July 4, 2010
After completing the assigned readings on Facebook and Twitter and participating in the class dialogue this past week I have been thinking a lot about whether I should incorporate an optional Facebook page into the online western civilization course I’ll be teaching this fall. I definitely have decided against using Twitter for few reasons. First, I am not that comfortable with the technology and I really don’t want to be tweeted constantly. I’m afraid this might happen since I almost always have my phone on me and thus a tweet would immediately get my attention and probably distract me. Secondly, I don’t foresee how messages of a maximum of 140 characters would be that beneficial. I would rather receive an email message or a post in Blackboard (the platform I’ll be using for the class) or Facebook that theoretically should have more substance.
Facebook is a more appealing option because I have to actually log on to access the page, which means getting into the right mindset to concentrate on the students’ posts or to make a post myself. With Facebook I will have much more choice as to when and where to access the account. On the other hand, this is also a drawback for me because unlike many young people I don’t automatically check my Facebook account every time I log onto the Web. It is not natural for me and thus I would have to make it a habit to check the page daily. Would this new habit just become an annoyance for me? I’m afraid that it might, which is one reason why I am not 100% sold on establishing a Facebook page. Another reason I am unsure whether or not to start a Facebook page is because I’m not sure it will serve a different purpose than what I can get using Blackboard. Scroeder and Greenbowe (2008) reported success when incorporating an optional Facebook page into their chemistry lab, but their circumstances were different than what I will face. My class will not have any f2f interaction and thus students will be required to use Blackboard or else they won’t be able to complete the course. In contrast, the Facebook page that Scroeder and Greenbowe (2008) established was supplementary thus their students’ grades were in no way determined by their Facebook participation. I think I have to decide whether or not I can achieve the same objectives using the conference threads on Blackboard as on Facebook. If the answer is affirmative, then there’s no reason to use Facebook. In fact, forcing the issue is exactly the kind of thing I think Moore (2007) was referring to in his statement that was for one the Web 2.0 class discussion. Moore wrote, “Indeed, the overall effect of the new technology will be negative and counterproductive, if interest in the technology draws attention further from the need for reform in the way we design our courses …” (p. 188). Will the time I spend creating and participating in a Facebook page take away from aspects of the course, especially, again, if Blackboard can serve the same purpose? Or will giving the students a different, nonacademic platform create more interaction? These are the questions I’m going to have to think long and hard about to ensure that I am being as effective as possible.
References
Moore, M. (2007). Web 2.0: Does it really matter? The American Journal of Distance Education 21(4), 177–183 doi: 10.1080/08923640701595183
Schroeder, J. & Greenbowe, T. (2008). The chemistry of Facebook: Using social networking to create an online community for the organic chemistry laboratory. Innovate 5 (4) Retrieved June 19, 2010, from http://www.innovateonline.info/*
Thank you for sharing your dilemma Eva!! I don't know that I can be much of a help, although here are my thoughts...
ReplyDeleteI log in to my Facebook account daily, because I am addicted to the games online. I am admitting this only as a warning to you - I would have otherwise kept that a secret!! I created my account so I could share picture albums with my friends (I swear this is true). I had not planned on making it a social network at all, but that is what it has turned into. It's great to catch up with old friends, etc but my concern is that if you make this into a classroom, it may not be taken seriously. And worse, it might be another distraction because so many of your students might already have an account, and you would essentially be directing them to the account as part of their studies. If you were to use it as a supplemental tool to add some fun or a different learning aspect to your course, then I would say use it. But at this time, I think Blackboard might be the better tool because of its established use in education. Facebook, however is steeped in social networks and may in the future be helpful to you, but at this time may just distract from what you are planning.
I definitely agree about Twitter, but Facebook has the same alerts through e-mail, so depending on how your account it set up, you might receive e-mails every time your students post something.
Let me know what you end up deciding!!
-Aloma
Hi Aloma,
ReplyDeleteI sincerely appreciate your openness and willingness to share your experiences and thoughts with me. I have a Facebook account, but I don’t log onto it regularly (I really need to be more proactive with it) and I have never played the games, although I know they are very popular. I didn’t think about the fact that they could prove to be a distraction and that I may inadvertently lead my students to socialize and play games instead of focusing on their schoolwork. You’ve definitely given me something to think about!
Thanks!
Eva