found the following stats on the application's following and impact to the research community (http://www.academia.edu/about):

 3, 695, 525 academics

1. 635, 932 shared papers

I also found it interesting that this academic site was so linked to Facebook. First, there is a blog within the site specifically that can be followed via Facebook, the application can link you to your Facebook contacts and feedback on the application can be given via Facebook as well.