Thing 22

Who would have thought that Facebook (FB) would have been one of the 23 Things?? I think that it is very important for educators and parents to know what their children are doing on the internet. If you are aware of what they are doing on the internet, the less likely they are going to be doing inappropriate behaviors.
I personally love FB. I have had my account for almost a year now and have reconnected with many people. I can communicate daily with family members that I otherwise would not if it weren't for FB.
I also have/had a MySpace page. I didn't ever really get into it though. It seemed like a lot of work to keep the page up.
I think that FB is much easier to update and keep current. I like the fact that I can update it very easily. It is very user friendly.
I do not really see an educational use for FB. It is called a social network. As an educator, I am very careful about what I put on FB. I may say that I have had a bad day but do not ever put anything about students or incidents that may have happened. I also struggle a little about not having parents of my students on my FB. I do not accept friend requests from them. I also try to closely monitor photos that go out on FB.
My philosophy is you never know who is friends with who, so if you wouldn't want your mom, principal, Dr. Henrie, or fellow teachers to see it or read it, don't put it on FB.
I think that best part of FB is the ability to reconnect with those you love on a daily basis. It is a fun way to keep up with those you might now see everyday and even those that you do.