About Facebook

So, I have somewhat recently succumbed to the Facebook phenomenon. It happened like this: I needed a picture of some cool science-y thing I did with the students for a presentation. I'd heard that one student had put the pictures up on Facebook so I join ed to see her albums. I sent her a message asking for permission to use a few pictures. At once, several students added me "as a friend on Facebook". In any case, this continued and I now have a number of student friends.

I have elected to stay on Facebook for the time being to see how it goes. One nice thing: I recently was added as a friend by a former student (now in grad school) so I now know what he is up to. Another "grown up" friend sends me links to disturbing science You Tube videos via my "Wall". Anyway, I see the usefulness.

I also see what my students are doing instead of doing their homework.

More specifically, I've seen how often they update their status as well as how often they change their profile pictures and write on one another's walls. I assure you it is often. Very often. So, under the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy, I wonder about using it in teaching. I'm thinking about creating a class group for one of my smaller classes (where everyone is already on Facebook) to see how it might be useful. I've used regular e-mail, formal listservs, blackboard and the like with mixed success. Perhaps there will be an advantage here in that the students are already using this particular implementation of technology all the time anyway. In this article, José Bowen likens using Facebook for class networking to showing up for dinner in the students' dorm - regular e-mail is more like asking a student to come to your office hours. I like the contrast here - why not meet them where they are?

I am not so worried about them doing Facebook in class, as this group tends to put their laptops and cell phones away when class starts. There was a post about this issue at Learning Curves recently, and an interesting piece in the Chronicle in January. I am worried about it in larger lower division classes. Lucky me though, I have all small classes next semester.