Social networking sites are a big “No! No!”at our school for the students and teachers per the technology department. All social networking sites are blocked by the school firewall. In fact, today I wanted to get my blogger for this class unblocked so I could work on my homework but to no avail. I am still waiting. The technology department cited that they must review the site before it can be unblocked. Although, yesterday our Assistant Principal sent out an email asking for volunteers to attend a class on assisting teachers in setting up blogs. I wondered if the Assistant principal knows that the technology department has these types of social networking sites blocked.
As for me I think it would definitely be an asset to our classrooms. Some students that just don’t seem to be able to put any thoughts down on paper can certainly use Facebook or My Space. My thoughts are that students need to learn how to participate in social networking sites appropriately. The students need to be taught the rules on internet etiquette and how to protect their selves from predators.
During the summer, our AP classes used blogs for their summer reading books. The students were able to relate to each other concerning their thoughts on the reading material through this monitored blog. The students encouraged each other to read and to express their thoughts. This blog presented opportunities for self-expression and friendship building that would never occurred with just a summer reading assignment.
I know there are several negatives to blogs such as risky behavior, cyber bullying and revealing too much information about ones self. At some point students need to be responsible for their actions. As educators, we should teach students internet safety and develop policies for the use of the social networking sites at school. If students fail to abide by the rules then consequences should be given. The American Association of School Library’s survey revealed that “social networking tools are becoming more and more vital in a student's education.”
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I totally agree with everything that you have said. It is like school is a vacuum. We don't want to teach certain things that may hurt or offend small portions of our society. For example, we do not have "real" sex education in public schools because the human anatomy is mentioned and some people actually believe that we will cause our students to become more sexually active if we teach them how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. So if we just ignore the problem, it will go away or it won't happen. Right! Social networking sites are here to stay so whether educators choose to embrace them and teach students to use them responsibly or ignore them (like sex), students will be using them.
ReplyDeleteSounds like my mom!!! Yep - that generation definitely felt that talking about it would make one want to do it! I agree that Social Networking is here to stay. BUT, I think we can talk about it and educate all we want and that is not enough. Even the most educated fall prey to the secret seduction that is on the wonderful world of computers. We need to deal with the issues at hand before we insist that we use these tools in education. I have seen first hand the destruction it causes. Young girls are putting playboy type photos of themselves on Facebook! We can ban books in the media center, we have to be able to somehow filter because we as educators do not want any part in this activity. Before we dive in and insist on being able to use Social Networking Sites, we must deal with these issues. Educated or not...it will go on... I have recently discovered "SafeEyes" which is a wonderful filtering tool. I have not had any trouble accessing any educational information with it on my computer, the price is reasonable, and the customer service is fantastic!
ReplyDelete