1) I personally believe that it can potentially create more harm then benefit in the classroom. As Carter writes in her article
Have You Googled Your Teacher Lately "Disastrous consequences can ensue, and the authors urge educators to consider the potential outcomes before they post." Proper planning indeed is helpful in protecting the teacher but a great deal of what is threatening about social networking is out of the teachers hands. In situations such as facebook, one cannot control who comments on pages. For instance in the article by Harriet L. Schwartz she runs into the problem of a "a long-lost high-school friend posted on my
wall something like: "Hey Harriet, I think I remember when we were at that party.
. . ." Even if you delete the comment as soon as you see it it is more than likely that the damage has already been done. Therefore, I believe that students and teaches should only be social in reality and not in virtual reality.
2) While I think a great deal of issues can be avoided by simply thinking before acting, I do not feel as if teachers should have to censor themselves when few other professions require such discretion. For example, Carter talks about the gentlemen who had violent images on his myspace. Many people would argue that this is simply a form of artistic expression and I believe that he should be allowed to express that. By editing his settings he was able to prevent unwanted eyes examining this but the implication is the same. When we open up our own social network to our students we are forced to self censor. I personally believe that the two worlds should remain separate and that way the student is protected from anything undesirable and maintains the teachers privacy and autonomy.
3) Seeing as I do not agree with social networking in the classroom I am at a very low threat level for online bullying in my classroom but it is a very real thing for many other teacher choosing to utilize it. We have all heard of suicides and other scary situations that incessant online bullying has created. Due to the high risk and severity of the issue I believe that teachers should be aware and monitoring for such discrepancies. In Ramig's article she suggests that "Don't freak out and shut down access if you find kids doing activities that are disturbing. Use this as a time to talk with and listen to your students." I think that in the early stages this is the best way to handle the situation. Once it has been discussed in your classroom, a no tolerance policy should go into effect. If poor judgment continues, an administrator should be involved.
Hello Erin,
ReplyDeleteAs a person who grew up without technology, I can understand your reservations about involving social networking into your lessons, as it has been the center of controversy. However, I wonder if, as educators, it is sensible or prudent to refrain from using social networking sites in a classroom considering it is a medium with which students are very comfortable, and has been proven as an effective teaching tool. We've learned that we need to model and integrate good character into our lessons as students may not receive these lessons at home. Assuming you allow your students to use technology in the classroom, do you feel that the same is true for technology and communication as it relates to technology? If you do not feel character education should extend to technology, please explain why. Do you feel that teaching students the positive and negative applications of technology and online behavior belongs in a classroom to any extent? What are your opinions on how cyber-bullying might be positively or negatively affected by educating students on how to appropriately communicate using technology?
Hi Erin,
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear from a different perspective. Coming from a person who thinks we ought to integrate social networking in the classroom (to a certain extent), I wonder if you would be more willing to change your opinion if there existed a medium where distractions were non-existent and video recordings could be made to converse with each other. Would this change your opinion? Similar to our blog, this social networking site would be used specifically for their classwork.
I am curious to hear your thoughts in a few years after you gain more experience in the high school classroom. From my experience this past year, I was shocked to see how different the average classroom is from when I was in school a few years ago. The number of students with smart phones is astonishing (how do they get their parents to pay for the data plans) and I consider it a great opportunity to use it as a school resource. How will you compete with the new generation of digital natives who are surrounded with these technological devices?
You brought up some great points and almost convinced me to switch sides. Thank you, Erin.
Hey Erin,
ReplyDeleteI thought your responses to the questions were well thought out and well written, however I don't necessarily agree. In your response to question two you stated that a teacher should not have to censor themselves when few other professions require that discretion. Do other professions carry the same responsibilities that we have as teachers? We are required by the State of Oregon to follow a certain set of guidelines. Teachers are expected to behave in a way that is professional. We are public servants, not a salesperson or a cashier. Also teacher sign contracts with their districts that say we will conduct ourselves in a certain manner. We must have discretion because our higher ups and parents expect us to. I think I need to censor myself in certain situations. I'm not going to put pictures of me drinking alcohol on my Facebook page anymore because I think it sets a bad example to students. I don't necessarily think that that is what you are saying. However I'm just giving an example of an appropriate scenario to censor myself.
Provocative post, Erin!
ReplyDeleteYour post argues “social networking can potentially create more harm than benefit” and that “teacher and students should only be social in reality.” What are some of the potential harms of social networking, and how will “real” social interactions between teachers and students avoid those harms? What are some of the potential benefits of social networking with students? How would a teacher accomplish those advantages using “in person” interactions?
Your post also argues student and teacher worlds should remain separate to preserve teacher privacy. What about teacher behavior in public spaces? If a teacher goes to a beer festival and acts appropriately for such an event (i.e. has several adult beverages) and runs into a student at the same event with their family, is the teacher behaving appropriately? I'd argue teachers are public figures; how can public figures ever maintain privacy in public spaces? Don't teachers, as public figures, have a responsibility to maintain higher standards of conduct, at least in public?
Since your post argues against teacher/student interaction via social network, how would teachers “be aware and monitoring” for cyber-bullying, as your third paragraph suggests?
Much of your post emphasizes what teachers should not do (no social networking with students, no censoring themselves, no interactions between teacher and student worlds). What are the traits of an excellent teacher, and what actions support development of those traits? What does a positive student-teacher relationship look like, and how will you build those relationships with your students?
This thread is thick with dialogue, so I will make brevity the word of the day.
ReplyDelete-Maintaining a teacher Facebook account, separate from your "own", enables you to step a little further into your students lives. It allows you to see cyber-bullying sooner (and maybe soon enough to nip the bud). Plus, you need not censor yourself, as you can place appropriate content in appropriate accounts.
-Social Networking can POTENTIALLY create more harm than good. But it can POTENTIALLY create more good than harm. Can you weigh in on what side of the scale this falls? If it is more harm than good, can you modify how you use it to swing it back to the other side of the scale.
All respondents have interesting additions. Thank you. I look forward to hearing a follow up post from Erin.