Social Networking/ Facebook Response

Social Networking

I feel social networking in general is a great social tool but primarily for outside the classroom.  I was totally against it at first as many are but quickly found that reconnecting with old friends was pretty cool.  I still get annoyed by those people that post every time they walk the dog or go to bed but overall I can unsubscribe to anyone I choose and fit my page to my liking.  I also use Facebook as a great chance to keep up on current events and people's views on the topic.  

As far as in education, I think it can be a good tool for joining groups to find out information on topics of choice for use in the field.  However, I don’t think it’s use in the classroom just yet is possible without being abused.  As Richardson puts it, something like 90% of schools block Facebook and for good reason I think.  I also agree that you should never become Facebook friends with students.  After they graduate, long after they graduate, it probably OK but I guess the connection to the school might still be there with siblings etc still in school.  The bottom line is probably to never put things on your facebook page you don’t want your boss to see.  

Facebook Groups of Interest for Science Teachers

1) National Association of Biology Teachers-Life Science Education- This site has only 303 members which surprises me.  I found it to be very informative.  There are some links to amazing articles on here as well as information about conferences.  I noticed some political ads as well as employment opportunities.  I also found some good advice about implementing technology in the classroom.  What a great site!

2) National Science Teachers Association- There were no groups to join for science teachers specifically but there was a “place” to “like”. It had 6,287 likes so I assume if you “like” it you will get updates and information but cannot post to it.  This site was not quite as good as the Biology one because there were no posts and comments that were like a “blog” to get information from.  The information is from one source.  There are however a lot of valuable links to news stories and articles as well as conferences and other event nationwide.  

3) ISTE- This site also had some valuable links about technology and conferences.  There are 10,888 “likes” for this site.  Of course there are links to purchase some of their materials as well.

4) Biology- Community page about science- This page is more for anyone who wants to know more about Biology in general and not specifically for educators.  It has 12,704 likes.  Right off the top I noticed a bunch of articles about new advances in medicine.  There was some information on a few new drugs as well.  A lot of other articles too about a wide range of topics.   

Classroom 2.0
I feel like things are organized a little better in classroom 2.0 than in facebook.  There is a lot more information regarding education which is good for teachers.  There are a lot of question and answer sections which can be really helpful.  A lot of other educators actually respond to the questions which is good.  There are a lot of links on the sidebar which take you to a specific subject,  area, or tool.  I found an ipad in education group that was really interesting.  Some teachers from this group have tested out the ipads for a year and have a lot of good advice.  Also found another group related to cell phones and schools.  There seems to be a lot of controversy on this topic.

Social Networking Applications

Exploring Social Networking Applications

Facebook

In creating a Facebook account and doing a quick search on education I found education.com.  This website has a lot of resources for parents, educators, and kids.  I think it would be a great resource when searching for classroom project ideas. 

http://www.education.com/

Other than this I didn’t find too much after looking for a while.  Most of the pages that related to elementary education or bilingual education were university pages or groups. 

Facebook Calling Parody was humorous to say the least.  When viewing Facebook in a non-virtual way, it seemed so silly how all of the questions and categories are “canned.”  I also thought there was a lot of truth about losing a bit of privacy in the aspect that people can post whatever they please (in this case it was the naked photos his mom would also see).  I think this is an important aspect to consider when thinking about our professions.  And then you always have to worry about people of your past popping up – as in the video!

Ning

My first impression of Ning is that there is a lot to it!  I was overwhelmed until I decided on a topic I was curious about and what I would search for.  I chose blogging in the classroom and found some great sites.  One of them incorporated students teaching how to give quality comments.  Another explained how students use blogs to connect to other students around the world and invite professionals to take part as well.  I viewed several student blogs and they were very individualized, interesting and a great way to share work.  Overall, Ning seems to be an excellent source of information.  I know that if I have questions about using tech in the classroom, I can probably go here and find good information. 

LinkedIn

I have received several e-mails from people who have LinkedIn accounts.  Until now, I had no clue what it was for.  I had an idea that it had to do with careers or the professional world but I didn’t understand the purpose.  I watched a quick video and it relayed valuable information about how this can be a valuable tool for marketing yourself, making investments in your career by creating a strong social network, etc. 

Edmodo

Yet another way to make life a little easier for the teacher.  I find the idea of having information in a central database where many people can access it a great way to eliminate work and repeating oneself.  I really like the idea of using this in the higher grades for students to access work, grades, etc.  Because it is similar to Facebook it may be more user friendly and familiar to students.  Also, using technology in general tends to get students excited to learn.  I think that this sort of access would also build a sense of responsibility among the students, as they are able to access the class information on an individual basis.  

Opinion: Facebook threatens to 'Zuck up' the human race

Although this article is dogmatic in its perspective, I tend to think it is an important point to consider.  There are many who could stand for the benefits they feel Facebook brings to their lives (finding family and long lost friends) but I’m not sure that very many people have looked at Facebook from this point of view.  It’s funny because my sister-in-law recently decided to cancel her account after having it for a couple of years and she now exclaims, “I feel so free!  I don’t have to log on 20 times a day to ensure I am not missing something out there.”  I found that interesting, as she was one to hound me most about getting a Facebook account.  The reality was, she hadn’t stopped to take a look at the role that Facebook was playing in her own life and when she did she realized it wasn’t worth it to her.  I think this article has a point that everyone should at least ponder.