321 Learn! » Social Media

Blogging about Students a Sticky Issue

Jennifer Wagaman — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:43:15 +0000

Natalie Munroe, teacher, is the center of what has become a huge topic of debate regarding the issue of freedom of speech. She has been suspended for blogging about her students on her personal blog. See this Education Week article for some more of the info. Some of the basics include a highschool English teacher who expressed her frustration with choice words about her students. Apparently some parents found the blog and everything went downhill from there.

Some of the alleged details I have been able to obtain include:

She did not name her students or her school.

Her school does not have an internet policy.

She does have a lawyer and is fighting the suspension.

She is currently pregnant. (Not really relevant, but that at least makes me smile!)

So, I think this brings into play an important question about the role of social media in education today. Social media has played for years at allowing an individual express feelings, thoughts, etc. in a way that allows them to feel “safe” (somewhat anonymous) but in a way they can receive feedback and often validation from other anonymous individuals.

Today the common forms of this are “Tweets”, “facebook updates” and personal blogs. The question many are asking is “Does an individual have the right to vent anonymously over social media about others?” I would say the better question, (since the obvious legal answer to the first question is yes, providing it does not violate any internet policies) is why????

I had someone tell me once that she, in her role as a highschool guidance counselor, was often concerned about the freedom in which many individuals would quickly open up and share all their deepest, darkest secrets with another. We have all met these individuals – they’re the ones we ask “how are you?”and we get a 30 minute litany about the mother-in-law, neighbor’s dog, cable repair man and husband’s late hours at work. (makes you wonder about those late hours, huh?)

While we all need to deal with the stress in our lives, ALL professionals, whether teachers, plumbers, garbage men or bank presidents, need to consider their choice of outlet carefully. While many in the debate about Ms. Munroe have come out in her defense, think about those students that she blogged about and their parents.

She may have not done anything illegal, but was it tasteful? Was it professional?

Teachers Using Twitter

Jennifer Wagaman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:58:40 +0000

H6C2PSYFRM9Y

One highschool teacher told me how she uses Twitter to assign students work each day. Here are some of her points :

1. Using Twitter to sent assignments helps her connect to students who are absent from school that day.

2. Using Twitter allows her to build a relationship with students who are focused on technology.

3. Twitter provides her the ability to take away any excuse a student has for not knowing what an assignment was.

What a great example of using social media to further educational goals!

Internet Slang

Jennifer Wagaman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:08:27 +0000

Educators deal with the issues of Internet slang more and more in the classroom. Even in the university level, emoticons and abbreviations are creeping in and in some instances taking over, frustrating teachers. While this issue has come about thanks to social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Texting and others, teachers are fighting a losing battle when it comes to ignoring it or banning it.

Instead, teachers need to focus on attacking this problem of Internet slang head-on. For more information on how this issue is effecting teachers and what should be done about it, read: Social Media Downfalls

Facebook: Will it Help or Hurt?

Jennifer Wagaman — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:46:15 +0000

It’s time for teachers to consider the social media world as a benefit to their teaching and learn how these platforms can be utilized for improving learning in the classroom and out. Facebook is one area where teachers might find a great source of help in connecting to and assisting students in the learning process.

There is a lot that a teacher can do with Facebook: answer homework questions, keep parents up-to-date, schedule class events and more.

At the same time, there is a lot of room for danger with Facebook: students can talk to whomever they want, there is no parental controls available, and with the private chat feature, students are free to gossip and complain as much as they want without the teacher or other students finding out.

So will Facebook help or hurt the teacher’s efforts at furthering the education of their students?

The Role of Social Media in Education

Jennifer Wagaman — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:24:39 +0000

As Social Media platforms increase and more and more young people find themselves spending so much time on these platforms, it’s time for teachers to get involved. These media platforms can become a tool for not only connecting with friends but for improving student grades!

Some teachers, I am sure, are already well on their way towards successful usage of social media for educational purposes, but for others, this may be a new concept.

Do you use social media? Hop over to: Social Media and Education and tell me what you use and how! For those who aren’t already there, stay tuned for more information on how to integrate today’s social media platforms into the classroom.