my favorite facebook group

 I’ve been following apophenia’s posts about social networking technologies in the classroom and I am going to have to agree. With regard to Facebook, I think that it can be so valuable and completely alter the classroom environment.  One of my favorite classes in college has been one where the professor formed a Facebook group, and since the class was very open and conversational, we all utilized the discussion board constantly. It was a great way to share thoughts and bounce ideas off each other- not to mention the best way to get missed assignments or study buddies. Additionally, some students aren’t comfortable speaking up in class so writing on discussion boards really gives every student a chance to voice their opinion, no matter how timid they are. Blackboard, the service that Fordham encourages professors to use, has the same discussion board feature, but my experience with those boards is disappointing- they never seem to live up to that wonderful Facebook group. Facebook is something that students enjoy crawling through and hanging out on. Whenever I am logged onto Blackboard I feel like I’m doing homework and I can never really enjoy what I am reading or writing on the boards. I would guess I’m not alone. However, I used to look forward to reading my class’ discussion board on Facebook, because I felt like I was just hanging out with my classmates and professor on Facebook, when in fact I was doing homework and learning.  I have suggested it in classes since, only to be turned down.  Students and teachers alike don’t seem to be open to the idea of mixing education with personal profiles and often embarrassing photos.  To most students Facebook is a place where you can keep in touch with friends and generally be playful -a place to escape from classes and professors, and I think it is going to take some time before students are ready to let professors and their classmates, who aren’t necessarily their friends, into their Facebook lives.