But also, that’s what people with cell phones do: they carry them with them (even, believe it or not, into public toilets). So, we are becoming “always connected.”

I sometimes wonder if this is a good thing or not. When we go to northern Minnesota in the summer, one of the things I like best is that we are essentially cut off from “civilization.” The world goes on and we are oblivious to its passing. Instead we pass time sitting by the campfire–day or night, fishing, playing cards, snoozing in the afternoon sun, or taking a walk in the woods. We care not who might be trying to call.

Back in civilization, the reality is that not many are really trying to call us. We may get one call a day or less. We’re not like some we see in commercials, in movies, or in public who seem literally connected to their phones, always talking, messaging. Still we are aware that our phones are an extention of us now.

For me, this idea of being connected goes beyond having a cell phone. I am connected via blogs, nings, and discussion lists to people all over the world.

The other day one of my freshmen asked, “do you have a lot of friends, Ms Hogue?” The answer is that locally I have about four good friends with whom we go out to dinner, to events and even on vacations. But I also have professional colleagues via the Web who really are friends. I have met some of them, but others I know only from avatars or posted pictures. Nonetheless, we share a passion for English education, for technology integration, for journalism, or poetry, or whatever it is.

In this way, the Web allows us to be connected to people we would never have met otherwise. The Web brings our world–as telephones originally did–closer together. It connects us, links us, empowers us.

There were a variety of factors that propelled me to open my own facebook account this summer. The strongest was that I knew I could not talk intelligently about something I personally knew nothing about. Joining the vast social network has been an enlightening experience.

My friends include NCTE colleagues, a few colleagues from my school, a few family members, former students, a few current students, and a couple of actual friends. It’s kind of fun when someone writes on my wall or sends me “flair.” What I have learned in only a few weeks is that facebook is a huge deal to the young people of my school community. It’s where they socialize when not face to face. It’s where they stay connected with each other.

Recently a teacher at school who knew I had a facebook account asked me if I ever “talk to” students on facebook. It was not a question I expected.

Two things crossed my mind.

One, well, as a matter of fact, yes. Just recently I had a nice little real-time chat with a current student about a book we were reading in class. It seemed like a conversation we might have had just before the bell rang or in the hall as we were heading home for the day. It was not too formal, but not too casual, and it was definitely teacher-student. He was polite, sincere, and we had a nice, short chat.

The other thing I thought was, hmmm. Why? Shouldn’t I? Does it cross the line? Am I not supposed to?

I think the second response kicked in because I answered her that I mostly communicate with former students and we sort of left it at that. I didn’t really answer her honestly, and I wondered later why I lied.

My reaction nagged at me.

Lately I am more and more annoyed at the assumption that all things “social networking” are the tools of online predators or silly teens wasting their time. Blogs, nings, facebook, MySpace, etc. are blocked at most schools, I imagine, because their connotation in the media is so negative. There is the perception that they are dangerous and our students need to be protected from them. It would also not be productive for students to be posting to facebook profiles via their iPhones instead of paying attention to their science experiments to keep them from bubbling over onto the floor.

Facebook takes measures to protect its users , but even so, anytime we enter willingly into the Web, we take some risks. There are some really questionable groups on facebook, but I don’t join them. I know how to stay safe online. If we want our students to know how also, we must teach them to be responsible Netizens. They need to know that public communication is “public,” and posting to one’s facebook profile is not that different from making a public proclamation, except that what gets posted to the Internet is there “supposedly” forever.

When this teacher asked me about facebook, I wondered what she thought it was. I know I wasn’t quite sure until recently. I think too many people base their opinion of social networking sites on a few sensational stories in the media. How else are they to know what reality is unless they, like me, open a facebook door to find out. I found out that facebook is not a seedy, back-alley teen club where hoods in leather jackets smoking cigarettes hang out, waiting to harass unsuspecting passersby. It is more like an annotated address book with pictures. It is even a bit like a magical (think Hogwarts) newspaper featuring the latest headlines from everyone you know or care to check up on now and then. It’s a place where old college roommates can stay in touch even after their jobs have taken them miles away from each other. Even families can connect on facebook and share pictures.

Facebook, MySpace, blogs, nings and others are not evil by their nature, though some will subvert them for salacious use. At their best, they are tools for networking, social networking, professional networking, personal networking.

Now and then, even teachers use them for improving their practice. Professional development in the read write web can be amazing!