SNS ethnography of facebook

       According to Wikipedia, an ethnography, such as the one we were assigned to do, which is an online study on an SNS was for a time called a netnography and more recently, a webnography.  Wikipedia contends that there are several distinctions between a study done on an online culture and on an actual one, which includes; the physical aspect, whether the communication is recorded and archived, and whether it’s public or private.  There are also choices as to how a culture is studied. Essentially it will either be as an observer or a participant. An observer witnesses from the outside looking in.  A participant, which is how we were told to proceed, sees the authentic and experiences it.  

       I signed up for a couple of new Social Network Sites  to see if I could find one I wanted to study. First, I signed up for Twitter, which I still have and continue to communicate in. This site is very limited in applications which make it much easier to navigate. It is very limiting in what you can post because you have very few characters available in each posting. This keeps it simple and that is a plus for many people who need to access from phones and so forth.  Secondly, I signed up in Classroom 2.0 and  plan continue to communicate in it. This site has much more to offer and is an educator based SNS. I plan to continue and add to this SNS because it has so much more to offer me as a teacher. I plan to create a wiki in that site for my students to use next year.  It has an abundance of resources for educators.   I had membership in Face book which I initially signed up for in spring of 2007 because I was looking for my Mexican statue, Pablo, last year who was kidnapped by seniors. I had an anonymous tip to look for him on Face book so I did. I didn’t find him there at the time however, he miraculously appeared on the stage in cap and gown on graduation day.  

        Meanwhile, I didn’t delete my account but I didn’t actively seek out anyone to add to my friends list in the SNS either. However, every so often I would receive an email notification that someone had added me to their list. It was usually a student or former student who had graduated and wanted to communicate. I always “confirmed” which is what you do to allow people to be added to your list. This was a bit uncomfortable for me because I had heard so much negativity surrounding SNSs that I feared my district would send a reprimand. I had one condition that I set for myself concerning my students and former students. I always communicated in Spanish with them. I assumed if they wanted to communicate with me that they would translate and some of them actually did and replied in the target language. I thought it was awesome! I now have 78 friends with the majority of them being students and former students.

       When we began to discuss SNSs in class I had a slight knowledge about them. I had never actively added any applications in Facebook even though I had numerous invitations from many of my students and several peers from MSU.

            Face Book was founded in February 2004 by Mark Zucherberg, as a social network called thefacebook.com to help people communicate. It was first intended exclusively for Harvard students but in May of 2005 it expanded to add 800 college networks and by August of 2005 it changed to Facebook.  Changes began to occur quickly and by September 2005 it added high school networks then one year later in September, 2006 anyone was allowed to join. As a result, it is presently used by teens and adults of all ages. Just one year ago in April 2007 there were 20 million active users. However today it boasts 70 million users of which more than half are outside of college. This SNS is growing by leaps and bounds.  According to Face book statistics, it is the 6^th most-trafficked website in the world and the second most-trafficked social media site in the world.

          Facebook has many different applications that members may add to their profiles. The applications members add usually vary according to their personality, work, interests, friends, and purpose for their presence in the SNS.  This is one way people find those they know and subsequently add them to their friend list. In order to be added to someone’s list, one must be accepted by that person. If someone requests to be on your list and you don’t want them you may block them. They will not have access to any of your information. Some of the applications are part of the Face book platform however, some are not.  Those don’t pose much of a threat for identity theft however; there are many applications that are not part of the Face book platform that may pose a risk. I mentioned it in my last post. It seems that there is a flaw in the face book platform that allows those who create some of the applications for Face book to be able to track our paths and have access to our information. The applications are numerous and diverse in topics. As a member you have the opportunity to create an application and post it. I have seen several in Spanish but decided against joining them. They seem to take over the profile page. I have gained many friends in the year that I have been on this SNS the majority being my students and former students. Facebook is an international SNS and has many features which include a Translation application to 21 languages last month. Another new application added in April of this year was Facebook chat, which is very user friendly. At the bottom of the screen there is a tab to that updates as needed to allow you to see your online friends and to allow you to initiate a chat with anyone of them.  

       There is an application for classified listings, several virtual gift shops, and numerous others.  I notice the bumper sticker application used quite a bit with my students. This allows them to make a statement.  The photo album application is probably one of the most utilized. Most of my students have many photo albums and they hold countless photos. A feature that I see used quite often is tag a photo. This allows you to say something about a photo to the person who posted it. I could go on for days with all the applications there are.

          I posted a question on my profile page status for anyone who read it to post an answer on my wall. It asked what they used Facebook for. I had several answers to the question but I didn’t think I had enough so I also printed a short survey and had my students fill it out. I told them they did not have to write their name on it but to be honest in why they used it. Those who didn’t know I had a profile there were surprised to find out that I had one. They quickly exclaimed that they were going to add me.  I just smiled. I insisted I was only using it for my ethnography and they wanted to know what that was. I quickly explained that it was a culture study of the network.  

             What I gather from the survey is that most high school students use it to keep in touch with friends who they see and especially those they don’t get to see on a daily basis. Some of my former students who now attend college say they use it to stay in touch with those who attend different colleges and those from home when they are away at school. I myself love hearing from my former students. They use it for social purposes. A few of the males said they get on there to meet hot girls but most of them said to communicate with their friends. Most of them had both Facebook and Myspace. Very few had only one of the sites. The people that answered my question mainly use it to communicate or see what others are doing. One teacher specifically mentioned that some of her students who are typically shy open up and talk to her in this site and that some of them had issues they needed to discuss. This may not have happened had they not felt the chance of a moment of privacy in the SNS.

       Still others are there for communicating with those who have similar interests such as podcasters or authors. Some come in for business ventures of one type or another, in fact, one of my “friends” was there to see how others used the site just as I was and also to promote his book. These cultures seem to attract people who have similar interests and who would in actuality, hang out at the same places, just as they do virtually. It seems that online cultures are very much like actually being there in person only there are many more people we can hang out with when we don’t have to travel to get there.

      In Facebook there are settings you can adjust to make your profile private and not allow anyone to see who writes on your wall. Most of the things that take place are public and for the world to see however, you can change your settings to make your actions or even your existence private.  

         This was an enlightening experience for me. I had not taken the time to really explore this site and others like it due to time issues however since it was an assignment I made the time and benefited greatly. I now know so much more about communicating while using these sites. I feel that with all the safety precautions SNSs have put into place (40 safeguards), to protect young users from sexual predators and cyberbullies it should be safe for youngsters however, parents should always exercise parental controls.  It should be a fun place to hang out with friends and enjoy the communication and interaction. When I was growing up we hung out at the park and skating rink. In this day and age SNSs are where teens as well as others hang out.

By the way Señor Lowell, I have tagged my blog postings for this ethnography as sns or sns facebook.  Gracias y hasta pronto.

 http://tinyurl.com/58ks2h

It is a bit thought provoking and a bit scary.  According to BBC, Face Book has a security flaw. One of the main characteristics in Facebook is the availability of applications that members add to their profiles. These applications tend to reflect the member’s personality and/or the purpose for their presence. There are countless applications associated with this SNS and until I began this Ethnography I had not even thought about adding any of them.  When I needed to see this SNS culture I decided to look into some of the invitations that my students had sent me. I was getting several per week but had never even thought about accepting any of them. I began to add a few, as I posted, and decided against it when I saw that I had to allow an outside application to have access to all my information. I think we should always listen to our instincts because I went against my better judgment and added one for UK basketball fans. It seemed to take over the whole page and I had a problem finding a way to delete it. Finally after I posted about the problem, one of our classmates and one of my students told me to look under applications.  This did the trick and I was able to delete them.

I am not a fan of any team except the sports teams my students play on. Which are “Blackcats” and “Ladycats”!!!   I know that some would call me a traitor or worse because I don’t have UK Big Blue fever when the cats play but I am only a transplanted Kentuckian not a native so you will have to forgive me.  My family of men do and they are diehard Wildcat fans!

Nonethe less, back to my SNS, I did not add many more however I did add one that shows a map of the world and it measures where you have lived, where you have been, and where you would like to go visit. It seems that I along with several others who have this application have been to 8% of the world.  Funny how we all have been to different places but we all have been to the same percentage of the whole.  I also added a Disney Princess application. I guess I am still a little girl at heart.:-)

Nevertheless, watch the video and see what they say about the SNS risk of our digital footprints being followed. One interesting point they made was that MYSpace did not have this risk due to the setup of their applications.  Evidently, the way I understand It, Facebook allows outside source applications access to their members whereas MySpace chooses to only allow those who are based inside the network access. This makes safety for identity theft less of an issue.

Something to think about. . .

On another note, I left a message on my profile for anyone who saw it. I asked them to answer a question. I asked them why they use Facebook and that I needed the information for a project for my graduate class. I also asked them to post their answer on my wall. I saw two postings awhile ago. I will keep checking and write more as I see what they are saying. 

This morning I was in the site looking at all the different departments and the different types of setting controls there are. I love the “Newsfeed” because it tells you what changes have occurred in anyone’s profiletha is one your list.  this is helpful to kow if you want to do something with one of your friends and can’t contact them. You would see what they aer doing if they post on it.  I found a blog with many great announcements of good applications being added with suggestions on how they will be helpful.  They have also added a live chat.  I need to spend a bit more time looking.  I seem to be running out of the important commodity (time) as usual.  I will return after awhile to write again when I check on my wall for any new postings.  For now I will go and try to write my summary and see if I need to write another post in the last discussion in 644. I lost some points in a couple of discussions because I didn’t get to it as often as I needed to or totally forgot until it was too late. Ay ay ay there is just so much to do in addition to teaching and not to mention family who know that I am missing in action still until projects are in. 

The wedding is getting closer and closer but I will be done with these classes soon and can then focus on preparations.

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/senoranewsome

 He mentions replacing teachers with computers  which is not  an improvement however there can be a balance from either extreme. For example, when a teacher tries to use technology and it doesn’t work like it should she loses a large part of the 50 minutes she has with that particular group of students. That does happen at times and if it happens too often tit has a negative effect by taking up too much classtime and should be modified.  Technology should only enhance the lessons not replace them.  There are benefits  such as collaborating with students from other schools in other states or countries or students conducting research. So I don’t totally agree with him but I also don’t think he is wrong either just a bit negative.

The Literate Ludite  addresses the idea that we must make all students computer literate before they graduate. Stoll argues that just because the computers are everywhere that schools don’t need to incorporate them into the curriculum. He made sense to me when he compares  it to adding Drivers education to the school day because automobiles are everywhere. According to him  schools are now dropping the Drivers Ed courses because students will learn how to drive without it and they will also learn to use the computer without adding it to the curriculum.

He is so adamant that computers in the classroom  are a waste of resources that I wonder why we are trying to earn an educational technology degree to teach it!  I hope his outlook changes because up to the point where I’m at which is at the beginning of CRTs for Tots he has yet to say anything positive about computers in the classroom.  In some ways I see his point and tend to agree that computers are not to be used as a replacement for a teacher who teaches content. However,  I feel that there are many wonderful resources for teachers to utilize to enhance a lesson.

Students do love the interaction they have with computer activities but according to Stoll they are just being entertained not educated. They are not learning anything of substance like they do from traditional resources like books which computers are supposed to replace.  He insists that given the choice most students will take the easy way out and play useless games on the computer rather than actually be challenged by reading and analyzing true classic literature or learning chemistry  in a science lab with a teacher.

Another comparison made was that it would cost less in the long run to buy a laptop computer for each student than to buy textbooks. That turned out to be unreal due to upkeep of computers and the life span for computers  due to dated software and new technology making them obsolete much quicker than first presumed. Not to mention the cost of connecting the schools to internet and the upkeep of all the new technology. Up to now this is a very negative outlook toward computer use in the schools and technology for students.  He continues to spotlignt all the negatives of technology advancements.  I hope this changes… – I will continue reading …later.  I need to focus on some positives of technology in the classroom for awhile.

As I look back on the evening’s progress in getting into the culture, I see that it is going to be a slow process also.  Maybe I can spend more time looking for groups to join. As I looked for groups before doing the adding I did find several in Spanish but didn’t take a chance to add them since I wanted to try to add the ones I was invited to.

Oh well better luck tomorrow… I hope!

Just as Jsarnett says,  I too have been trying to grow in Twitterville by searching for and inviting friends to join me. It has been very slow  and difficult to locate people. If you don’t know their email address then you can not find them.  I have also tried to post a photo on there but have not been able to find one small enough. I would love to know how to get one small enough to use in this site.

I have decided that even though I will continue to use this site I am going to have to do more in Facebook even though I am a bit uncomforable due to the fact that I would rather keep a fine line between myself and my students. I am going to try to to navigate and get to know the sns culture while at the same time maintain a safe distance. I hope it can be done. 

My main concern is that my district will frown on the communication of a teacher with her students in a social network site enough to actually say something. I really don’t see anything wrong with the communication since it would be the best place to be able to contact them if needed.

Nonetheless, I will be navigating through Facebook this weekend. I will also be reading High Tech Heretic.

By the way, if anyone has Twitter please add me so I may continue to grow!  http//twitter.com/gnewsome

GRACIAS

I keep hoping that I will get a bit more time to hang out in facebook so I can play with some if the tools.  One thing I learned this week was to make a video with great transitions and effects. I am now ready to create my 21st century learner video. I will be needing the points!

I am falling asleep but I will return soon to write more  and with better purpose.  Hasta pronto….

I have also joined Twitter but it is growing ever so slowly.  I have thought very seriously about joining MySpace since my children have it an many of my students also have it. We will see….

 I am in the secondary level because I feel more suited to this age group and also because foreign language is generally not offered in lower grades.  I really like the daily interaction and the look in a student’s eyes when they “get it”.  It is a great feeling to know that we can affect others in a positive way and that something we do may make a difference in a child’s life.

I also teach because the more I teach it the more I learn about it. I love to learn new things also and this keeps me learning.  

Solomon also referred to 3 different model programs in states or districts that have made changes in their education systems by allowing teachers to become active in planning their own training. The three programs though different had several similar elements beginning with collaboration of all parties, to respect of teachers, addressing diversity and connections between curriculum and technology. This was not the complete picture but it gives a hint. It is nothing like the professional development we are used to attending. Hopefully the changes will be forthcoming as policymakers begin to see the need for change which must be a collaborative and ongoing effort.