Our readings in ENGL 516 this week focused on possible uses of Facebook and Twitter in the classroom. One question that many people are asking is whether a teacher should add students as friends on Facebook. Out class seemed to favor keeping students off Facebook accounts; however, there were some dissenters. One teacher used their Facebook account to distribute assignments while others had added students as friends in the past. In my opinion it’s wise to make sure the students your adding is someone you might actually want to make your friend in real life. If the answer to that is no, you probably don’t want them snooping about your Facebook page either.
Regarding Twitter we observed a teacher who uses Twitter as a way to guide lecture. Students Twitter during class and the issues presented are then worked into the lecture. It’s a way for students to ask questions they otherwise might not have been able to. I think this is a good use of Twitter but I’m not sure if it will have much longevity. In this case, Twitter seems to be used to fill a void in teaching that is there anyway. If students aren’t asking questions they want answered they might reconsider why that is. Also, the service Twitter is providing in this case might be better suited to another technology. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing, just something that needs to be looked at a bit more.
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