So... I decided to mix up the order a bit...I am going to answer question # 2 first! : )
2) What should a teacher's professional online presence look like and how should they separate their online professional lives from their online personal lives?
It is my opinion, that a teachers online presence should really be kept to a minimum. It is difficult to separate our online professional lives from our online personal lives. I have a Facebook account, but I don't go on it much. Right now it will be used as a way of communicating with my brother-in-law (who is leaving for Afghanistan at 11:30 tonight).
Most of us, if not all, have a Facebook account. I never accept friend requests from students, current or former. I am also not friends with parents of any students. Sure, they (kids and parents) find us eventually, but I have no qualms about declining a friend request. I may send a message back explaining why, but that is the extent of my communication with students and parents via this type of social media.
I also make sure I don't post anything negative or specific about school. I know we have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, but that hasn't protected teachers, or superintendents, from being fired or forced to resign over comments they have made on Facebook. Sure I felt for Dr. June Talvitie-Siple - she lost her job over a few posts on Facebook (as linked previously) (Boston News 2010). She may have been joking or the post may have been taken out of context, but that doesn't change the fact of how the comment was perceived by parents and by students. I honestly don't think I would have been too happy to read that comment if I were a student or parent in that district. We are public figures, whether we like it or not. Every move we make is scrutinized, whether private or professional. We are roll models to our students. We should know better than to post negative comments about our jobs or students - it's just not a professional thing to do...also, you never know for sure who is going to see it. Just because you only share posts with friends, doesn't mean that other people won't find out what you have written. How can we be assured that a friend reading our posts doesn't share them with someone else? Bottom line is, you can't. I think it sucks, but that's the way it is. The precedence has been set...we can be fired for what we say on Facebook. I don't agree with it, but what can I do about it?
As for separating our online personal and professional lives, it is a very difficult thing to do. As I am sure you have already figured out, I do not believe in friending students or parents on Facebook. I think this can lead to nothing but trouble. However, I do completely understand what Mallory was saying in her blog this week. She has been friends with a parent since high school and now she has been advised to de-friend her because she now has the woman's child in class. That is a difficult situation and I feel for her.
I currently use a blog and email to communicate with my students. I am also working on a website which I am hoping to begin using with my class after the new year. That is the extent of my professional online life. I want to keep it simple - nothing too complicated. I don't want to overwhelm myself or my students. It is also difficult to communicate with my students online as many of them do not have access to the internet or computers at home. Most of our online communication is done within the classroom (they post on the blog during class and I respond).
Question # 1:
1) Identify at least two ways that social networking and/or social bookmarking can be used in the classroom for collaborative purposes.
There are so many ways that social networking and/or social bookmarking can be used in the classroom for collaborative purposes! And as Kessler (2010) write in her article, "Social media is not going away." Since it seems to be here to stay, we may as well try to embrace and use it. In fact, many of our students are probably more familiar with social networking media than we are.
Here are some ways I think social networking or bookmaking can be used in the classroom:
1) I am already using a blog (http://kidblog.org/SawickisSuperstars/) as a tool in which my students communicate about what they are reading. The absolutely love the sight. They can't wait to get on the blog and post about what they have read. Sometimes I have them answer a specific question, while other times, I simply ask them to share their thoughts about the book. It is also free and easy to use - plus, I get full control over postings and comments, so if a child is misusing the site, I can head them off at the pass and keep it from being posted.
2) You can use social bookmarking as a way to bookmark pages for students to use for research. For example, if I were going to ask my students to do a report on a specific topic, I can go onto the computer and create a list using a social bookmark that my students can then use. I can use the list to focus my students on reliable and appropriate websites, rather than just having them go to Google and do a keyword search.
3) Students can also email penpals from around the world. I may also allow select students to email my brother-in-law as he serves in Afghanistan.
4) You can use Edmodo to network with students.
As I was researching sites to try to answer this question, I came across http://www.edmodo.com/. It is a Facebook-like site for education. It allows teachers to communicate with students online. It's basically Facebook for education. Teachers can use it to poll students, post assignments, share grades and updates, and hold conversations. It seems like a site worth looking into. I am certainly going to take some more time to look it over. You can also read more about it here.
References:
Kessler, Sarah (2010). The Case for Social Media Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/09/29/social-media-in-school/
Andrea, Thank you for your response this week. I hope your brother-in-law comes back from his tour in Afghanistan soon. I loved that you gave us some valuable sites such as http://www.edmodo.com/and I am going to use this site with my students. I am also going to use blogging as soon as we are assigned computer time!
ReplyDeleteAs far as social networking and teacher professionalism, I think that because of the friend controls that are on most of these networks, it is a great way to limit access to your account, and only share what you want to share with certain people. I understand and appreciate your opinions, and the opinions of the authors, but for me, I have been teaching for many years, and I feel honored when a former student looks me up! I only will friend a former student when they are in high school, college, or beyond. Some have sent me messages for college recommendations, etc. I have had the opportunity to go to some students' weddings, graduations, and other activities. I have parents that I have known for over twenty years that I am friends with and don't see that being friends with them will hurt me in any way.
When I read what certain comments can
do to teachers and administrators, (and I feel really bad for them) but I believe they should not be chastised because there never was a set of "rules" for social networking given to teachers. We are supposed to teach, and not have a personal life outside of school! Why are other professions not held accountable for social networking?
I was happy to hear from some students that I taught over 25 years ago! To me, it truly felt great to touch someone's life that they feel they want to find me to say thank you! Because I have taught in over six districts in over 27 years, I feel that I am not on any network to do any kind of damage to myself, my children, or my school, however, limiting access is there to help you. I am not on those networks very often anymore, and if I do go on, I check my mail, then play a game or two ! My farmville is seriously withered, so I don't even do that any longer!
I understand that we are professionals, but we can still have lives, just not broadcast them to the world. I think we all have learned that the written word sometimes gets us into trouble, so tread lightly with what you have to say, and you will not get into any trouble. I feel like if we are policed on networks, we are setting ourselves up for more bureaucracy and scrutiny as teachers to be accountable for things outside of our classroom.
Let me know how edmodo works out in your classroom. Because we are both sixth grade teachers, can my kids blog something back and forth with your kids? We are both in non-fiction right now, and it would be great if we could get maybe some tagging done from one class to the other. Think about it and let me know! Paula
You are absolutely right that teachers should separate their personal lives from their professional lives. It is very bad policy to forget that you are the teacher and not a best friend. Important boundaries can be crossed leading to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, or worse. As you mentioned, some teachers have been fired for crossing those boundaries. I have a Facebook page that I only use with family. My brother is being deployed to Afghanistan also. I don't spend a great deal of time on it. Also, I never post pictures of my children. I just don't think its right to expose them online like that.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is a place for social media in the classroom, however, only using monitored sites that are for educational use such as EPals or Edmodo or a blogging or wiki that is set to private for class use only. We also have to protect our students from internet dangers and to teach them to be safe consumers of the internet. They need to be savvy so as to keep away from predators and other dangers. I say we must use responsible social media as a teaching tool. And we must remember to always be the teacher and not the friend.