I have been a facebook user for about a year and a half. It has been amazing watching my friend list grow and grow. For me facebook has been a way to keep in touch or "reunite" with former students, friends, and co-workers. I have been able to find neighbors that I haven't "talked" to in 18 years. It has also been a way to let people know what is going on...of course you don't want to let them know too much. It is very important to maintain some guidelines when using facebook and other networks. For example, I want to share that I am going on a great vacation, but I don't want all of facebook to know that I am going to be gone, the dates, where my house is...you get the idea.
Would I use facebook as a classroom tool? This is a difficult question for me to answer. Right now I see how it can be benefical, but I also see negative aspects. One positive (that could also become a negative for me) is it would give students opportunities to ask teachers questions possibly about homework assignments, projects, etc. However, I am also a parent; therefore, when I go home I have my "mommy" responsibilities. Getting on the computer to check Facebook and answer questions could become time consuming at home for many teachers. Yet, if students post questions, then other students could help answer their questions. So I am really divided on using Facebook as a classroom tool. It is something to think about and make note of the positives and negatives for individual teachers. Some teachers have more access to internet and are more familiar with social networks. I believe that there would need to be guidelines in place from the school for teachers and students about how to use it and how it was to be used.
As I said before, I like Facebook on a personal level. Friends I would not talk to every day I know what is going on with them. Relatives that live off we keep in touch with more than we have before. However, using it in the classroom would take some consideration on my part before I would implement it.
You've brought up some great things to consider when using Facebook in the classroom. I agree about the need for guidelines regarding social networking, and our district is actually working on implementing those.
ReplyDeleteI also think it's important to provide students with instruction in digital citizenship and cyber safety. As adults, we're aware that it would be unwise to reveal the dates that we're going to be out of town, but kids may not be so cautious.
It was extremely interesting to read your point about how using Facebook in the classroom would be time consuming for the teacher, requiring him or her to be online after the official work day is over. There have been a few news stories regarding this phenomeon lately, and it certainly seems that technology is making it easier for us to stay connected to work around the clock. The downside to that is that it's much more difficult to separate ourselves from our work!
You're absolutely correct that there are many advantages to using Facebook, but we have to be wary of how those advantages will work out in interactions with students and parents.
Great job; Thing 3 complete!