Each year, we hold a Diversity Day for our students. This year’s Diversity Day is scheduled for March 17th and due to the current state of the economy, more teachers are being asked to develop workshop sessions for students rather than relying on outside resources.

When asked, my thoughts turned to trying to demonstrate, via an experiment, the power of the network. How do some YouTube videos go viral? How did the rise of citizen journalism and communication tools such as Twitter, allow for the spreading of a story, such as the attacks on Mumbai?

Below is the description of what I am proposing:

Around the World in 140 Characters
The stories of our lives exist in fragments on the web, through looking at our friends list and seeing the networks and connections that created. How do people use the web to connect to people like them or learn about people not like them? How are stories spread and shared, through the rise of citizen journalism, such as the attacks in Mumbai? Participate in a social experiment where we try to create as many connections as we can during Diversity Day.

How would you go about demonstrating the power of the network? I have some ideas, but would love to hear what others have to think.