Unit 2 Week 3

This week's articles were thought provoking.  The scope of each and the date they were written was very telling in terms of the content.  Mazer's article on Facebook showed the exponential growth and direction that has taken the social media site from a college campus hangout to a global phenomena.
I do agree with some of Mazer's points.  As students we are curious about who our instructors are beyond the classroom and perhaps it makes them more human.  That glimpse into their life that students got in 2007 via Facebook was very new.  Fast forward 7 years and according to the video from the college in last week's content Facebook is a diversion that keeps students from engaging in classroom rigors.  Does having access to your proff's Facebook page today make you a more affective learner?  I doubt it.  When much of what we hear about Facebook and school age children and young adults is negative and sensationalized I cannot imagine this is what Zuckerberg had in mind.
The Barrett K-12 observations on Google drive and collaboration was interesting in that it opened the door for multiple types of learning.  Learning the content, learning social skills of collaboration and learning the technology.  At some point everyone needs team skills and these early forays can be helpful.  Not being a full time classroom study I would like to learn what some of my fellow classmates who are have experienced when using technology and collaborative exercises in their classes.
Worley's article on global learning projects was fascinating.  The resources cited in the article seem valuable as well for educators to source these opportunities.   Taking teams of students from around the globe to pursue research and local sentiments on subjects is a definite plus.  You never know how similar you may be until you explore a subject that is deeply interesting to both groups.