Facebook vs. Face-to-Face

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Permalink Reply by Marsha Redd on September 24, 2009 at 6:47am

I agree. I relate this to the recent controversy of the school that eliminated all of its books in favor of e-readers and e-books. I think both are important and both have strengths and weaknesses. Why should it be all one way or the other?

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Permalink Reply by Andra Brichacek on September 24, 2009 at 10:07am

Cassie,

We totally agree that this debate is not over. As an editorial tool, Point/Counterpoint in some ways needs to be extreme, so that we have a clear yes and a clear no answer. However, we try to publish as many nuances of each debate as we can on our Readers Respond page, where we print short replies to the previous month's Point/Counterpoint question from a number of other readers. In our upcoming November issue, our readers do indeed address the need for students to learn to use both digital and F2F communication in Readers Respond, so keep an eye out for that! We'll also come back to this question yet again in our December/January issue, when we have two students present their viewpoints on the Point/Counterpoint pages.

Andra Brichacek
Assistant Editor
L&L Magazine
abrichacek@iste.org

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Permalink Reply by Bridget Fritsch on September 24, 2009 at 6:25pm

I agree with both of you. I believe that we need to incorporate technologies like Facebook but we can't just eliminate face-to-face interactions all together. I know I personally have a hard time if I can not see something physically in front of me so sometimes just having the teacher or a book can make all the difference in if I understand a concept or not. Several of my friends are also like this. How can we ignore the benefits of both the face-to-face and the technology instructions as they are both so valuable for differentiation? There needs to be a medium between both extremes and only then can both sides be happy and our students getting both the education they need in content areas but also with the technologies that the world is becoming more and more revolved around.

Marsha Redd said:

I agree. I relate this to the recent controversy of the school that eliminated all of its books in favor of e-readers and e-books. I think both are important and both have strengths and weaknesses. Why should it be all one way or the other?

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Permalink Reply by Natasha Vallette on September 26, 2009 at 8:54pm

I agree that there should be middle ground between Facebook and face-to-face in education. In this day of age, no school can ignore how social websites and the Internet are affecting the students and even teachers on an every day basis. However, completely switching to social networking sites, i.e. Facebook, or only face-to-face in education will only hinder our students. First, in their career they will most likely need to interact with people face-to-face, and they will need to learn those skills prior to starting a career. Second, many students have a hard time learning from a computer and the Internet. There are many things on a computer that can distract students away from their schooling and communication for education reasons, and some people just have a hard time reading a lot off a computer screen. Lastly, if students are only using face-to-face all the time, when it comes to them using internet social networking sites for a career or free time they will be behind other people who were exposed to both. No one knows how jobs will communicate in the near future and we should prepare our students for both types. A one plus side about using social networking sites in the classroom along with face-to-face communication is that shy students will be able to open up better than if they were trying to talk in front of the class. It will give these students a chance to give their thoughts and opinions without the fear of public speaking.

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Permalink Reply by Rachel Poynter on September 27, 2009 at 11:10am

Cassie, I completely agree with what you said. I understand that the article is supposed to be two opposing viewpoints, but I would have loved to hear what someone who was more "in between" the two had to say. I personally plan on using Facebook once I have my own classroom so students can easily stay updated on assignments and contact me if they have questions, but there is also a line to be drawn in regards to using the Internet as an instructional tool. It would be very naive of anyone to say that teaching our students to use the Internet has no place in the classroom, as anyone can tell that technology and social networking sites are progressively becoming more and more prevalent and popular. But it is also important that students understand when communication through the Internet and face-to-face interaction are appropriate. Solely using Internet interaction in the classroom will leave students lacking the skills to communicate in other manners, so when they are asked to give a presentation in front of the Board of Trustees at their place of employment, they may not be prepared if they are used to just sharing information online. On the other hand, if a student isn't exposed to various uses of the Internet, he or she might not be able to create a blog for the clients of the company to look at and find out more information.
Choosing just Internet or just face-to-face interaction is a disservice to our students, and considering it is our job as educators to prepare them for the "real world," I think it's in everyone's best interest to teach our students when and how to communicate through Facebook or face-to-face. Well-rounded, experienced students will be the most marketable when looking for jobs, and although we can not ensure their success, we can at least give them the means to learn how to communicate in various ways. I would love to see an article at some point about how Facebook and face-to-face interaction can be used in projects, because that's an article I'll be able to use!

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Permalink Reply by Kyle Zwyer on September 27, 2009 at 3:46pm

I also agree that there needs to be both face-to-face interaction and use of social-networking sites (i.e. Facebook) in the classroom. The use of the Internet and social-networking sites affect most students and teachers every day. It seems that we are becoming more dependent on the Internet all the time, which is why newspaper and magazine subscriptions and even postal mail are all decreasing. So, if the use of the Internet and social-networking sites are becoming more popular, we should connect/relate with our students and try to use it in the classroom. However, we should not forget that we have to communicate with others face-to-face too. Face-to-face interaction is important for everyone, as it allows you to see how others are reacting to your words and actions. I find that it is difficult to understand people’s emotions on the Internet, as I really cannot tell when a person is upset or sarcastic, etc. We need face-to-face interaction in order to decipher emotions and build relationships. In the classroom, we use body language and facial expressions as an informal assessment. If a teacher observes that many students are frustrated, then the teacher can try to re-explain something and ask questions to figure out what the students do not understand. On the Internet, the teacher would not know how many people were confused and frustrated, unless the students specifically told the teacher (by message or wall post). So, while it is important that teachers try to relate to students and use the Internet and social-networking sites, face-to-face interaction is also important and can help teachers assist students in the appropriate manner.

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Permalink Reply by Casey Biltz on September 27, 2009 at 5:43pm

It seems that the most important word throughout these forums is COMPROMISING. I would love to live in a world where all there was is compromise, but considering the reality of these issues, we are far from achieving any sort of compromise. I agree with almost everyone that internet use is extremely important these days and that it is taking over tremendously, but we also need to stress the fact that face-to-face learning is a dominant learning style and needs to remain in classrooms. Face-to-face interactions occur too frequently to dismiss them, so we need to understand the respectful mannerisms for our everyday use, and if we were to minimize these interactions, then what professional developments are initiating and modeling? Bringing in facebook to the classroom while utilizing face-to-face interaction would be an advantage to all students, but the thought of compromise always brings up a debate, and I feel that there will always be some sort of a bias. The best we can do as educators is to encourage our students to be involved with learning from each other and to explore the possibilities of education through the internet and use of technology.

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Permalink Reply by Jenna Kile on October 3, 2009 at 12:57pm

After reading the article about as to whether Facebook should replace face-to-face interaction in the classroom, I feel that just as some of you have stated that as educators, it is essential to incorporate both into our classrooms. I felt that although this article did present only two extreme sides of the argument, I would argue that it accomplished its goals. As a reader, it allowed me to consider and be well informed of both extreme sides of the argument and then allowed me to realize that my position on the argument is somewhere in the middle of both extremes.

This past week, I spent a week in a high school, assisting a teacher at my methods placement. I observed students, other teachers and interviewed some faculty members which was a valuable learning experience. My interaction with the faculty of the high school allowed me to come across different conversations and arguments amongst them. On one specific morning, I remember two teachers who argued as to whether they should accept certain people as their friends on Facebook. The two teachers were concerned as to whether it would cross the line of bringing their private, social life into their professional life. They worried about certain people having access to any information about their social lives.

As a future teacher, I feel that it is important to use both social networking sites, such as Facebook and also face-to-face interaction. However, it is important to know where to draw boundaries with social networking sites. Some students display information on their sites that is not school appropriate. As educators, it would be impossible to control what a student did on their site and on other’s sites. Also, in my experience, it is easy to misunderstand what someone is trying to communicate without communicating with that individual face-to-face. This miscommunication can create issues between students or teachers and students. This is where it becomes important to have face-to-face communication. As someone had stated in a previous response, face-to-face communication is an essential aspect of life. Simply because some students may not be as comfortable to communicate face-to-face does not mean that we should not encourage them and provide them with the practice that they need to be successful in this area. When I was in high school, my educators pushed me to work on my public speaking skills through speeches, group work, etc. My future career will use these skills for the rest of my life. These skills will be necessary for many students in their future careers and other aspects of their lives.

As educators, if we are able to work around some of these concerns with sites such as Facebook and incorporate these increasingly popular sites into our classroom, it will be a positive learning experience for our students. It is one extra way of learning that we can incorporate into the classroom, to address our various learner needs. With face-to-face interaction being such an essential skill in life, it is important to continue to encourage students to do so while also bringing new popular ideas into the classroom.

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Laipple on October 4, 2009 at 6:38pm

I agree with many of the posts pertaining to the middle ground of the Facebook vs. face-to-face debate. Each of the given opinions are valid alternatives for a successful educational environment. Students today are different than any before them. They live in an electronically interactive society and rarely use "old fashion" communication means like the telephone to talk to friends or family. They use facebook to confirm their attendance to an event, text message their peers to communicate, and use the internet as their primary means of research. All of these means of communication are effective, and most importantly, feedback is generally immediate. However, it is imperative for educators to use informal observations to gauge the success of a particular lesson or students' understanding of a topic. I agree wholeheartedly that students must have some sort of face-to-face interaction in education, if for no other reason than to prepare them for their future. Very few employers will hire someone without meeting face-to-face and students must have practice interacting with their peers and older adults in order to be more comfortable in an interview or workplace setting.

I believe that it is in the best interest of students to incorporate a little bit of Facebook (or really any other interactive social network) into the face-to-face interactions within education. Including Facebook as a tool for homework help, to post reminders, or a place for class discussion provides an excellent way to incorporate something that students are very familiar with--the internet to the traditional classroom. It is probable that students will be able to relate to the class easier and will become more engaged and appreciate each form of communication.

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Permalink Reply by Meliah Kunkelman on October 4, 2009 at 7:01pm

Both sides touched on the main issue of whether this kind of technology should or could replace face-to-face educating. Dr. Larry Anderson, who argued that Facebook could replace face-to face, discussed how the new technology has allowed us all to be easily connected with one another, and the “magical” feelings that come with that. Dr. Anderson’s argument seemed to be centered on integrating the use of the social networking website, rather than allowing the website to dominate all facets of education. He believes that Facebook is “not always superior to F2F modalities, but under the right condition, Facebook should be the medium of choice for interaction.” Dr. Anderson also noted that the website is “a significant time saver” and “interruptions are kept to a minimum.” While reading this I found myself quite shocked that I agreed with him. I am usually not very comfortable with integrating this sort of technology, but he posed some very valid arguments.
Some of the most valid points that he made dealt with the “timely manner” in which Facebook allows information to be shared. He noted the use of hyperlinks to quickly share information and commented on the un-bias perspective that this type of interaction allows. I agree with Dr. Anderson that, “Frequently, we make judgments about people based solely on appearance.” With this type of setting numerous individuals can share information quickly and without leaving the comfort of their own home, or their own pajamas.
As I mentioned before, I am very shocked that I found myself agreeing with Dr. Anderson. What shocked me even more is that I found myself disagreeing with the educator that I thought I would agree with. Dr. Hildenbrand launches an all out attack in her counterpoint. She took a very extreme approach to the issue. Dr. Hildenbrand says that “social networking is [not] the ‘holy grail’.” I found this to be quite rude, because in Dr. Anderson’s piece he never came close to saying anything like that. In fact, as I mentioned, he openly admits that the website should only be used in the right time and place.
I found it to be quite hypocritical that Dr. Hildenbrand mentions differentiated instruction and then a few sentences later basically exclaims that face-to-face interaction is the best and most effective way for all students to learn, all the time. The very last part of her piece was very counterproductive to her argument. She exclaims: “We must not take an essentially bad idea—one-size-fits-all education—and give it a 21st century spin. That, most assuredly, is not progress!” I would like to know what she views as progress. Why is this essentially bad? Where in Dr. Anderson’s argument did he insinuate that this would be one-size-fits all? Isn’t she the one who is encouraging one way of educating, by insisting that all instruction be face-to-face in order to be effective? I believe that for true progress to take place we need to learn to navigate new forms of technology, and utilize them at the appropriate times in order to obtain the maximum amount of knowledge.

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Permalink Reply by Meliah Kunkelman on October 4, 2009 at 7:06pm

I thought it seemed that Dr. Anderson was more open minded than Dr. Hildenbrand. Both of them have good points, but there definitely needs to be a happy medium between the two opinions :)

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Permalink Reply by Bethany Lessak on October 4, 2009 at 7:43pm

I personally agree with the many postings about the lack of a middle ground in the article. It would have been interesting to see how to integrate the two sides in the classroom. For me, I am not quite sure how facebook could work in the classroom. I would need to see specific examples of how to incorporate this into a lesson. All I got from the article was that it was easy to share information and class documents through facebook, but there are plenty of other online ways to do so that are much easier. I still would like to see some concrete ways to use this in the classroom though because it could be interesting to incorporate it into a lesson and perhaps the students would be interested because it can relate to them.

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