Thing # 18

My Facebook Page

Why is it important that educators know how social networking works?

In order to be able to connect to the kids or even to simply know what they do, you have to keep up with the most popular social networking sites. First of all, you could give them ideas on how to use those social networking sites to help them with their school work. However, you need to also know about these websites to know of other ways the child could cheat through this site. These websites, outside of just educational work, are also sites often used for bullying. A teacher should know about these types of things so they can be fully aware what is going on in their students' lives.

What new insights did you gain about these popular sites? To be honest, I did not gain any actual new insights about this website. I have done a lot of work with facebook, including with classes, since high school, so it is somewhat second nature for me. As for twitter, I have learned from a previous thing that it can be used to learn more about certain topics. I didn't know that twitter was used for more than just posting statuses.

What did you like or dislike about each of the sites you explored?

I like using facebook because it allows me to keep in touch with my friends while finding webpages that discuss topics that I find interesting. It also has games, music, and many other things to allow me to enjoy things I like. As for twitter, I simply do not really care for that sight very much. I find it somewhat dull, and it is more about the status updates than anything else. I do, however, like that you can keep up with some teachers that post links about lesson plans they have done.

Which site had the most useful features?

I believe facebook is more useful because it has all of the features of twitter and more. You can also access communities that other teachers have joined to share ideas about their classrooms while still keeping in touch with people in your personal life.

Can you see a classroom or school application for any of these sites?
I would not advise for these to be used in school simply because so many kids will merely use it for social networking. Because so many children today already have these things, they are more likely to not pay attention to what the teacher wants them to do with their facebook pages or twitter pages, therefore, defeating the purpose of the activity.