Social Networking/Cyber-bullying

In your estimation, does Social Networking offer teachers greater advantages through possible connections with students, or does it present greater issues for teachers?

In my estimation, it’s a combination of both.  Social Networking offers teachers the advantage of connecting with students, but at the same time it can present greater issues for teachers.  In class today we took a look at Twitter.  I’d never used Twitter before and had no idea how it worked.  From my limited knowledge of Twitter, I thought it was only a tool that famous people used to make little mundane comments to their followers.  My impression was it was a way for narcissistic people to sound off to people who had nothing better to do than follow them.  However after learning about Twitter today in class, I’ve changed my opinion.  Twitter does have a beneficial aspect to it for the classroom.  Shawn demonstrated to the class how it works in a classroom setting.  He posed questions to the class and we were able to respond to them on Twitter.  It was interactive and we could read a dialogue from the class in real time.  It was amazing to see response after response to his question being popped out on my computer screen every few seconds.  It really got everybody thinking about what was being asked.  Everyone was involved.  This is an advantage because typically when a teacher poses a question to the class only a few raise their hands to respond, while most students stay out of it.  Some students are shy and have a fear of talking in front of the class.  Now I believe those shy kids are much more inclined to speak up when using Twitter.  They no longer have that “speaking in public” fear.  I thought this idea was proven today when everyone in class was tweeting to Shawn’s questions.  People who normally don’t talk in front of class were tweeting.  In the article “Learning in 140-character Bites” by David Zax, he writes about how professors are familiar with the sight of a lecture hall full of mute students.  Are they listening?  Are the understanding?  With Twitter in the classroom, you’ll know the answers to those questions.  Facebook is another Social Networking site that can be helpful in the classroom.  Take for instance the Facebook page set up for the Blueberries in Rhiannon’s class.  They use Facebook to read and respond to class assignments and discussions.  This is helpful to them because they can learn from each other and give each other feedback.  I could see Facebook being helpful in my classroom if it is used in this manner.

Social Networking sites can also have a negative side.  One thing I noticed today when using Twitter was the distraction it was creating.  Shawn was giving instructions about a topic and at the same time we were trying to tweet.  It was difficult for me to focus on his instruction to us and write at the same time.  My mind has difficulty with doing both at the same time.  I found myself having to ask someone nearby to repeat what he just said because I missed it while I was writing.  I could expect students in my classroom to have the same problems.  Another issue Social Networking can have is with Facebook.  My Facebook page has many personal things on it that I only want my close friends and family to see.  I enjoy going to Oregon Ducks football games and tailgating with my friends before these games.  I have a couple pictures posted on my Facebook page of me holding a beer at these tailgates.  I’m an adult and I’m not doing anything illegal, however I wouldn’t want my class of 7^th Graders to see these pictures.  I think it could give these youngsters the wrong idea.  They could jump to some conclusion that I’m a party animal and an alcoholic.  By the way, I don’t think I am.  I typically only drink during special occasions such as Ducks football games and weddings.  I don’t want young teenagers getting the idea that drinking is okay because they see me having fun doing it.  I want to be a positive role model as a teacher, not a bad one.  

Were you to utilize Social Networking with students, what precautions do you think are necessary in today's digital world in order to safeguard your professional standing?  Do you think it's fair to teachers to hold them to a different standard than other professionals (do you even think that that is what is happening-you can reference your take on the Natalie Monroe scenario).

I’m going to use Facebook in my classroom, but it will be a class page like the one that Rhiannon has set up with her group of Blueberries.  This setup doesn’t seem to pose a risk to me and my professionalism.  As for my personal Facebook page, I’m going to do what Shawn has done and keep my original Facebook page up with all the privacy settings.  Then I’ll set up another “Mr. Jacobs” page for my students that will be void of anything risqué.  I want to make sure to separate my private life from my professional life.

 

I absolutely feel it’s fair to teachers to hold them to a different standard than other professionals.  We as teachers have taken an oath to be professional and not violate standards that the State of Oregon has set out for us.  Also when we are hired by a district we will sign a contract that say we will follow their guidelines of professionalism.  This is what we signed up for and this is what is expected of us.  Teachers work with minors, people’s children.  These parents trust that we will watch over their children when they are in our presence.  Our expectations as teachers are different.  We aren’t in some other occupation, such as a waiter or a cashier.  We have a responsibility to parents to educate and protect their children.  I take that seriously.

I feel for the most part that most teachers feel the same way I do about professionalism. However I read How One Teacher’s Angry Blog Sparked a Viral Classroom Debate by Kayla Webley in Time Magazine and there are a few exceptions.  A teacher named Natalie Munroe decided to go off on her students on her blog.  She said she hated some of her students and called them some other names.  This is extremely unprofessional.  Apparently she felt that teachers aren’t held to a higher standard due to the reckless nature of her rant.  She had to have known that her blog could be seen by anyone, and could get back to her students.  This is a prime example of Social Networking becoming a detriment to a teacher and her students.  But these scenarios can easily be avoided with a little common sense.  

How serious of a threat is cyber-bullying to what you intend to do in your classroom?  In your estimation, is it something that as a middle school/high school teacher you will be on the lookout for?  Should you have to be on the lookout for it?

I think cyber-bullying can be a threat to what I intend to do in my classroom.  It is possible that a Twitter thread or Facebook page that I use in my classroom could be used in a cyber-bullying scenario?  Sure.  A student could say something there that could be picked up by other students and used to ridicule him or her.  I will have to be on the lookout for this.  My intention with using Social Networking sites is to help in educating students, not to have them face scorn by their peers.  I think it is the teacher’s responsibility to be on the lookout for this because it’s our duty.  Parents are relying on us to protect their children from harm while they are under our supervision.  Making sure that their children aren’t being harassed by a group of students while in my presence is a parent’s expectation.