Comments on: Finally Facebook http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/ Education, technology, and other geeky things Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:35:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Allison Miller http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-169 Allison Miller Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:21:34 +0000 http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-169 You're spot on here Kate - the message to parents is - 'get amongst it' - because it is only once you're in the social networking-sphere that you can truly understand what's going on. Like you I create a MySpace account a while back, and then the next time I went back to it I have 6 friend requests - I was so excited - 6 strangers wanted to be my friend :). However, upon opening up the 'requests' screen I had 6 men wanting to be my friend - hmmm - perhaps they mis-read my desire to 'network'. I was shocked and quickly rejected all of them. However, it did bring home the question: - how do young adolescents deal with this kind of thing? A work colleague mentioned that her son wanted to get a MySpace and that she wasn't going to let him. I asked her how she was going to stop him, and suggested that she actually got her own MySpace, so she could at least understand the attraction of these sites to young people, and then start the 'conversations' need to guide young people through the digital world. Social networking is such an emerging area - so we all need to be in it together, so as a community we can shape it into a healthy and vibrant place to be. Allison Miller Adelaide, South Australia http://twitter.com/theother66 You’re spot on here Kate - the message to parents is - ‘get amongst it’ - because it is only once you’re in the social networking-sphere that you can truly understand what’s going on.

Like you I create a MySpace account a while back, and then the next time I went back to it I have 6 friend requests - I was so excited - 6 strangers wanted to be my friend :). However, upon opening up the ‘requests’ screen I had 6 men wanting to be my friend - hmmm - perhaps they mis-read my desire to ‘network’. I was shocked and quickly rejected all of them.

However, it did bring home the question:

- how do young adolescents deal with this kind of thing?

A work colleague mentioned that her son wanted to get a MySpace and that she wasn’t going to let him. I asked her how she was going to stop him, and suggested that she actually got her own MySpace, so she could at least understand the attraction of these sites to young people, and then start the ‘conversations’ need to guide young people through the digital world.

Social networking is such an emerging area - so we all need to be in it together, so as a community we can shape it into a healthy and vibrant place to be.

Allison Miller
Adelaide, South Australia
http://twitter.com/theother66

]]> By: Damian http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-168 Damian Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:12:08 +0000 http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-168 <b>@ehoffman:</b> Good call - I don't have any students who've friended me (dunno why, I'm a really cool guy), but if they requested, I'd likely allow it. I think it's important to model appropriate online behavior as much as it is important to model appropriate classroom/social behavior. My FB has some of my "faves", some family pictures, a few wall messages, my blog's RSS feed, and one or two apps (still haven't gotten round to starting Scrabulous; must do that). No pictures of me wasted, stealing street signs, etc. I doubt I'd ever visit any of their pages (is it bad to hope for "plausible deniability"?), but I'd let them friend me for the sake of trying to be a role model. I didn't always feel this way, and I might feel differently if I used FB as my primary mode of communication with friends & family, but as it stands, it's just a little corner of the Web upon which I've planted a flag. @ehoffman: Good call - I don’t have any students who’ve friended me (dunno why, I’m a really cool guy), but if they requested, I’d likely allow it. I think it’s important to model appropriate online behavior as much as it is important to model appropriate classroom/social behavior. My FB has some of my “faves”, some family pictures, a few wall messages, my blog’s RSS feed, and one or two apps (still haven’t gotten round to starting Scrabulous; must do that). No pictures of me wasted, stealing street signs, etc. I doubt I’d ever visit any of their pages (is it bad to hope for “plausible deniability”?), but I’d let them friend me for the sake of trying to be a role model.

I didn’t always feel this way, and I might feel differently if I used FB as my primary mode of communication with friends & family, but as it stands, it’s just a little corner of the Web upon which I’ve planted a flag.

]]> By: Sarah Stewart http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-167 Sarah Stewart Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:54:59 +0000 http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-167 Hi Kate I would prefer to keep my FB personal but as you saw in my twitter comment, I do not use it much at all. Having said that I have used it to send out information to midwives' groups but I have only had 1 response to that. What interests me is your comment about other people putting up photos of you. I am always very careful to ask permission to post photos of other people but am not too sure I would like my photo published without me knowing about it at the very least. As a matter of interest, <a href="http://sarah-stewart.blogspot.com/2007/11/using-elluminate-to-discuss-facebook-in.html" rel="nofollow">here is a recording</a> made by my 19 year daughter in Elluminate about her views of FB, Bebo and MySpace: Hi Kate

I would prefer to keep my FB personal but as you saw in my twitter comment, I do not use it much at all. Having said that I have used it to send out information to midwives’ groups but I have only had 1 response to that.

What interests me is your comment about other people putting up photos of you. I am always very careful to ask permission to post photos of other people but am not too sure I would like my photo published without me knowing about it at the very least.

As a matter of interest, here is a recording made by my 19 year daughter in Elluminate about her views of FB, Bebo and MySpace:

]]> By: ehoffman http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-166 ehoffman Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:36:15 +0000 http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-166 And btw - there are 383 Kate Olsons on Facebook?!?! Whoa. No idea which one you are. I'm easier to find - friend me if you want & I'll show you the class groups I set up. And btw - there are 383 Kate Olsons on Facebook?!?! Whoa. No idea which one you are. I’m easier to find - friend me if you want & I’ll show you the class groups I set up.

]]> By: ehoffman http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-165 ehoffman Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:28:40 +0000 http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-165 Hey Kate, I started FB in the summer. This was pre-class blog. I set up a group for my former students, many of whom were already emailing me individually, and it's kind of fun to have that and to be able to post things there (and see what they post) - I'll hear about a great science speaker at UW and Facebook it to the alums who are students there, etc. For the current students, there's also a group. They've posted group photos, questions about things we've learned, etc. I see it as different from the blog because I've set up the blog to be more of an educational extension, while the FB group is more for the social aspects of the class. I completely agree about appropriate usage. I have students on there who've Friended me and I'm kind of surprised that they would do that, given the photos / comments on their sites. On the other hand, I've put up photos of me doing ordinary person things with the family - nothing like seeing a "geeky" science teacher being normal to reinforce the idea that, as an adult, you need to pursue your passion without worrying what other people will think. As in, it's okay to be a geek, because you'll still be happy :) Hey Kate,
I started FB in the summer. This was pre-class blog. I set up a group for my former students, many of whom were already emailing me individually, and it’s kind of fun to have that and to be able to post things there (and see what they post) - I’ll hear about a great science speaker at UW and Facebook it to the alums who are students there, etc. For the current students, there’s also a group. They’ve posted group photos, questions about things we’ve learned, etc. I see it as different from the blog because I’ve set up the blog to be more of an educational extension, while the FB group is more for the social aspects of the class.
I completely agree about appropriate usage. I have students on there who’ve Friended me and I’m kind of surprised that they would do that, given the photos / comments on their sites. On the other hand, I’ve put up photos of me doing ordinary person things with the family - nothing like seeing a “geeky” science teacher being normal to reinforce the idea that, as an adult, you need to pursue your passion without worrying what other people will think. As in, it’s okay to be a geek, because you’ll still be happy :)

]]> By: Liz Davis http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-164 Liz Davis Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:09:09 +0000 http://googtweetblog.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/finally-facebook/#comment-164 Kate, I had a very similar experience with Facebook. I checked it out so I would know what the kids are up to. It really doesn't meet my needs the way Ning and Twitter do. The crossover between the personal and the professional doesn't work for me. And, I don't find the interface as user friendly as other sites. I haven't yet explored MySpace. I know I should. I look forward to your reflections on it. Thanks also for your Internet safety resources. We are about to do a similar workshop with middle school parents in my district. Your links will definitely be useful. -Liz Kate,
I had a very similar experience with Facebook. I checked it out so I would know what the kids are up to. It really doesn’t meet my needs the way Ning and Twitter do. The crossover between the personal and the professional doesn’t work for me. And, I don’t find the interface as user friendly as other sites.

I haven’t yet explored MySpace. I know I should. I look forward to your reflections on it. Thanks also for your Internet safety resources. We are about to do a similar workshop with middle school parents in my district. Your links will definitely be useful.
-Liz

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