EDES 501 - Blog #7 - Social Networking

Photographer: jscreationzs

"We lived in farms, we lived in cities, and now we're going to live on the Internet"
     - Sean Parker, Social Network Movie, 2010.

Social networking - what is it?  Social networking is a newer form of communication using web 2.0 tools.  Kist (2010) describes it as "the kind of communication that takes place online using some kind of platform (Web site) such as Facebook, Twitter, or Ning in which people can place messages and connect with others who are on the Web site." (p. 2)  It involves creating a profile, adding personal details and participating with others either people you know or people you share common interests with.

Was it a complete coincidence that I just saw the film, Social Network, the other day, on the week we are assigned the topic of social networking?  My husband had no idea which topic I was studying, but when he suggested the film, I couldn't resist.  I took my notebook and pen with me to the theater in hopes that I'd pick up a few tips, meaningful quotes or informative tidbits of information about social networking tools.

For this week's post,  I have selected two social networking tools: one that I am very familiar with in terms of personal use (but have little knowledge of educational use) and one tool that I have been a part of, but never really made much use of until now.

Part 1: Learning About the Tools (Reflections of the Process)

I signed up for a Facebook account several years ago and along the way, have become quite familiar with it's purpose and varied options.  Having a little uncertainty about the site originally, I automatically assumed that this social networking site was similar than the one I had been using: Hi 5.  After only about a month of using Facebook, I had already surpassed the number of friends that I had on the other social networking site, plus discovered that it was much simpler and sleeker looking. Uploading photos was, and still is so EASY! Friends, colleagues, relatives and friends of friends made their presence known on my Facebook account.  Even old high school flames began to come out of the woodwork.

After about a year, I came to the realization that even though I had over 350 "friends", I really only kept in touch with (or really even cared about) approximately 150 of them.  Why do they care what I'm doing on a Saturday afternoon?  Do they really need to see me in my bathing suit on Labour Day weekend?  I was becoming concerned with why I had these strangers (that's what many were at this point) labeled as "friends" on a social networking site.

A friend recommended to me that I "cleanse", and that's just what I did.  About 24 hours later, I felt refreshed and renewed (and a little less connected) but began to wonder what the purpose of this site really was.  Was it to creep on others accounts?  Was it to appear popular to yourself and others?  Was it to keep in touch with people you genuinely wanted to know about?  I decided that my purpose was to keep in touch with the people that genuinely cared about me and the people that I genuinely cared about in return.

After gaining more teaching experience, and hearing my students talk about Facebook, the issue of privacy seemed more important.  I know that we are educators, but we are people too.  Some things that I do in my own time (dance at a club, have a glass of wine) may not appear professional to a young student or their parents, but for me, it's part of who I am: I love to socialize, spend time with friends and family, dance and have the occasional bevvy.  Much consideration went into the idea of adding students, but I could never justify having students become a part of my personal social networking site.  To this day, students cannot access my account, even through a basic name search.

For the purpose of this assignment, I continued to so some research on using Facebook.  I found a site called Facebook 101: Ten Things You Need to Know About Facebook.  New users should certainly have a look at that!  Truly learning about this tool has taken me years because it is ever-changing and my purpose for using it seems to be evolving as well.  I don't say that to overwhelm new users, however, it's all a part of learning about a new tool.  I'm not sure if there will ever come a time when the applications, privacy settings or features will ever be constant - nothing really is?  Is it?  I understand it's purpose for personal use, but did a lot of research in terms of it's use in a classroom.

I signed up for a Shelfari at the start of the semester as a suggestion from my instructor.  It was very simple to set up but I never really got invested in it.  There are 3 categories within your own account: Your Shelf, Your Groups, Your Friends.  I started with adding books to my own shelf.  I added class textbooks, school book club selections, and even some of my most loved YA novels.  I didn't bother to look into it's purpose or even explore the other 2 categories.  At the beginning of this process, I signed up so that I could add it to my blog, but after doing some research this past while, I realized the potential of the tool and began to dive deeper into it.  Creating my own shelf was an enjoyable process, but when I started to discover the "social" aspect of the tool, I was excited about what I could contribute and learn.  After playing around a bit, it became even easier to create a community of book lovers.

Shelfari is a free Web 2.0 tool.  It allows you to add friends and have online discussions about the books you have read, books that you own or books that you are currently reading.  "You can add friends, join groups and even create a private group.  You can read other member’s reviews and the site will even match you up with other members who have libraries with books similar to the ones you’ve added in your library." (Ms. B., 2010).  

Shelfari has privacy settings.  Because of the nature of a social networking site, you can control who becomes a friend and who has access to see your profile. You can also control who can comment on your book reviews or on your personal library shelf. 

Part 2: Tools for Personal Use and Learning

Over the years, I have become very familiar with the purpose of Facebook in terms of personal use.  When it was launched in February of 2004, Facebook was initially created for colleges to become connected to build personal relationships.  I don't think that at first, Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, realized it's potential as a worldwide social networking tool. 

When I first set up the account back in 2007, I mainly used Facebook for reconnecting with others.  I put a profile picture up and maybe updated a status or two, issued the odd "poke" but really didn't get too involved.  It was not until later on that I began to use Facebook for photo sharing and messaging then even much later for games and sending virtual gifts.  It has only been in recent years that Facebook has had the options for online chatting to friends and marketplace (selling items online).  It was not until just the other day that I connected by Blackberry to Facebook so that I may now see Facebook updates via my mobile device.

I use the messaging service as one of my primary forms of online communication.  Instead of saving people's e-mail addresses, you can just type their name and it will enter the message form.  Many of my friends and even my family members are choosing to use Facebook messaging for contacting one another. They have added a feature that allows you to attach photos, videos and links.  I'm hoping they will soon have the option to attach documents, however, currently I can link someone up to a Google Doc.  There has been some talk out there that says Facebook may launch it's own web-based e-mail service in competition with other major email providers.  Read the article from PC World.

Facebook has a feature called Events.  You can set up an event, including times, locations, description.  You may upload a photo to attach and select Facebook friends to invite.  Also, you can decide on privacy settings of the event: public/private event, can guests see the guest list, etc.  I have created several events for birthday parties, stagettes, baby showers, Epicure home parties, Ultimate Frisbee playoffs, backyard bbq's, and other get togethers.  It is great for viewing guests who are attending, they can comment on the "wall" of the event, they can contact you directly and the event planner can message all guests.  Along with creating events, on the "News Feed" page, Facebook will remind you of upcoming events that you have planned or been invited to, as well, it will show you upcoming birthdays so that you can send along birthday wishes!

Facebook allows you to "Like" pages that have been set up for sports teams, players, musicians, organizations, celebrities, tv shows, movies, politicians, brands, games, etc.  I have added a few pages to my likes, mainly Saskatchewan Roughriders and some of my favourite television shows.  By "liking" a page, it will keep me updated on recent posts, new information etc.

The Facebook possibilities are endless and ever-changing.  They are constantly re-vamping their services to meet the needs of their users.  I'm sure I'll never run out of ways to use it in my personal life.

I have gotten quite excited about researching Shelfari and learning more about it's potential.  As a teacher, and most recently a teacher-librarian, I read a lot of books: professional books for teaching content and learning new teaching methods, books for enjoyment like mysteries and poetry and most often children's literature.  Many people, including myself, read books because of recommendations and reviews by others.  This is the place to find those encouraging words. 

I am a part of 3 social groups within Shelfari:

1. What Are you Reading? - a place to discuss favourite reads, what you're reading now, what you want to read, what you've heard about, etc.  Discussions in this group are frequent, popping up almost weekly.  Great topics for discussions such as: when do you find time to read, kindles, suggested reads, new releases, etc.
2. All Genres - describes itself as "a book group open to people who like to read a broad range of literature - from sci-fi, to horror, to classics, to young adult, crime/thriller etc. A friendly group which decides to read two books per month and discuss them." ( I have yet to commit to the challenge of two books per month, but I like to read the discussions and add in comments about books I'm familiar with
3. Great Books for Teachers - Discusses books for helping struggling readers, classroom management, read alouds, classroom content, bulling, etc.  It is very specific to educators at all levels.  It is a great place to visit when looking for advice for literature in the classroom and professional reads.

Within these groups, a lot of discussion takes place and you can learn about books you are unfamiliar with, and suggest books that may be new to others.  I have used these groups to find some great reads!  I have also used these groups to provide feedback on a few books that I've already read.

Part 3: Tools for Teaching and Learning

Most of my research this week went into how I can begin to use Facebook within a classroom.  I will admit that I was very leery of this option at first.  I know that many, if not all, of my students have Facebook accounts.  I see and hear how my current students use Facebook for personal use and it often bothers me.  I don't think that Mark Zuckerberg realized it's potential as an educational tool either.

First and foremost, when thinking about using Facebook with students was the idea of age restrictions.  Wikipedia says "Facebook allows anyone who declares themselves to be at least 13 years old to become a registered user of the website" (2010).  Here lies the issues of age.  Most of the students that I work with aren't 13 until near the end of grade 8.  In a pre-k to grade 8 school, that doesn't allow us much time to explore this tool.  I pulled the following quote from the Facebook privacy information.  They say:

"No information from children under age 13. If you are under age 13, please do not attempt to register for Facebook or provide any personal information about yourself to us. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from a child under age 13, please contact us through this help page. (Facebook, 2010)

I guess I won't be encouraging the use of Facebook at my school in terms of creating student accounts.  Perhaps we need to pass this information along to other teachers, parents and the students themselves.  So if I can't encourage students to set up their own accounts, I'm somewhat limited in how I use it in an elementary school.

If students can't set up their own accounts, then I can use a school-based account that I set up for our class.  Perhaps we could use that account for photo sharing and video sharing.

Another issue I have with Facebook is privacy.  Through my profession, I have realized the importance of privacy online.  Social networking does not need to include everyone in the world.  It can simply involve the chosen group that you want to share your information and life with.  I found an article online that I found interesting.  It said,"the bottom line with Facebook and privacy is that, if you're especially privacy conscious, you should not be a part of a social network or you should take the relatively little time required to learn how to customize its privacy settings to your liking" (Goldsborough, 2010, p. 1).  The privacy options in Facebook are endless, but always changing.  Users need to be aware of the options and changes so that they can have the level of privacy they are looking for.

So assuming the students that I'm working with are age 13 or older, I have done some research on how to use Facebook in a classroom.  One of the first things students need to understand before using a social networking site is safety online.  "Even though the benefits of using social networks in education such as collaborating, data-sharing, cooperative problem solving, self-expression, and participating in a global conversation outweighed the risk factors, it is still necessary to prepare students to behave safely and ethically" (Berger and Trexler, 2010, p. 173).


With a simple Google search, I found several sites that were helpful for this discussion.

1. 100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom - This site discusses using Facebook for class projects, facilitating communication, benefits of Facebook, tips for educators, Facebook resources for students, applications for teacher and students, groups for teachers, use in K-12 schools, and finding jobs.
2. I found a .pdf with facts about Facebook and tips on how to create a separate account for educational purposes, how to create a class list, share photos and videos, add courses and managing assignments.  This is a great tool for teachers to learn more!  See it here.
3. I found a slideshare presentation about using Facebook in the classroom:

Facebook Strategies For The Classroom

View more webinars from Kevin Lim.

I have used Facebook to connect with people in my professional learning community.  It is a place where we can get to know one another, discuss our assignments, share educational and personal links, have online chats and share a small piece of each other's worlds.  It is another great way to stay connected!

Shelfari would be a great tool to share with students. As teacher-librarians we are constantly trying to promote quality literature, and what better way than to use technology to do it!  With the option of rating a book and writing a review, students can easily create an account, log in and read and even create their own reviews.  Students must have an email account to get started, which might be a challenge because many of our primary students to not have their own accounts yet.

Privacy might become an issue for parents, as it is a social networking site.  It is important to make parents aware of the purpose of using it in the classroom and get their permission before signing students up for an account.  I found a sample letter that can be shared with parents:

Parent Permission Slip Shelfari

View more documents from cmitton.

Students who have their own email accounts will find it to be a simple set-up.  Students can read book reviews while learning about how to create book summaries and reviews for a writing assignment.  It's a great way for students to show their reading comprehension!

Ms. B's, The Teacher's Buzz Blog has listed several ways to use Shelfari in a classroom:

Teachers can use it to keep inventory of their classroom collections:  display the titles, authors, reviews, etc.  I would like to encourage teachers to create their own shelf for posting on their classroom blogs or school websites to show parents what books they are doing for read alouds, books clubs, guided reading, literature circles, etc.  Parents can use the bookshelves for suggestions for gifts for their children or as suggestions on what to pick up from the public libraries or book stores.  Teachers can create a bookshelf with suggestions for kids for summer reading so that students continue to immerse themselves in quality literature while they are away on holidays.

I can see teachers in my school using Shelfari to share professional resources.  We could create a group on Shelfari and use it for an online book club, discussing a particular professional resource.

Photographer: jscreationzs

My Thoughts

Although social networking can seem a little scary at first because of privacy concerns,  a little knowledge goes a long way.  Users need to be aware of the possibilities as well as the issues in order to have the ultimate success online.  We need to teach students how to be safe online and make the most of the opportunities available to them.  Social networking has proven to be a success for many, but I have yet to make this a part of my teaching.  I hope that I can incorporate this tool into my library and into the classrooms that I visit.

References

Berger, P & Trexler, S. (2010).  Choosing web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Bradley, T.  (2010).  Facebook e-mail is the missing piece of the puzzle.  PC World [online].  Retrieved from: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/210556/facebook_email_is_the_missing_piece_of_the_puzzle.html

Byrne.  R.  (2010).  Free Technology for Teachers.  Retrieved from: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

Facebook. (2010). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. [online] Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Facebook&oldid=395889594

Fincher, D. (Director). (2010). Social network [Motion picture]. Culver City, CA: Columbia Pictures.

Goldsborough, R.  (2010)  Like It Or Not, This May Be ‘The Age of Facebook’.  Link Up Digital.  Retrieved from: http://www.infotoday.com/linkup/lud070110-goldsborough.shtml

Kist, W.  (2010).  The socially networked classroom: Teaching in the media age.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

Ms. B.  (2010).  LibraryThing and shelfari in the classroom.  Ms. B's Buzz.  Retireved from: http://theteachersbuzz.wordpress.com/2008/07/31/librarything-and-shelfari-in-the-classroom/