I love social networks!!! I was a huge fan of Myspace. It reminded me of a big scrapbook page that was ever-changing with backgrounds, pictures slideshows, calendars and countdowns, and music. It was so much fun until my friends moved from Myspace to Facebook. I refused to get on Facebook in the beginning (out of loyalty to Myspace and because I thought the set up was very boring). But, like I said, all my friends were now using Facebook, so I converted and now I can't get enough.
I am one of those people that think FB or something similar should be used with students for students to collaborate on homework and class assignments. I think it would be a beneficial co-learning place for students to feel free to help others on certain assignments and also gather advice from other students who had previously taken that same class and done similar assignments and activities. Having said all that, I see the problem that teachers have with becoming "friends" with students. I have a strict rule that I do not accept students or class parents as friends on FB. It seems that FB is not the only way to engage in a social network. I have just recently been introduced to Ning. Ning is a social network site that allows you to make a group and invite people to be a part of that group to provide ideas and generate discussions about the topics posted. There are all kinds of groups that you can join. I chose to join the Classroom 2.0 group. I loved all the information that I was able to get from the site and the fact that I was then able to find other groups that better connected to my needs like the Classroom 2.0 Beginner Group and the Elementary School 2.0.
My only problem when exploring these sites was ALL the information available. Between my RSS feed, Twitter sites shared, and now the Ning groups, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with information. I am glad to know that I can find a plethora of information at my fingertips, but need to find the best way to take in all this great info.
You know, I am so scared to use Facebook in my classroom, but I was relieved to find Edmodo- which is like Facebook but safer! It's a great introduction to social networking sites, because the students will be a part of a network of their classmates, where they can share information and help with projects, homework assignments, and questions about school. The teacher is also part of the group so she can answer questions too!
ReplyDeleteI feel similar to you, we've learned so much this year and it's a lot to remember! I'm not sure how I can organize this either..... Google Doc?? :-)
I have created a "page" called Miss Rioux... My students can't see my profile and and I can't see theirs... its a great way to use facebook with students.
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