Aggravation

I wanted to be relaxed today. I wanted to not worry about my energy level, to get something done around the house, to be on track. But, I am not. Instead, I am out of sorts. In fact, I am torn. One of the best things I have found in the past year is Facebook. I do use MySpace too, but find Facebook more accessible, more well run, and more user friendly. My largest frustration of late, in terms of my narcolepsy, had been having no one with whom I could discuss narcolepsy from an "inside" perspective. After setting up a Facebook account, I searched for narcolepsy groups on a whim. The results blew me away. Many groups existed, and the largest Narcolepsy Support Group had over 400 members. I decided to visit and within moments joined.

A similar group exists on MySpace, and between the two I have already made new friends, connected with a number of other narcoleptics, traded stories and even helped others. I know that finding these groups will continue to be monumental in my journey to find peace and acceptance with this condition. I already love social networking for many reasons, but these groups afford me an opportunity I could have no other way. I can stay in contact with a plethora of people all of whom are on the same journey with the same disease. We each experience narcolepsy in our own way, but the peace of mind that comes out of reading even one post in these groups is better than a life time of therapy. I adore Facebook for this alone.

As an educator, I always look for ways to bring meaningful aspects of my life into my teaching. Given my experience with Facebook, and the fact that many students already have Facebook and MySpace accounts, I immediately being to scheme for ways to use Facebook in my classroom. Certainly, it would be cool to have a method of letting students know about assignments while they are on Facebook. It could also be an amazing portal for students to connect with peers around the world. What better way to help students understand our global world than letting them discuss books and ideas and concepts with people throughout the world. I am sure that more ideas will percolate to the surface if I do pursue this plan. But, I know I will meet with resistance. Facebook and MySpace and social networking in general has a PR problem. Parents, educators and adults in general find social networking sites at best a waste of time, at worst something dangerous and frightening. Whether it is fears of pedophiles or concerns about cyber bullying or any of a number of issues ranging from screen time to exposure to evil ideas, many people would likely question my wisdom if I were to propose this idea.

My hope had resided in Facebook's policies. They clearly state that sites attacking individuals and dangerous behavior will not be tolerated. I wanted to take that at face value (no pun intended), but knew I would still meet resistance. Then, a Facebook group popped up that not only attacked a colleague at my school, but also contained clear slander. I reported it, and the group was down within hours. My heart soared because Facebook clearly meant what they said. That was Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, the last six days have greatly undermined my initial enthusiasm.

Two more slanderous groups have appeared, as well as material on a previous group (which also attacks another of my peers). I have reported all three. Two of them in multiple ways. For one group the clock since my report is now well over 120 hours. The other two reports are more recent, but one is nearing 36 hours. I realize that the administrators of Facebook have thousands of issues. I also know that I may appear to be the one who has a "problem" because I am filing all of these reports. I certainly don't expect them to evaluate content. Negatives sites are a fact of life, but when reports are filed on sites that are clearly in violation of Facebook's policies, I do expect that timely action will take place. Now, the two recent sites have been reported during the weekend, but the 120 plus hours for the third group is inexcusable.

What recourse do I have, though? Quit Facebook? No, that only hurts me. File more reports? I can't through the groups, and I would guess that multiple emails would also lead to my removal from the network. My bigger aggravation in all of this has two branches. One, if I was worried about the possibility of using Facebook in my classroom before, I am close to pushing the thought completely out of my head. Since there appears to be no way to ensure that a negative page about a student would come down in any timely way, I doubt that the administration would ever give me permission to try. Worse, the people putting up these groups, and undermining these cool possibilities (not to mention ruining the life of my colleague) are former students. I am responsible for teaching them (or perhaps NOT teaching them) that behaving in such a way is unacceptable. One of the reasons that I want to use Facebook in class would be to help my students understand how to be responsible citizens of online communities. Instead, I fear that I am simply helping to produce more computer users who think it is fun and silly to spread lies and rumors. Of course, that tends to be the message of our society as a whole, so why should I expect my former students to be any different.

In the end, I will continue to wrestle with all of this. I love Facebook, but want to quit in anger. That is not the time to decide. I also know that I give too much energy to minor issues like this. Negative sites are a reality, and I will have to deal with them whether or not I get permission to use Facebook in the classroom. Still, I have a friend whose life is being eaten away at because other people are not truthful and honest. That is horrid. No one deserve to have vicious lies spread in this way. I do hope that I can find a way to help other students become good online citizens. I just worry that those I didn't reach in the past will ruin my chance to make a difference in the future.