NJ Principal Asks Parents To Ban Social Networking - Classroom 2.02024-03-29T12:09:36Zhttps://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/nj-principal-asks-parents-to?commentId=649749%3AComment%3A468428&feed=yes&xn_auth=noSocial Media in Education: Th…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-10:649749:Comment:4701612010-05-10T17:33:28.778ZJack Olmstedhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JackOlmsted
<b>Social Media in Education: The Power of Facebook</b><br />
By Heather Wolpert-Gawron, Edutopia<br />
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As a teacher and a new mom, it didn’t take long for me to find Facebook as a supplement for my stunted social life. And as any FB user knows, once you join, you become inundated with photos of new babies, comments about friends’ recent bodily functions, quiz results, and mysterious requests for farm equipment or mafia weapons.<br />
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But beyond the posts I saw that made me laugh, cry, and wince, I soon…
<b>Social Media in Education: The Power of Facebook</b><br />
By Heather Wolpert-Gawron, Edutopia<br />
<br />
As a teacher and a new mom, it didn’t take long for me to find Facebook as a supplement for my stunted social life. And as any FB user knows, once you join, you become inundated with photos of new babies, comments about friends’ recent bodily functions, quiz results, and mysterious requests for farm equipment or mafia weapons.<br />
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But beyond the posts I saw that made me laugh, cry, and wince, I soon learned that Facebook was also a place of professional learning and development.<br />
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I began sharing with other teachers and educators what were working, what news I’d read, what blog post I’d written, my indignations, and my victories. Soon my small pool of professional friends bled into my small pool of personal ones. And so I also discovered that Facebook was more than just a means to learn about friends professionally and colleagues personally: It became a way to publicize the issues each of us felt deserved advocacy.<br />
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Potent Proof<br />
A couple recent models of this education advocacy on Facebook that come to mind may be different in intent, but they both have something in common: the use of 21st century tools to move mountains.<br />
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<u><i>Example One: Buffelgrass shall perish</i></u><br />
To say the Buffelgrass Shall Perish fan page is the mastermind of Tucson teacher, Brian Kievit would be inaccurate according to the enthusiastic middle school science teacher. It was, he admits with a smile via Skype, “one-hundred percent student created.” In true problem-based learning format, the science teacher asked a group of eighth graders at his school to pick a problem in their local community and solve it. (<a href="http://www.edutopia.org/social-media-education-examples-facebook">Read More</a>)<br />
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NOTE: Last week, I invited Mr. Orsini to join this discussion. Are you surprised that he is not participating in this open, informative forum? As a parent of two teenage bo…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-09:649749:Comment:4699822010-05-09T19:52:32.263ZRebeca Kerrhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/RebecaKerr
As a parent of two teenage boys, I agree that there is a danger in allowing complete, unmonitored access to any social network. That said, I also know for a fact that complete censorship of your child’s exposure to the real world is detrimental for their development in modern times.<br />
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True, we grew up without facebook, or twitter. Back then, we called it pen pals. This kind of experiences, did not only allow us to explore a world beyond our limits, but also provided a way to create connections…
As a parent of two teenage boys, I agree that there is a danger in allowing complete, unmonitored access to any social network. That said, I also know for a fact that complete censorship of your child’s exposure to the real world is detrimental for their development in modern times.<br />
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True, we grew up without facebook, or twitter. Back then, we called it pen pals. This kind of experiences, did not only allow us to explore a world beyond our limits, but also provided a way to create connections with strangers that are in otherwise different environments but similar life stage.<br />
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As any issue, this is a double edged-sword. The bottom line is parent supervision and involvement. My kids are involved in several networks. They get different benefits from each one, and sometimes no benefit at all. However, as an active parent I have conversations with my kids about limits, what's acceptable and what is not. It is called educating your child, and giving them values. I have control over their exposure, and monitor their activities. When there is a problem, I address them. In my opinion, it is fiction that a parent can't control their kid’s exposure. The problem is that it requires work and attention, and the knowledge on how to handle some situations.<br />
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I agree with Mr. Orsini in that the answer is to teach parents and students responsible technology practices. However, eliminating access to this technology to prevent the problem of “psychological damage” is like using a “pick-ax for brain surgery”. I can understand the worry, f…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-08:649749:Comment:4697842010-05-08T01:46:59.660ZJaydehttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/Jayde
I can understand the worry, frustration, and even the desire to close off these social networks. However, this principal is doing his students a great injustice. The only way students can and will learn is if we expose them to the correct way of doing things. Acting like abstinence was the only way did nothing to slow teen pregnancies. Similarly acting as if social networking doesn't exist and trying to ban them will only add fuel to the flame. Then, students won't tell their parents if they…
I can understand the worry, frustration, and even the desire to close off these social networks. However, this principal is doing his students a great injustice. The only way students can and will learn is if we expose them to the correct way of doing things. Acting like abstinence was the only way did nothing to slow teen pregnancies. Similarly acting as if social networking doesn't exist and trying to ban them will only add fuel to the flame. Then, students won't tell their parents if they are being harassed because they were not supposed to have a facebook in the first place. There are many social networking sites that can add a lot to any educational classroom. If educators and parents work together we can make social networking a positive for education and for our students. Exactly. of course, in a perf…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-03:649749:Comment:4687162010-05-03T14:29:32.435ZJuan Pablo Velez Barraganhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/JuanPabloVelezBarragan
Exactly. of course, in a perfect world, none of our students would ever be in harm's way, but, unfortunately, a student is likely to find him/herself in a difficult situation at some point (on the web or in life). In order to prepare for that regrettable (yet inveitable) situation, we need to train our students to make the right decisions to avoid escalation and get themselves out of trouble.<br />
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Also, i think drinking and drugs are a bad metaphor for social media. As many above have said, if used…
Exactly. of course, in a perfect world, none of our students would ever be in harm's way, but, unfortunately, a student is likely to find him/herself in a difficult situation at some point (on the web or in life). In order to prepare for that regrettable (yet inveitable) situation, we need to train our students to make the right decisions to avoid escalation and get themselves out of trouble.<br />
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Also, i think drinking and drugs are a bad metaphor for social media. As many above have said, if used correctly and by appropriate age groups, these networks can be very useful and even educational. Teaching students how to use social networks is like teaching them how to drive. YES, it can be very dangerous, but it's a necessary skill (for better or worse) so let's teach them how to do it right. Katy-
You hit the nail on th…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-03:649749:Comment:4686432010-05-03T03:51:01.053ZScott MacGregorhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/ScottMacGregor
Katy-<br />
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You hit the nail on the head here. Banning and tracking is treating the symptom and not the cause. We need to model and educate about proper netiquette as we would any other learning skill or life skill. The issues here are the bullying and the lack of social justice. This needs to be addressed.<br />
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@kev: you say "The argument that telling kids "no" is avoiding reality is akin to telling kids they might as well go light up, sneak into movies and get drunk on the weekends because hey, it…
Katy-<br />
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You hit the nail on the head here. Banning and tracking is treating the symptom and not the cause. We need to model and educate about proper netiquette as we would any other learning skill or life skill. The issues here are the bullying and the lack of social justice. This needs to be addressed.<br />
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@kev: you say "The argument that telling kids "no" is avoiding reality is akin to telling kids they might as well go light up, sneak into movies and get drunk on the weekends because hey, it happens." I don't think anyone is advocating condoning the behaviour. It is just accepting that, for at least some (most?) students this will be an unfortunate rite of passage. The same way we stress responsible drinking or other social responsibilities, we need to stress online responsible behaviour in a web2.0 world.<br />
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Scott I agree -- middle schoolers s…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-02:649749:Comment:4685932010-05-02T20:08:58.578ZKaty Scotthttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/KatyScott
I agree -- middle schoolers shouldn't be using unmonitored social networking sites like Facebook. (That's why Facebook and Ning have minimum age requirements, and Facebook actually does a pretty good job of enforcing them.)<br />
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However, the principal here doesn't condemn unmonitored social networking sites. He bans all social networking sites. In addition, to combat the issues, he encourages parents to take computers out of kids' rooms and monitor their every move online.<br />
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Aside from being…
I agree -- middle schoolers shouldn't be using unmonitored social networking sites like Facebook. (That's why Facebook and Ning have minimum age requirements, and Facebook actually does a pretty good job of enforcing them.)<br />
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However, the principal here doesn't condemn unmonitored social networking sites. He bans all social networking sites. In addition, to combat the issues, he encourages parents to take computers out of kids' rooms and monitor their every move online.<br />
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Aside from being extremely difficult to monitor your kids' every move online, this really does nothing to fix the problem. It just postpones it. What happens when these kids get to high school, where social networking sites aren't banned, and still do the same hateful stuff?<br />
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In my opinion, the solution isn't to ban social networking (and, thus, make it even cooler). The solution is to <i>teach</i> kids appropriate web etiquette and safety. If this middle school started a school-wide Edmodo community, they could teach kids these skills in a safe place. Not to mention that, by giving kids a sanctioned social networking site, they're less likely to go out and seek an unmonitored one.<br />
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When it comes to the Internet, we need to give kids the tools to make good choices because, in the end, they're going to make these choices for themselves. We won't always be there to look over their shoulders and tell them what the right thing is. As a middle school teacher, f…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-02:649749:Comment:4685412010-05-02T14:43:50.034ZKevhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/Kev
As a middle school teacher, full-fledged techie and lover of all things digital I absolutely, 100% agree with this principal.<br />
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It is a terrible idea to give any kid anywhere a forum where they can experiment without consequences and that is exactly what social networking does. It encourages kids to lie, boast, and cut others down. Facebook, Twitter and the like go to the length to quantify your "popularity" in a number of ways. A mature mind can (sometimes) handle this but middle schoolers are…
As a middle school teacher, full-fledged techie and lover of all things digital I absolutely, 100% agree with this principal.<br />
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It is a terrible idea to give any kid anywhere a forum where they can experiment without consequences and that is exactly what social networking does. It encourages kids to lie, boast, and cut others down. Facebook, Twitter and the like go to the length to quantify your "popularity" in a number of ways. A mature mind can (sometimes) handle this but middle schoolers are absolutely not ready to do so.<br />
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The argument that telling kids "no" is avoiding reality is akin to telling kids they might as well go light up, sneak into movies and get drunk on the weekends because hey, it happens. There are things kids aren't ready to handle and the blurred line between the virtual world and the real world is one of them. They can't think in the abstract, we know that already.<br />
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Finally, let's be honest here. This principal isn't talking about edmodo or a classroom blog. He's right. I see absolutely no reason for a middle school student to be part of an unregulated social network like Facebook. None. You can get all the benefits of online collaboration through email, wikis, etc. Well-controlled environments that, at the very least, can function like training wheels. As middle schoolers though, lock it down! Perhaps someone in the distri…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-01:649749:Comment:4684642010-05-01T22:50:11.993ZKaty Scotthttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/KatyScott
Perhaps someone in the district can pass on the following research:<br />
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<a href="http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/41400/41340.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Creating and Connecting: Research and guidelines on social - and educational - networking</i></a> from the National School Boards Association actually provides a section with recommendations for school boards, including, "Safety policies remain important, as does teaching students about online safety and responsible online expression — but students may…
Perhaps someone in the district can pass on the following research:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/41400/41340.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Creating and Connecting: Research and guidelines on social - and educational - networking</i></a> from the National School Boards Association actually provides a section with recommendations for school boards, including, "Safety policies remain important, as does teaching students about online safety and responsible online expression — but students may learn these lessons better while they’re actually using social networking tools."<br />
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<a href="http://www.ila.org/netsafe/SocialNetworkingToolkit.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Teens and Social Networking in School and Public Libraries</i></a> by the Young Adult Library Services Association includes a section on how social networking can improve learning, as well info on educating the community about social networking. Here's a quote: "By integrating social networking technologies into educational environments, teens have the opportunity to learn from adults how to be safe and smart when participating in online social networks. They also learn a valuable life skill, as these social networking technologies are tools for communication that are widely used in colleges and in the workplace." Just to put the story in cont…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-01:649749:Comment:4684422010-05-01T20:30:00.855ZSylvia Martinezhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/smartinez
Just to put the story in context, Ridgewood, NJ would be one of the wealthiest areas in the U.S.. Parents in this school, SHOULD be informed, fairly tech savvy, and involved. Not that it really matters, but I think the interesting thing is that parents and school admins in ALL kinds of communities are sadly misinformed about social networking and other online activities. Sensationalist stories fueled by ratings driven media, politicians looking for a quick hit, and organizations looking to make…
Just to put the story in context, Ridgewood, NJ would be one of the wealthiest areas in the U.S.. Parents in this school, SHOULD be informed, fairly tech savvy, and involved. Not that it really matters, but I think the interesting thing is that parents and school admins in ALL kinds of communities are sadly misinformed about social networking and other online activities. Sensationalist stories fueled by ratings driven media, politicians looking for a quick hit, and organizations looking to make a buck off fear of online predators have inflamed things to the point where real facts and common sense seem like a namby-pamby response.<br />
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And in all kinds of communities, simplistic messages of "just say no" don't work and make it less likely that students, parents, teachers, school leaders, and the community will have an intelligent conversation about the subject. Dear Katy,
As usual, you mak…tag:www.classroom20.com,2010-05-01:649749:Comment:4684382010-05-01T20:02:45.957ZJohn J Capricehttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/Visualedtech
Dear Katy,<br />
<br />
As usual, you make good sense,<br />
<br />
It is always a pleasure.....how can we get some info to Tony Orsisni?<br />
<br />
JJC
Dear Katy,<br />
<br />
As usual, you make good sense,<br />
<br />
It is always a pleasure.....how can we get some info to Tony Orsisni?<br />
<br />
JJC