According to this article, the exam results of students using facebook or a similar website while studiyng is 20% lower then the students who dedicated themselves fully to their studies.
My first reaction to this was: what?! Is this a joke? 20% lower is a huge difference! I mean sure, facebook is interesting, but surley not interesting enough to ruin the result of all the hard work by 20%... Right? WRONG. The truth is that even though many students will be horrified by reading this, eventually they will forget. Yes we want to do well in school, yes we want to have selfcontrol, but lets face it. When we have the opportunity, we will log on and see what is going on with our "friends".
I must admit, when I first signed in at facebook, I didn't think about how much of my time it would take. I was thinking what a great way to keep contact with my friends. And it really is. Especially when you have friends that live in the USA, Spain, Germany or whereever. We need to keep in touch. Or at least stalk the handsome guy we meet at a party last week. Facebook has become a big social part of our lives. If you don't have facebook, no one will bother getting to know you, because they can't keep in touch later. It's to hard.
Reading the artickle above opened my eyes. Usually I pay attention to what's happening in class, and I do what I'm supposed to do, but once in a while I get tempted to check my email, my facebook or just vg.no. At least after reading this artickle, I will think twice the next time :)
Good sound advice!
SvarSlett