Thing #18

Sweet! An easy "thing".... I've had a facebook account for only a little over a year. First I had myspace but got rid of it when I set up my facebook account. Facebook was just easier to use and easier to find people on than myspace. So, I'm a bigger fan of Facebook. I held out for a really long time on either, though. I didn't get a myspace account until LATE 2007. And then got my facebook account mid 2008...so then dumped myspace. But, I remember the first time I heard of myspace...again, it was probably later than normal...and it was early 2006. Then all my friends started doing it but I held out for a really long time. Anyway, I enjoy facebook now. It's nice to keep in touch with friends from all chapters of life. I make sure to keep my profile set to private so that only my friends can see pics and all. But, there really is nothing on my facebook account that I would be embarrassed about. It amazes me some of the things I see people post or pictures they put up and I'm like, "wow...really? That's not smart...."

Anyway, as far as using facebook or myspace in the classroom...I'm not feeling it. I think it should just be used for networking or staying in touch with friends. It's more useful if you're in marketing or something like that. A lot of companies create facebook accounts to get fans, which is a great and free way to advertise, but I don't really see a use for it in the classroom. I think teachers should be aware of it just because it's a big thing. Students are into it and use it a lot, so educators should be aware of what is going on. I suppose a teacher could try to incorporate it into the classroom but I just think it should be separate. Blogging is a better more formal way to communicate with the classroom than facebook or myspace. I mean, I can't even imagine a student requesting to be my friend on facebook or leaving a comment on my wall or something like that....but if it were a separate account, maybe that would be ok. I probably will not use it in the classroom,though.
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