I'll begin by saying that I have not been a big fan of social networking sites for a long time. Now that doesn't mean that I hate social networking or anything like that, but I just don't have that natural drive to maintain that level of connectivity and transparency that everyone else in the world seems to have. I had a Facebook page back in the old days (when you had to have a college email to even create a profile) but was always bad about keeping it updated, and was even worse about seeing what my friends were up to. Was always a chore to me. So like I said, don't hate social networking, just not interested in doing the work necessary to keep the pace with everybody else. Perhaps I'm a bit old fashioned in that I still prefer face-to-face human contact over seeing what comments appear in my news feed.
But enough naysaying. Obviously, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are here to stay, and certainly have their place in our society, as well as the modern teacher's list of essentials. Being able to keep up with fellow teachers, admins, and even groups such as school districts or individual schools enables teachers to stay up-to-date on the latest news, events, etc. As far as usefulness is concerned, I think Twitter wins out over Facebook, but only slightly. Facebook is certainly geared towards social (instead of professional) interaction, with a bit of professionalism on the side. Twitter is also social, but its layout and functionality (keeping those posts short and sweet!) make it a better choice for a teacher seeking to follow exemplary teachers (such as @coolcatteacher) and keep up to speed with trending topics. In considering class or school integration of social networking websites, I feel they may have a place though it would need to be very limited. I liken their academic use to a classroom discussion: often beneficial, but requires a large dose of teacher mediation to keep on task.
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