Looking at MySpace and Facebook was an interesting experience. I know that many of my older students, my own children and nieces use these spaces all the time. To be honest, I have looked over their shoulder as the on their sites, but never really even considered on of my own. I decided to establish a Myspace account for myself. It was very easy to set up. I went throughout the site and looked at applications, music, videos, etc. Some of the content I felt was ok and others weren't in my opinion. In today's world, these sites are a part of our society and used by our students. The impact they have and will have on children will be very powerful. Ads, various music formats, videos, etc. will be seen by those who actively use these sites. We need to be forward in our thinking and try, as educators, to use this technology to our advantage. We will always have "the good, the bad, and the ugly" in our world. We must try to instill in our students the safety nets that they will need to competently use technology in their daily lives.
I found Facebook to be the more enjoyable site to maneuver through. There wasn't' a large amount of extra information except suggestions for people I might know who also have accounts. My daughter and son won't be happy that mom has a Facebook account, but oh well!
I can see these types of social networking sites begin to be used in the educational setting more in the future. Parents, other educators, and students could have access to assignments, use them as a communication tool etc.
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