Flickr & Facebook:Social Networking in the Classroom

These chapters of the book touch on probably one of the most controversial issues regarding technology in the classroom.  Facebook.  The very word strikes fear into administrators everywhere, but before we get to that, I'm going to talk about another example of social networking in the classroom, Flickr.

Flickr is a social networking site that revolves specifically around sharing photos and videos with the world.  The best part is you can add captions, tag parts of the pictures, and add annotations.  This makes the picture much more interactive than ever before.  I think this could be utilized for projects in which you want the students to describe photos or events happening within a picture.  Maybe tell a story with a picture using annotations, or describe biological events happening in a picture of a nature scene.  These seem like fun, feasible projects to do with your students that can add a new dimension to picture taking, something every kid seems to be doing these days.  Plus you can have anyone comment on these pictures or add their own annotations, something that could get your whole class involved in.

Now, onto Facebook.  It seems to be such a controversial topic because of it's apparent invasiveness to our private lives.  People seem to think that a separation between private and school life is impossible.  They think as soon as we open the doors to using Facebook in the classroom, it puts the teacher at risk. While I think there is definitely some truth to that, I think some measures can be taken to ensure it's a safe environment for everyone.  Still though, personally I wouldn't use Facebook in the school setting.  I would however use the suggested site listed in this chapter.  Ning.com.  I had never heard of this site before I read this book, but it sounds like a great alternative to Facebook, that could offer the same results and serve the same goal.  It is a site similar to Facebook except everything is privatized and contained to only those you allow in to view and use your page.  This seems to remove all the dangers and worries associated with Facebook.  This could be used as a class page where students could offer homework help, ask questions about projects/assignments, and create a community, that could hopefully carry over to the classroom.  For every popular site, there seems to be a quality, academic based alternative that would be great to use in the classroom.  I think this should really end Facebook discussion, especially once sites like Ning.com become more popular and widely used.