Teachers + Social Networks + Students… What Do We Do?
There are a few sayings in life that are too true to ignore. One of them is don’t mix business and pleasure. The relationship between teacher and student is one of business. It needs to stay that way. So if teachers and students are going to be in the same social arena/space, there needs to be guidelines. Unfortunately, in today’s culture, those guidelines often need to be written – because the Internet has removed our sense of social ethics. 20 years ago teachers would not be caught dead hanging out with students in the mall… why are they doing it online?
I’ll tell you though… there is a teacher in the article below and I have a very good friend teacher that has also done this: some teachers are creating a second social network page that is their teacher personal ONLY. Homework, help, assignment, etc. — no photos or personal updates on activity. Smart idea. See, that should be a common sense guideline…
September 6, 2010
S. Florida districts weigh policy for teachers using social media; Online networking has uses in schools as long as it’s not personal, some say
By Akilah Johnson, Sun SentinelAfter people meet in the real world, their next step is often a visit to the virtual one, where they’ll make a “friend” request on Facebook or MySpace. But that can create a dilemma for teachers who get such requests from students, especially in Broward and Palm Beach counties, which have no written social media policies. Read more ›
PC Pandora monitoring software will let you know who your little students are friends with on social networks… including if they are hot for teacher… or visa versa.