Throughout February, the Indiana Department of Education hosted a “29-Day Web 2.0 Challenge” which led up to Indiana Digital Learning Day on Feb. 29.  The month’s final post, made by state Superintendent Tony Bennett said social media, namely Facebook, should be incorporated into the classroom.

“As we continue to create new avenues for schools and students to succeed via technology, I look forward to watching local schools innovate with Facebook,” Bennett said. “Facebook has the power to connect people and groups who would otherwise never cross paths. Imagine our educators and students harnessing this full potential in a classroom setting. If you’re writing a book report, why not leave a class question on the author’s official Facebook page? If you want to connect with community organizations and stakeholders, why not share the amazing learning going on in your school on their page?”

As an immediate reaction to reading the post, Superintendent Jeff Swensson said what concerns him is the safety and security, or lack thereof, that endorsing the use of social media could bring.

“I think we’ve seen, and when I say this I’m not making an accusation, but we’ve seen that Facebook, in terms of interactions, is too often uncivil,” Swensson said. “Now, I don’t mean uncivilized, but too often, sometimes the anonymity that can often come (with) Facebook, and even with privacy features, and of course in a school setting, would you have privacy settings?  Well, I don’t know.  If (Bennett) is advocating general use of Facebook or social media, in theory, one would not assume too many privacy restraints because, I mean, it alleges the glories of unfettered discourse.”

Swensson said one of his main concerns is that Bennett “makes no case for its instructional viability.”

“Until and unless we can guarantee a modicum of safety, and until someone can show me lessons, and (although) I think it’s possible, I haven’t devoted myself to figuring out how, that would engage intellectually via Facebook with safety, I don’t find anything other than ‘this is the latest thing, let’s use it.’”

Freshman Edward Zhang said that as a social tool Facebook is an asset, but it is also great for the communication necessary to meet intellectually, study groups being an example.

“I think Facebook is great because it allows me to take my social life into the afternoons after school. I suppose, in a similar way, schools could take education to the Internet,” Zhang said.  “Group study sessions seem to be a great way to communicate with friends in an informal way while utilizing resources on the web to collaborate and complete assignments.”

In applying it to CCS, one suggestion Zhang said he would have is using it as a substitute to programs like Moodle, and even if not exclusively Facebook, have some sort of Facebook-structure for class collaboration.

Swensson said this idea of using a product or service that is currently a part of popular culture reminds him of the idea of a rush to incorporate televisions into the classroom in the 1960s.

Swensson said, “In the ‘60s, everyone was supposed to have television, and we would all learn from television.  Now, television’s fine, you can see news reports or documentaries and, okay, is television now ubiquitous and an intellectually demanding tool in the classroom?  Well, no.  But did a lot of people go out and (put) televisions in classrooms and was a lot of money spent?  Well, yeah.  But (was) intellectual value for students greatly enhanced? No.  And until and unless I see more about this Facebook, I regard this as jumping on the bandwagon by Dr. Bennett.”