Thing#18

 I have facebook and my space so I am ready for this. This is the link to my facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1218738210)  or you can search me by Barbara Tucker ( Clarksville, TN)  It is important for educators to know how social networking works because it can be a very useful tool and all the kids are doing it which is why I recommend teachers know it. I think you have to be careful with how you use it. If you use it to communicate with students and parents then you must keep it 100% professional and be careful what you say because once you have posted it, it's out there for the world to see and yes there is a delete button but you have to hit it before anyone gets a chance to read your post and with live news feeds every second, who wants to be in that position. I think in the era of so much bullying it would be great for teachers to be on if nothing else to monitor students or just to check in, it easier for some of the older students  to trust adults when they feel like they can relate to them. My space has dwindled down a bit and not nearly as many people use it so I suggest schools take the next step like most colleges do know and have their own facebook pages where they can get information out quickly, the news feeds are updated every second. It is a great way to share events and network you can share pictures, raise awareness about a cause, start a cause, get involved. Just like any other site you have to be careful with how much of your information is made public and who you are sharing it with. There are security measures you can select to ensure you share information with only certain people, just use good judgement and enjoy it.