Web 2.0 Technologies(Facebook)

My students just completed a History Day project about Facebook. The History Day theme this year was Innovation: Impact and Change. A few reasons why they selected Facebook as being an innovative resource tool are:
• Ecommerce – the ability to buy and sell products/services.
• Jobs – job seekers can look for employment and employers can post available positions.
• Collaboration – students, employees/employers can set up project teams and communicate through FB. Common interest groups can be set up and shared with everyone.
• Friends/Family – can be united with old friends and distance family members.
I believe that social networks to “create creativity, collaboration, and sharing between users. In regards to Moore’s statement about Web 2.0 technologies being less effective if not part of the distance education reform process, I do not agree. The design of the course has nothing to do with Web 2.0, but rather contributes to the quality of the course along with other technologies. Another important aspect of course design is ensuring that the instructor knows how to effectively use Facebook. Applications are less effective in the teaching and learning process if the instructor does not have any knowledge about how to use the software.
I myself spend a great deal of time on Facebook; updating my status and chatting with old friends or family members. I would love an opportunity to collaborate with my group of classmates on FB. A downside to this is that I may be distracted by outside interactions not related to my group session. This is different than a WebTycho chat where all of the online activity is related to the topic and there are little to no outside distractions. So while FB adds creativity and gives instructors and students another alternative to the teaching and learning process, it may make it difficult for students to focus on a study or group project. Although from the research on Facebook versus WebCT, The Chemistry of Facebook: Using Social Networking to Create an Online Community for the Organic Chemistry, that there was more collaboration in the Facebook application rather than the WebCT, I do not believe that Facebook has all of the necessary tools to be an application strictly for distance education. It would have to be used in conjunction with a technology such as WebCt in order to be effective. Facebook is just another resource that the instructor can use to motivate the students to participate in class discussions and collaboration.


Works Cited:
Schroeder, J., and T. Greenbowe. 2009.The Chemistry of Facebook: Using social networking to create an online community for the organic chemistry laboratory. Innovate 5(4).