Facebook and grades

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Permalink Reply by Michelle on May 11, 2009 at 2:40pm

Personally, I feel some of us do spend too much time on facebook and other social networking sites. The time spend on these social networking sites takes time away from studying and it devalues the importance of face to face interaction. If the time spent on social networking sites were filled ways to help each other and to offer advice, it wouldn't be that bad.

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Permalink Reply by george mayer on May 11, 2009 at 6:55pm

Do you think there is any benefit to facebook? If students weren't on FB would they be studying or would they be doing something else, like watching TV. Here's another interesting question, do you think FB is addicting?

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Permalink Reply by Nora on May 11, 2009 at 10:00pm

I think that facebook is addictive to some in the same way that tv is. It's true that FB can be a distraction when doing homework and studies but those who are easily distracted will find a distraction whether or not it is FB. I would also say that yes, for many, if they were not on FB, they would still be in front of a screen.
FB is beneficial in that it is an easy way to quickly inform a lot of people of an event but there are also downsides to it. For example, when people broadcast themselves beyond necessary.
For the downsides, I would have to agree with Michelle that it can devalue the importance of face to face conversation.

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Permalink Reply by george mayer on May 13, 2009 at 3:24pm

I think facebook is an interesting phenomenon in high school. As many of you are saying, you think it devalues face-to-face conversation. The way it functions in college is to keep people in touch that dont see each other every day. In high school on the other hand, student see each other every day. So what is the draw of facebook at all? how do students use facebook? Are there any beneficial qualities of facebook?

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Permalink Reply by Nora on May 14, 2009 at 10:22pm

One of the reasons that I like facebook is that I have friends that do not go to my high school and it is a good way to keep in touch with them.

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Permalink Reply by george mayer on May 15, 2009 at 2:26pm

Ok, let's change gears a little bit. Facebook has started to affect college admissions. Here's an article in the LA times about it. This can work both ways, especially with SSO. It could be a huge boost. But as a social networking site, how do we respond to this? Do you think it's ok for admissions boards to look at your facebook?

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Permalink Reply by Nora on May 15, 2009 at 5:03pm

I have heard about colleges doing that and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I think that people need to think before they act, so if they post ridiculous pictures of the wild parties they were just at, then it is their fault if they get denied by colleges because of it. On the other hand, I know that my facebook page is supposed to only be accessible to my facebook friends, so I feel like it is an invasion of privacy for schools to hack in and view a supposedly "private" page.

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Permalink Reply by Brett on May 15, 2009 at 11:51pm

If someone was silly enough to document their less desirable moments and put it online, that is your issue if you get in trouble for it. No one is going to stop looking at those social sites for bad behavior, and people are going to judge you about it no matter what. Even though, everyone has done something which they would not want pictures of on facebook. Facebook just makes it easier for you to get caught, judged, and in trouble over the instance, so don't put your worst moments on there!

I don't think facebook is affecting grades. Students who do not understand how to manage their time, and not get distracted by the internet are the issue. The online world is a blessing and a curse. When I need to study, I don't let myself sit on or by the computer. My reward for a good 45 minutes of study time, is maybe a ten or fifteen minute break online. The resources available online are fantastic, but the distractions are endless. We can't blame our bad habits and inability to stay focused on a website, at some point we need to take responsibility for making a bad decision.

I understand blocking it at school, because there are some negative and inappropriate (for school at least) components. If that becomes an issue outside of school, you can not blame the website and threaten my access or content if I am not at fault.

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Permalink Reply by Brett on May 16, 2009 at 12:08am

For some reason, the last part of my post was cut off. I will rewrite it again at some point! Lolz UGH!

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Permalink Reply by george mayer on May 18, 2009 at 1:42am

I agree for the most part with what both of you are saying, so here is another cool angle, and perhaps something worth pursuing. This article talks about implementing facebook in colleges, namely through a specific application where students could meet others in their class, discuss classes, join student groups etc.. What do you think of this? Is there a place for facebook in high schools as well?

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Permalink Reply by Brett on May 21, 2009 at 10:00pm

I think that sounds fascinating, my only concern is the increase in the monitoring of personal business and choices the school might do. I don't think high school would be as effective because of the system of most high schools. Many places wouldn't have tons of use for that system. I could also see a lot of students abusing it, not seeing the real purpose, since it is a social networking site hosting it.

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Permalink Reply by george mayer on May 24, 2009 at 2:50pm

Yea brett, I see your point. And that's something SSO is good at. Do you use any technology in the classroom, is there a place for technology at all, or do you think it will just continue to be abused by students. It seems to me that there must be a fun way to learn, and perhaps that's technology. So, i guess this is all i'm wondering: what are your all experiences with technology in the class room?

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