Journal+Reviews

=  Journal Review Page   =

**Using Facebook in Education** With Facebook taking over the internet, and more and more children in middle school and high school coming to class with smart phones and having instant access to Facebook, two high school teachers, Ruben Hoffman and Dan McDowell are embracing this technology; using it to facilitate learning in their classrooms. Facebook can be used to post topics, assignments, and discussions which students can communicate and interact with their classmates and teacher regarding the topic. Providing a forum for communication between the teacher and student creates an online opportunity for co-constructing knowledge and can be done in and out of the class room. Mr. McDowell has observed that the classes who use Facebook as a learning tool are more engaged and students feel more connected in the classroom. “It’s about developing a sense of community,” McDowell said when interviewed at the San Diego Computer Using Educators Conference, November 6, 2010. Using online social networking sites such as Facebook in the classroom is a great way to connect students to the school, and facilitate communication between the teacher and students as well as the teachers and parents. Using Facebook to communicate with students also draws out students whom may be more introverted in the classroom. Author Michele Einspar, says it’s important to understand the privacy issues regarding Facebook in education. Michele’s first rule is never friend your students, instead suggests creating a fan page is a great way to monitor student learning. Secondly, obtaining parent permission is an essential component of using Facebook in the classroom. Both Mr. Hoffman and Mr.McDowell have students who have not obtained permission to participate on Facebook, however are still able to monitor the dialogue that occurs, without posting comments on the topics. In conclusion, online social networking sites such as Facebook are great technological tools to implement in the classroom. People simply love Facebook and it has become a world phenomena, with people spending hours a day on the social networking site. Therefore, implementing Facebook in the classroom gives students an opportunity to engage in academic learning while enjoying the benefits of Facebook. Facebook engages students in learning academic content, allows parents to become more involved and stay connected with their children’s academics, and is a way of constructing knowledge which creates a sense of community that leads to higher grades in the classroom. **Are Laptops Helping Lower Merion Students Learn?** Administrators at Lower Merion High School, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania are giving every student in the school district a personal MacBook laptop in hopes of raising instruction in teachers, and learning in students. With the one-to-one laptop program in place for the last two years, the educators of Lower Merion High School are already claiming benefits. The district’s Supervisor of Instructional Technology, Jason Hilt, claims the program is helping students reach new levels of learning. Although the author of this article takes no position on the topic, he provides the reader with examples and views from educators, students, and parents. In a biology class at Lower Merion, taught by Elliot Burch, students created stop-motion claymation videos using iMovie to piece together a fifteen second clip, based on their knowledge on animal behaviors, illustrating excellence in technologically enhanced educational experiences. When senior, Sarah Zimmerman was asked about the benefits of her laptop, there was a positive response when she stated that it helped her to complete a recent chemistry assignment by searching through the online databases, and academic journals which are provided by the Lower Merion school district. After reading this article, I’ve concluded that the one-to-one laptop program provided by Lower Merion High School, is a fabulous idea, and prepares students for university better than any other method. With the technological advances occurring today, no student in university would be able to survive without a laptop or computer. Professors today rarely use paper, and nearly everything is done electronically from assigning projects, handing out syllables and other types of documents, posting lectures and lessons online, and communication. The students of Lower Merion High School should be thankful of this program as they will be prepared more for university then other students.

** Reference List ** Einspar, Michele. (2010, Dec 4). Using Facebook in Education. //Teacher Tips/Training @// //Suite 101//. Retrieved from

[|http://www.suite101.com/content/using-facebook-in-][|education-a312574]

Susanj, Nathan. (2011, January 11). //Are Laptops Helping Lower Merion Students Learn.// Retrieved August 28, 2011 from

[].

** What I learned... ** From reading and summarizing the two articles "Using Facebook in Learning" and "Are Laptops Helping Lower Merion Students Learn" I've learned about new and developing issues in the education world. These articles are useful to read and understand because they could help me when I become a teacher in the near future.