I think it is safe to say that social networking is not a fade. Tools such as Facebook and other social networking tools have now been around for over 5 years now. Students and parents alike check their Facebook page continually throughout the day. With this in mind, I decided to launch a Facebook page for my science and social studies classes.

Students live in two worlds, one of them is their normal day-to-day life and the other is a world of networking (Facebook). In the podcast below, they are quick to point out that Facebook has created it’s own cyber world and for students this world is just as much of a reality as the one we live in. The speaker uses the example of “dating” and how relationships in jr. high and high school are not official until they are “Facebook Official”. I know how much students use the site, but I never realized the importance of this site to a student’s social life until I wrapped my head around this idea of  “Facebook Official”.

Facebook provides as a great opportunity to reach many students and parents at once. Teachers are constantly striving to find new ways to bridge the gap between school and home and I really feel like Facebook is a tool that can serve as one of those bridges. The fact is that students are constantly connected to Facebook anyways…..so, why not use it for as an educational tool and not just a social tool?

I would like to invite both students and parents to add our classroom as a “friend”. All you have to do is search for “McClung’s Class” on Facebook. I would like to remind everyone that this is an account that WILL NOT be used by any of my students, and it’s sole purpose is to provide updates for my classes.

If you would like more information about social networking and the use of Facebook and education, I have posted a podcast above that explains in great detail the advantages and disadvantages to the use of social networking.

Mr. McClung