I am Matthew Williams and You are Not

The nearly unheard of rise in popularity of such sites has left many in academia scratching their heads. For the most part, Facebook and Myspace are seen as attention dividers: things that take student's attention away from more "productive" things. Presumably, taking attention away from more officially sanctioned activities such as "reading" and "studying." Some, such as Iowa State professor Michael Bugeja have gone so far as to characterize such websites as an "abuse of technology." According to him, " ...our networks are being used to entertain members of "the Facebook Generation" who text-message during class, talk on their cellphones during labs, and listen to iPods rather than guest speakers in the wireless lecture hall."

The problem with Mr. Bugeja's assertion is that it assumes that the underlying reason that students are not paying attention is because there are other things to distract them in classrooms. Accordingly, the way to keep students attuned to classes and labs is to deny them of these distractions, as if to put blinders on them so they only have one direction to look.

While I am not condoning the usage of such devices during lectures and classes on the basis that it is somewhat rude, I do have a profound disagreement that things such as myspace, facebook, and iPods of all things are the reason students are tuning out of lectures. Shouldn't we rather be asking ourselves "why aren't students interested enough in our classes to turn off their cell phones?"

The problem with blaming all this on the misuse of technology is that it is, in a sense, shielding members of academia from having to take a hard look at the relationship they have with the current generation of students in their classes. In many regards, the relationship they seek to foster in classes is one built on arrogance, pretentiousness, and elitism. The problem many instructors, including Mr. Bugeja, have with sites such as Myspace and Facebook is that students think they are more interesting and important than what the instructor is trying to tell them. It is nothing less than a case of bruised ego. Apparently Mr. Bugeja never got the memo that students were never really interested in guest lecturers to begin with. The advent of modern technology just allows them to express this disinterest more visibly.

Blame the message, not the messenger…

It is naïve to think of sites such as Facebook and Myspace as mere entertainment. There is plenty of that out on the internet as it is. Rather, it is the unique social aspect and design of Facebook and Myspace that make them so popular. If instructors feel that students are spending more time on facebook and myspace than on classwork, it begs the question "just what makes these sites so alluring and how can that be included in our classes?"

Just as the name implies, Myspace allows a user to create their own personalized corner of the internet. Unlike most other sites on the internet where we engage with them as a passive observer, Myspace invites and encourages each member to enter into it as a contributing member. Users are allowed to change the layout of their profile, to post blogs concerning anything they want, and to even give and receive comments from friends they have created on the site.

Similarly, while the layout of Facebook remains static, users are able to leave a pretty inclusive imprint of their personality on their page. Things such as photos (Facebook is the biggest user submitted photo website in the world), user created groups, user interests, and a dynamic wall that is contributed to by all members of the community all create a feeling that each user is truly a part of what is going on. The content is created by the user, not by the administrators; they have done nothing more than to set up the structure.

In stark contrast to this, most classes students take are instructor centered where students have little to no say over content, instructional methods, grading policies, and goals and objectives. When you think of the traditional university classroom as a static webpage that only has one page of text that the viewer is supposed to read, it is little wonder that webpages such as Facebook and Myspace where users are invited to participate at a personal level are so incredibly popular.

As pointed out earlier, many instructors are whining that students spend more time on these websites than reading over lecture notes given to them. What instructors have failed to do, however, is give a reason for students to truly care about their education. What little motivation is offered by instructors is usually given in the form of extrinsic motivation, or "grades." However, what Facebook and Myspace truly reveal is the sheer power that intrinsic motivators can have on an individual.

Simply stated, intrinsic motivation is what people will do with out external pressure or motivation. Activities that are intrinsically motivating are activities that people engage in for no other reason than personal satisfaction and enjoyment. Extrinsic motivation is what people will do because of external factors such as getting a reward or a grade for good work. What is most important about intrinsic motivators is they are not tied to a definite end point. An extrinsic motivator such as grades point towards an end of effort situation. For instance, after you get the A on that biology final, if all you cared about was getting the A so you can move on, there is little reason left to remember all that stuff you memorized the night before the exam.

Additionally, since extrinsic motivators do not involve any sort of reliance or consideration of personal circumstance within the student, it leads to an all too common complaint amongst undergraduates: "I don't see how this class is of any value to me." Far too often students take classes that call for little to no personal interaction with the content. They're just there to get the grade. If students see no connection between content and their personal lives in the classroom, is it truly any wonder that they spend so much time engaging in websites that allows them to be part of the whole process?

What Facebook and Myspace offer instructors is a window into just how much effort and devotion students will give to things that offer them a chance to truly be a part of an activity. Expecting students to sit quietly, do as their told, and to act as a mute receptacle for the knowledge of the instructor hardly qualifies as letting students participate as interesting, diverse, and well rounded human beings with unique and individual talents that can be shared. In a sense, Facebook and Myspace do a much better job of following the principles of adult education, especially when we talk about immediate relevance and allowing for participants to have a say in their own education. (see previous entry over Andragogy)

The question for instructors should not be how to stop students from spending so much time on these websites. The question for instructors should be how to invite students into the inner workings of our classes so that they may be an integral and active part of the learning process. When the activities in the classroom become a part of each student's personal abilities, talents, and desires, the motivation for personal success and satisfaction becomes one that is life long, and not semester long. And really, when it all boils down to it, are we looking for learning to happen from semester to semester until a student graduates or are we looking to prepare our students to continue to learn even after the day they leave the brick lecture halls behind.

Oh yeah, and one more thing....Facebook me!