Image location Article Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/03/23/facebook.underage.users/index.html?hpt=C2
Yesterday in class we talked about how Facebook could be used to hold impromptu conversations between students. In some ways using Facebook makes sense in the upper grades because most students are using the technology already. This article says that "roughly 64% of 13-year-olds are social networking; between the ages of 14 to 17, that figure jumps to 82%." However, the danger is that these impromptu conversations can become too casual, blurring the lines between teachers and students. There have already been lots of teachers who have been fired for inappropriate use of social media. For instance, here is one example at a school close to where I taught. I recently talked to a high school teacher about her school district's social media policy. I was shocked that they didn't have one. The district simply tells the teachers to "be safe" and "don't do anything dumb." I think that a "policy" like that is just asking for trouble. Teachers need to have a better awareness of internet safety and privacy issues with using Facebook.
It's also important to note that Facebook can be addicting for adults and I would assume that the addicting effects would be even greater for young students who have lower self-regulation skills. I believe that schools/teachers should work with parents and students to provide them with guidelines for using social media safely and responsibly. The following video discusses some of the addicting effects of social media sites such as Facebook.
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