Face-to-Face is a feature that allows two members of the Redwood community to grill each other, argue, or simply converse about a relevant issue or event. We provide the topic, and they do the rest.

Recently, Facebook has been unblocked on school Internet and students have been left to debate this change in policy. This month’s participants are seniors Seb Palvina and Quinn Griffiths.

The issue: Should social network websites like Facebook remain unblocked on school premises?

Does unblocking Facebook help or hinder the classroom?

Quinn Griffiths: Unblocking Facebook hinders the classroom.
Seb Palvina: Wrong. No way, it helps. Tell me you haven’t gone on it to get homework you forgot to write down in class or get help. That’s right, you can’t.

Have you used Facebook any more than you did before, since it’s been unblocked on school internet?

QG: Not really, but now I can go on in class. I can do anything, I’m basically invincible.
SP: I almost never go on Facebook unless I have absolutely nothing better to do, so them unblocking it has made no difference.
QG: Tell me that having more freedom doesn’t make you feel like you can fly.
SP: Well. It doesn’t. Having Facebook be unblocked has made almost no difference because people can just go on their phones and check their Facebooks without even using school Internet anyways. I’m pretty sure there are websites you can go on through the school computers that let you go on Facebook too…even with it being blocked.

Will students be more tempted to go on Facebook during their classes?  Will it be a distraction?

QG:  If I wanted to go on Facebook in class then I would.  But I’m sure there are definitely people that will be more tempted to go on now that they can without having to waste battery on 3G or go on through sketchy websites.  Facebook’s a problem.
SP: Maybe if classes go to the computer lab or library, it might be a problem. But other than that, no one’s going to be tempted to go on Facebook any more than they were yesterday or the day before.
QG: The Facebook fiends will.
SP: Facebooks gotten progressively boring throughout the past few years. All anyone ever does when they’re on Facebook is stalk each other and like button stupid statuses. And watch Vines.

How do you think Facebook or other social media site could be used for educational purposes?

QG: Well…
SP: No, no shh. Let me speak now.  Facebook and social media websites can definitely be educational.  Teachers should all have Facebooks and become friends with all their students and teach them math online. No more class.
QG: No. Wrong. Maybe teachers should just teach math in math class. I don’t want my teacher chatting me saying “Oh hey Quinn lets learn math now.”

How can teachers use Facebook to help out in a classroom?

SP: They can replace Moodle with Facebook pages or something and just have us do our online posts for English classes and stuff on there.
QG:  They can’t. Facebook is honestly, if anything, a distraction.
SP: You’re a rat.
QG: I know. I mean Facebook is definitely better than doing problems out of a textbook or reading but…if teachers want to make a class more interesting, I’d say maybe try movies or games before having us just go on Facebook all class.