Thing #18

Facebook has been a social networking site that I have used for a long time. I enjoy using it to connect with old friends and to keep up with new ones. Being self employed, I have even used it to contact possible clients and discuss business.

I set up a new Facebook account for the purpose of completing this assignment. The link is:
Scott Atchley's Facebook

Social network can be wonderful but educators need to understand how it works and the dangers associated with its use. A member of a brass quintet that I have been in for the last few years recently found this out the hard way. She made the news after being arrested for an inappropriate relationship with a student that she was teaching. Their Facebook communications were used in court. She is still involved in the courtroom phase and hasn't been officially found guilty or sentenced yet. This inappropriate relationship developed through Facebook posts. I personally feel that teachers and students should not socially interact, including on Facebook. My wife founded the Beta Club at her school. She created an exclusive Facebook page for contact between the school and the beta members. It allowed her to inform the members of up-coming events and meetings. She also used the site to allow beta kids to safely interact without having their profiles and comments seen by anyone outside the school administration or beta club. It is still a great place where those kids can belong.

Since I am an active Facebook user, I am comfortable using it to post comments. While I do now have a Twitter account, I probably will not continue to use it after EDUC 5540. It is a good site that allows quick posts but I'm not a person who really wants to post very often. For my needs, Facebook is a better tool. I feel that Facebook also offers so much more in social networking. There are games that people can play and "likes" that people can explore. I like the profile section on Facebook better as well.

A teacher could adapt both Twitter and Facebook for use in the classroom but most schools block these sites so that they can't be opened using the school server.