The New Facebook Messages

This week I started using the new Facebook message. This new messaging system keeps all your online chats and messages between you and a friend in one long chain as opposed to separate messages. The new Facebook message also allows you to create your own Facebook e-mail address where messages get uploaded to your inbox. The new messages also has a "Send to Phone" option that lets you send and receive messages from your cell phone.

My first impression? I think it's a huge improvement to the old messaging system. While I don't think I'll use the "Send to Phone" feature or set up a Facebook e-mail address, I think they're pretty good features for those that want to keep all their online communication in one place. What do I like most about this new system? That all of my messages and online chats between myself and a friend stay in one place so I don't have to track through tons of messages if I want to read a message again. Sometimes messages get buried and it's a hassle sorting through all my messages to find what I'm looking for. I also like this feature because the timeline tells its own kind of story; whether it's the story of a friendship, a partnership, a collaboration, etc. All of this, to me, makes social media a little more meaningful.

The Battle Over Social Networking

Does social networking have a place in the classroom? This question has been at the center of the heated debate over the use of social networking in the classroom. Some believe that social networking should be welcomed into the classroom with open arms while there are others that believe that it should be banned and never heard from again. Which way best serves our students?  

I think that a classroom that fails to utilize social networking fails to adequately prepare 21st century learners and citizens. Social networking doesn't look like it's disappearing any time soon. In fact, with each passing year, it is becoming more and more ingrained in our society. When used correctly, social media teaches students about communities, respect, organizing groups and working with others. Teachers can get students to see the value of social networking besides talking to friends and posting pictures. Not only that, but it opens up the classroom beyond its four walls. It allows students to collaborate with students around the world, which can bring learning to life. As teachers, we should be encouraging students to leverage online tools to improve and refine their learning. Banning social media teaches our students that they cannot be trusted on the Internet when they should be learning to create and appropriately manage their online identities. 

Social networking should be welcomed into the classroom but it needs to be done carefully. Before engaging social media, teachers should take an opportunity to talk to their students about what is and isn't appropriate behavior in online communities. They should also stress the permanence of anything they post online by reminding them that what they post is a reflection of themselves. It is the teacher's job to model for students how to act professionally on social networking sites. To that end, teachers can make online behavior part of their grade for any assignments involving social media. If students can learn social networking in the safe environment of the classroom, they can go on and use it responsibly in the years to come.