Thing #18

I have both a myspace and a facebook account. I love the social aspect of the networking sites. I think that it is important that educators know how social networking works for the simple fact that, as a secondary teacher, most every student in your classes will have one or the other, or both. I think it important to understand how they work to understand the “lingo” their students will be talking in and be able to identify any problems if necessary. I did not really gain any new insight information on these social networking sites because I have been a member for a while now. The main thing that I really do love about both of these sites is the ability to get or stay in touch with friends, no matter where in the world they are. One dislike that I have is that anyone can get one, even sexual predators, but if you are smart and set your profile to private and do not add anyone you don’t know, you will be fine. Another dislike is that it is pretty much a gossip fest. We should not gossip, and trust me, I am as guilty as the next person, but I do not like that in a way, it encourages gossip to spread. Facebook definitely has more useful features. I do not feel that either one of these social networking sites will ever be appropriate for the classroom. This is more of a personal thing and the classroom is the last place to bring in conflicting personal lives.