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Facebook: use as social networking site, not teaching forum
E ta S antoro
Staff Reporter
People often relish their
time on the computer, and a
majority of that time is spent
on the web. The internet has
become a tool for blogging
or joining chat sites. Certain
sites such as Facebook allow
users to create profiles and
enter personal information
such as the name of their
hometown and their interests.
Pop-up windows share the
latest news update or display
messages from friends online.
Is it convenient, then, to start
teaching over the web?
Recently, the Lake Oswego
School District decided to
allow Facebook access on
its high school computers.
Facebook is a social
networking site that first made
its appearance on the web in
2004. Individuals create an
account using their e-mail
and then can start uploading
pictures, filling in information,
and connecting with other
users. Facebook also has a
feature which searches the
contacts in your e-mail and
finds them on F aceb o o k if th ey
PfeVfiave an account.
VT
Already Lake Oswego and
West Linn have permitted
Youtube, a video website,
for teachers to link to videos
relating to the topics in class.
LO permitted Facebook
primarily to pass on news
and post update messages
from staff. Teachers can use
Facebook to continue lessons
outside the classroom and
online. It allows users to set
up clubs with its own page for
others to post and to discuss.
Teachers hope that by creating
a discussion on Facebook,
they can broaden students'
understanding and interest in
a topic.
On Facebook, teachers
can create groups and have
their students join. They can
post ideas and send mass
messages to all members of the
group. The group feature also
eliminates the ability to view
some students may not be
responsible while on the
internet. Safety on the web is
very important and students
that are careless may accept
random friend requests
from users they don't know
What are ym dong mm
v.
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Facebook helps you connect and share
the people in your life! ■ a
group members' profiles unless
accepted as a friend. This is
considered an easier way to
teach visual learners and also
adds internet safety topics to
the curriculum. The amount
of time spent on a computer
by students can make teaching
online more effective according
to educators. "Anything in
the real world can be used
for education," Glenn Krake,
English teacher and yearbook
adviser, said.
Facebook was chosen in
Lake Oswego instead of other
social network sites because
of its privacy strictness. Users
profiles cannot be viewed
unless they have accepted the
person viewing their page as a
friend. This earned Facebook
much respect and trust from
both parents and students.
Though it is true that
students are online much of
the time and can be reached
through websites, such as
Facebook and Twitter, these
are social networking sites, not
educational ones. Encouraging
students to use these sites
gives them the freedom to
check their messages instead
of following the links to their
teacher's page.
Angie Hammond, Network
Administrator, worries that
personally. The school then
has the responsibility to
monitor students while online.
Although there are students
that may know how to use
Facebook properly and only
for communication, there
are others that will use it
unwisely. The school provides
computers as an instructional
tool, but students often end up
using them for entertainment
instead, according to
Hammond.
Although Facebook is a
respected site other similar
sites such as MySpace, Twitter,
Xanga, and MSN groups aren't
accepted in schools. It isn't
fair to permit just one site and
not permit other sites with the
same purpose. It cannot be
trusted completely, because
there is still the ability for
individuals to post something
inappropriate, whether it is a
photo or a line of text.
If schools want a place for
students to chat and learn they
need to set up an authorized
website or chat section. WLHS
is currently experimenting
with a software program
called Blackboard. It provides
areas to discuss and chat, post
works, and communication
with students and teachers.
The main focus for this
program would be to facilitate
communication between
individuals in the school.
Though it is convenient
to use a website already
created, such as Facebook, the
site was created for its own
purpose. It is for everyone
to simply communicate and
share information, not for
teachers to teach students over
the web. There is too much
entertainment on the site that
would divert students from
learning. The same goes for
Youtube. Students are on
Youtube most of the time not
watching a documentary their
teacher recommended, but
watching the hottest music
video. Facebook therefore,
should not be permitted in
schools. It's a great way to
connect online, but its amusing
features make it an overall
distraction.
Rooter bus absence causes frustration
Have you ever noticed
how there is so much hype
of hype for girls' basketball?
A few weeks ago, both the
boys' and girls' basketball
teams participated in their
except the boys had many
more student fans. However,
the true difference was in
the atmosphere at the away
an d e x c ite m e n t s u rro u n d in g
re sp e c tiv e p la y o ff g a m e s.
g a m e s.
football and boys' basketball
games? Have you ever
compared that to the amount
The home games, as far
as I could tell, were fairly
similar in atmosphere
The girls team beat
Grant at home and won
the opportunity to travel to
South Eugene to take on the
number one ranked Axemen.
The boys beat Sunset at home
in an extremely exciting
game and traveled down to
South Medford. Both games
were second round playoff
games. Both games involved
highly ranked opponents.
What I want to know is why
was there a rooter bus offered
for the boys' game, but not
the girls' game?
■ J ennifer S itton
Staff Reporter
lit
continued on page 7
To the editor:
New perspective on Obama's policies
i, OR 97068
West Linn High School, 5464 West A Street,
(503) 673-7843 »fax:
The Amplifier is pi
:hool Advanced Journalism class,
comment s and editorials represent or
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faculty, staff, or student body
in-Chief:
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P
itor: Zack Mueller
tors:
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...
I read in the article
"Obama's first hundred
days: following through on
promises" a passage that was
especially misinformed. I say
"especially" because there
were plenty of other examples,
but I'll only address one with
my limited word count. The
passage was as follows:
"Already Obama is making
important changes that will
affect nearly everyone with his
stimulus plan, proving
he will follow through with his
policies to better the country."
While I will agree that the
stimulus plan will affect
everyone, it is not a policy that
is bettering this country. So far,
every time Obama has done as
little as given a speech about
the stimulus plan, the DOW
dropped triple-digit figures. In
this year alone, the DOW has
dropped 25%. I don't know if
anyone noticed, but we aren't
even
of the way through
the year.
Also, where is Obama
getting the money from
for this stimulus package?
He is borrowing some of it
from other countries, thus
increasing our debt, which is
quite contrary to his plan of
decreasing our debt. The rest
of the money that he can't
get from other countries, he
is taking from US, the future
taxpayers in this generation.
The vast majority of this
generation is not old enough
to vote, making what Obama
is doing taxation without
representation. For those who
aren't history buffs, that is
one of the main reasons the
Colonies decided to split from
the British Empire. Move over,
King George III. Say hello to
King Barack.
Hans Farnbach
senior
Opinions expressed in
commentaries and editorials
represent only those o f the
writer, and are not necessarily
the opinions of West Linn High
School, its administration,
faculty, staff, or student body.
All readers are invited to send
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Limit letter to 250 words. All
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