thing #18

Link to my Facebook account

It is important for teachers to know how social networking sites work in order to protect our students. These social networks are places where children can be vulnerable to predators. As an educator, we need to insure that our children are aware of these people and we need to be certain that we educate children on how to not fall victim to these people.

I understand that people enjoy using these sites for trying to stay connected. Personally, I do not find them to be a means through which I would prefer to stay connected. I would rather speak with people than simply post things anonymously on a web site and then wait for someone to get back to me. I just find this to be very impersonal.

I think that Facebook was a better site, but it is also geared more toward adults. Perhaps this is why I found this site to be easier to use. I also felt more comfortable on Facebook than I did on Myspace. The Myspace community seems to be a younger age group with different interests than I have.

I honestly do not see a practical application in the classroom for either of these sites. These are simply sites for sharing things that are going on in your personal life. While the social aspect of school is important, it is not the only aspect of education. If anything, I believe that sites like Myspace and Facebook are degrading society and our ability to effectively communicate on a personal level. People tend to operate behind a veil of anonymity with these types of web sites, which removes personal accountability. I think people were more concerned about each other and had a more genuine interest in others when they communicated in person, rather than through an electronic posting tool.