my comments

[Maria]

Facebook for Dummies
by: Carolyn Abram and Leah Pearlman

What stood out most for you in the book?

In part one of the book there was a quote “ I know Facebook is great and you want to be a part of it. But you’re my mom – you can’t be my ‘friend.’” This is where the real problem is. If you can’t have your mom be your friend then you are using Facebook for the wrong reasons. The implications that this will have on learning is that if you do not want your mom to be your friend then you wouldn’t want your teacher to be your friend either. Facebook can be used the way that blackboard is used. One of the problems with social networking with teenagers is that they are not being educated in school on these topics because you are not allowed to use these tools in the classroom. If students used Facebook properly then teachers, parents, and family would be able to keep in touch but that is not what is happening.

Discuss

The reason I choose this book was that I was not a member of Facebook. I was nervous to use Facebook because I am a teacher and a coach. I wanted to become educated on Facebook before I signed up. After I read the book Facebook for Dummies I was excited to sign up for Facebook. I thought the idea was great. I signed up under the impression that I would just use it for class. Then the people you know tool was on the side of the page, it went downhill from there. I am addicted to Facebook. Thanks to the book Facebook for Dummies I was able to join safely. While reading Facebook for Dummies I jumped around in the book. The book was easy reading. I read about the privacy first. I figured if I am going to join, this is what I should read first. This chapter explained who and how people are able to see my profile. The beginning of the book explained what Facebook is, who can use it, why you would use it and how to use Facebook. The book then proceeds to tell you how to represent yourself on Facebook. The next part in the book shows you how to stay connected with your family and friends. This book also explains how to use Facebook for business reasons. The book ends with how Facebook impacts your life and the authors favorite groups. I thought the book was well designed. The main idea of the book was to teach people like me how to use Facebook. I think all should read Facebook for Dummies before they join. After reading the book I feel that I am an expert on Facebook.

Another great thing about this book is there are tags through out the book to tell you a tip, remember, and warnings.

· React

The point of view of the book is that Facebook is the most amazing thing since sliced bread. I might have to agree. Though there is one thing that I do not like about Facebook. You can have Facebook on the go. In some ways I think it is good for the reasons they mention. For instance finding a phone number while you are out. But at the same time I don’t think that people need to know what you are doing at all times. Facebook is great to let people know what is going on in your life, but do they really need to know the intimate details or your every movement in your life. There are too many things that are on the go, sometimes I think we need to slow down. Facebook allows you to stay in touch with people from grade school, high school, college, friends, family and more. I have found that as we grow older we have less time to keep in touch with friends. Facebook allows us to stay connected. Some aspects of Facebook are great; when you go on a blind date you could check their Facebook first so the date is not so blind. You could get to know the people you work with. There are people in my building that I work with but know nothing about. I could have so much in common with them but never know it.

· Connect

It is hard to connect this book with current educational issues because you are not allowed to use Facebook in schools. I feel that Facebook would be a great tool to use in most classrooms. I read an article that someone in class posted about doing away with blackboard and using Facebook. I think that could definitely work.
I also read an article about a teacher who searched out her students on Facebook. She noticed that the students were friends on Facebook, and they talked about class. The teacher loved the idea that the students were talking about the class without being in the class. There was still a problem with the tool. Not everyone was friends on Facebook there was still social grouping. I have also read many articles about students getting into trouble at school because of what they have on their Facebook accounts. I feel that if our students are educated on sites such as Facebook they will not put as many inappropriate things on their accounts.

Conclusion

I would give this book a 5 out of 5. I read the book before I became a member of Facebook. After reading the book I feel that I have successfully became an aware member of Facebook. The book was called Facebook for Dummies and I feel that if any one read the book they would be able to understand and use Facebook properly. The audience that I think should read the book is everyone who wants to join Facebook. This is a type of book that you can skip around and not read it in order. Lastly I would like to mention do not put anything on that you would not want your mother to see. You never know who is watching.