0120-250+Class_Team+5



=Integration in Classroom Instruction=

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Classrooms over the past 10 years have changed in many ways, mainly in the areas of technology. There are many forms of social media that teachers and students use to communicate in and out of the classroom, two of the most popular being Twitter and Facebook. Facebook seems to be the most popular, almost every student and teacher has a page and uses it to communicate with friends and family. While this is a great means of communication between peers, it can also be used as a tool for communication by teachers when assigning a project and allowing students to work on the facebook page for in class activities.======

=﻿ ﻿Definition and History = Before a teacher decides to use this type of social media in the classroom, one might want to understand further what facebook is and how it's history and defintion can truly be an aid when teaching. According to techterms.com facebook is a social networking website that was originally designed for college students, but now is open to anyone 13 years of age or older. Facebook users can create and customize their own profiles with photos, videos and information about about themselves. This website goes on to say that facebook started in 2003 by founder Mark Zuckerberg and his classmates, while attending Harvard. Facebook was originally only open to Harvard students then expanded to other colleges, Boston being one of the first. When using this information and relating it back to our text book, __Web 2.0 How-To for Educators,__ by Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum, one can see the advantages of using social networks in the classroom. Chapter 5 lists some advantages for social networking, such as; small groups being able to collaborate on projects, students can post questions and concerns and students who are absent can catch up on missed work. These are just a few of the many benifits that can come from using networking, like Facebook, in the classroom.

Issues with the Use of Facebook in Education
Despite the extensive use of social networks including Facebook in the everyday lives of students and regular adults, a large percentage of public schools do not allow the access of these networks within the school database. According to one article from 2009 in //Slate//, the greatest threat that educational administrators worry about include students posting violent or explicit videos, harassing peers, and generally experiencing harm through media including Facebook or YouTube. As Nicholas Bramble states in his article "Fifth Period is Facebook," "Schools have had a nearly unanimous response to Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube: repression and silence." The problem here is that administrators are only paying attention to the possible negative outcomes of incorporating these networks into class instruction. Instead of only paying attention to the bad things students can encounter or take part in on social media, why not consider the opportunities for good that students and teachers can gain from Facebook?


 * Possible Advantages :**
 * Most students can easily relate to Facebook and modern technology.
 * Students who tend to be disengaged may become more interested and eager to communicate.
 * One suggestion is that offering class Facebook pages can strengthen the lines of communication between both teachers and students when maintained in a professional and constructive manner.
 * Students can utilize class Facebook pages to complete responses to class materials/assignments and discuss with others right away
 * Students can message teachers outside of the classroom with questions about homework they would otherwise have to wait to ask.
 * Quiet students may feel less pressured to express their thoughts through written communication //.//

**Possible Disadvantages**:
 * When outside of class, not every student has internet access to keep up with Facebook.
 * Facebook does not offer many functions in providing regular instructional technique, mainly peer/teacher communication.
 * Students may choose not to respond online or be tempted to goof off on their regular Facebook pages.
 * Privacy is one of the biggest problems with Facebook, any friends can read what a person publicly announces.
 * Teachers and other professionals using Facebook need to exercise stringent caution when posting information about themselves which could be used against them.
 * Facebook promotes sedentary activity and may waste time that could be used for more active and social engagements //.//

=﻿ ﻿ **Future of Facebook in Schools** =

[[image:facebook.gif align="right"]]
As social media becomes more popular among students and teachers throughout the world it may soon be necessary to integrate some types into the classroom. Since Facebook seems to be the most popular among students it would make the most sense to try to incorporate that into lessons so the students can find different ways to connect.  According to Collegedegree.com, there are many different applications available for both students and teachers. Some applications that the website highlights are Books iRead, Flashcards, Study Groups, and Notecentric.

The Books iRead application could be extremely beneficial for an English and Language Arts classroom. With the app, students are able to share what books they are reading and if they would recommend or discourage other students from reading them. They are also able to browse other books and explore new options.

The Flashcards application allows students to create flashcards on the Facebook website so students can study while staying in touch with their friends. With the Study Groups application, students are able to connect with all members of a group for a current project. They could also study for tests and quizzes with other members of their class.

Notecentric lets students post their notes from the class period and share them with members who may not have been in class that day. The application will also allow students to compare notes and see if all the information is correct.

An application that seems most beneficial for teachers is the Slideshow application that gives teachers the chance to post powerpoints and other presentations onto the website.

Techxav.com states that “educators can even create some useful applications for Facebook that comes with better functions and features for education using state-of-the-art technology.” These applications will allow teachers to connect more with their students while using new technology to keep them entertained.

NPR.com (National Public Radio) even brings up the argument that social networking (including Facebook) may help keep students in school. With the immediate support from other people in the same situation, students will be able to get help, vent, or praise the class or course they are taking. A student from Columbia even “stated it helps her merge her social and academic lives.”

The future of education will include integrating the modern technologies of the time. Facebook is a new technology that is letting students and teachers connect with different applications and networking skills.

** Conclusion **
The education system is always finding new ways to keep up with the trends in technology that its students are growing up using. With social media and networking sites, such as Facebook, there are many issues, advantages and disadvantages about bringing them into the classroom. There will be new technology that will find its way into classrooms across the world and putting Facebook into the mix will just continue to create problems and benefits for both students and teachers.