Should teachers and students be "friends" on social networking sites? - Classroom 2.02024-03-28T16:10:43Zhttps://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/should-teachers-and-students?commentId=649749%3AComment%3A244755&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThis article is quite interes…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-11-08:649749:Comment:8902392012-11-08T01:27:39.028ZChristina Taylorhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/ChristinaTaylor520
<p>This article is quite interesting, as the Facebook trend has traveled to middle school students, and I see my fellow teachers friend students, and others completely avoid the students.</p>
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<p>I think facebook is a very hot topic at this point and there is no clear guidelines on the proper etiquette for a teachers social networking with students.</p>
<p><br></br>I personally find that this is too thin of a line to stand near. A teacher should not necessarily be friends with their…</p>
<p>This article is quite interesting, as the Facebook trend has traveled to middle school students, and I see my fellow teachers friend students, and others completely avoid the students.</p>
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<p>I think facebook is a very hot topic at this point and there is no clear guidelines on the proper etiquette for a teachers social networking with students.</p>
<p><br/>I personally find that this is too thin of a line to stand near. A teacher should not necessarily be friends with their students, but to show compassion also shows the students that we genuinely do care for our students. But with so many issues surrounding the relationships between teachers and students, I believe that it is best to keep the personal aspect out of the teacher/student relationship.</p>
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<p>I could see how facebook could be a good tool for students and teachers to connect in terms of homework assignments, due dates, and questions that might arise while working on these assignments. I have considered creating a "Group" page devoted to my math class, yet not linked to anything outside of school related concepts. It could be a great tool to let the students come together and ask questions towards the teacher or one another, and to help with reminders of events coming up in the class.</p>
<p> </p> I think teachers should think…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-21:649749:Comment:8777532012-09-21T15:28:28.805ZElena Guyerhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/ElenaGuyer
<p>I think teachers should think carefully about what their motives are before becoming "friends" with their students on social medial sites. Students make it very clear that they prefer the instant responses they get from these sites, and that communicating through email has become a thing of the past. There are ways that sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be incorporated into a course or lesson, but I think these sites were originally designed for socialization. In the instance of…</p>
<p>I think teachers should think carefully about what their motives are before becoming "friends" with their students on social medial sites. Students make it very clear that they prefer the instant responses they get from these sites, and that communicating through email has become a thing of the past. There are ways that sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be incorporated into a course or lesson, but I think these sites were originally designed for socialization. In the instance of using social media sites as part of a class project, the group should be limited to the students in the class, and conversations should revolved around specific lessons and tasks. In these situations, it should be made clear that personal conversations are restricted.</p>
<p><br/>There have been reports in the news of educators getting in serious trouble,not because they were "friends" with their students, but because they made inappropriate comments on their pages and photos. One case in New York tells of how "one teacher friended several female students and wrote comments including "this is sexy" under their photos, investigators said. A substitute teacher sent a message to a student saying that her boyfriend did not "deserve a beautiful girl like you."</p>
<div style="overflow: hidden; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><a style="color: #003399;" href="http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/04/19/should-teachers-and-students-be-facebook-friends/#ixzz277OoIeqF">http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/04/19/should-teachers-and-students-be-facebook-friends/#ixzz277OoIeqF</a></div>
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<div style="overflow: hidden; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Social media sites can be a valuable asset in education, but it is vital for both educators and students alike to use the forums responsibly and appropriately.</div> I know the article and the ma…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-16:649749:Comment:8758252012-09-16T16:02:54.954ZBill Noahhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/BillNoah
<p>I know the article and the majority of the posts on this thread are almost four years old, but I do believe this is a topic worth bringing up again and again. I find that the article does a good job in making you rethink how you perceive this argument. Are we, as teachers, supposed to be friends with our students? Our job is to teach them and prepare them for their careers. I agree with everyone that says to wait until they are older and in college or beyond, and not to accept while they…</p>
<p>I know the article and the majority of the posts on this thread are almost four years old, but I do believe this is a topic worth bringing up again and again. I find that the article does a good job in making you rethink how you perceive this argument. Are we, as teachers, supposed to be friends with our students? Our job is to teach them and prepare them for their careers. I agree with everyone that says to wait until they are older and in college or beyond, and not to accept while they are still in your building. In the four years since this article and the first post was made, people have lost their jobs or have been over looked at job interviews because of having a social network account. It just does not seem worth it. It would be great to be able to post on students’ walls to remind them of something due in the upcoming weeks instead of posting on a homework hotline or having them write it down before leaving class, but that time is still not now. </p> I have had this conversation…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-16:649749:Comment:8759912012-09-16T03:20:30.359ZEdna Shaw-Williamsonhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/EdnaShawWilliamson
<p>I have had this conversation many, many times with colleagues. There are some that feel there is no problem at all with "friending" their students. As a high school teacher, I feel that there is a very fine line that could easily be crossed, mostly unintentionally, if you "friend" a student. My personal rule-of-thumb is that if a student "friends" me while they are in school, I always say no; but if they have graduated I may consider accepting the friend request. I created a separate…</p>
<p>I have had this conversation many, many times with colleagues. There are some that feel there is no problem at all with "friending" their students. As a high school teacher, I feel that there is a very fine line that could easily be crossed, mostly unintentionally, if you "friend" a student. My personal rule-of-thumb is that if a student "friends" me while they are in school, I always say no; but if they have graduated I may consider accepting the friend request. I created a separate list for colleagues/former students and what they are allowed to view on my profile is different than what my family and close friends are able to view.</p> I do not think that teachers…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-16:649749:Comment:8759032012-09-16T01:20:24.911ZGeina Rotihttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/GeinaRoti
<p>I do not think that teachers and students should be friends on any social websites. I think that as a teacher you need to be professional and know boundaries. Their are many ways that teachers can communicate with their students such as email and phone that would not involve any social networking.You do want to have students have access pictures and or personal information about yourself. Your administration would not think it was a good idea either. You do not want a friendship to ever get…</p>
<p>I do not think that teachers and students should be friends on any social websites. I think that as a teacher you need to be professional and know boundaries. Their are many ways that teachers can communicate with their students such as email and phone that would not involve any social networking.You do want to have students have access pictures and or personal information about yourself. Your administration would not think it was a good idea either. You do not want a friendship to ever get too friendly or to put yourself in a tight spot. Students may twist and turn different interactions you have with them on the site even if it is harmless. You are not doing your job by being a students friend, you are their to educate the student. You need to protect yourself as a professional and I believe the best way is to stay far away from any social interaction such as Facebook. </p> Because I work in a college s…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-14:649749:Comment:8754772012-09-14T18:08:04.969ZColeen Maldonadohttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/ColeenMaldonado
<p>Because I work in a college setting (adult students) its different but many of the issues raised are the same. Just like I wouldn't mix my social life with my professional, I agree that I shouldn't do that virtually either. Because just able every student I know if on Facebook I get asked to "friend" all the time. I mentioned it to a friend and she said she <strong>created a separate Facebook site for her professional network, colleagues and former students</strong>. All my comments are…</p>
<p>Because I work in a college setting (adult students) its different but many of the issues raised are the same. Just like I wouldn't mix my social life with my professional, I agree that I shouldn't do that virtually either. Because just able every student I know if on Facebook I get asked to "friend" all the time. I mentioned it to a friend and she said she <strong>created a separate Facebook site for her professional network, colleagues and former students</strong>. All my comments are either encouragement, showing an interest in their lives (what college are you at? How do you like it?) or I get asked for letters of recommendations, etc. My former students like knowing that I care and I like keeping an active professional "network" of colleagues.</p> It's an extremely dangerous t…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-14:649749:Comment:8752482012-09-14T15:08:41.109ZMichael Daltonhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/MichaelDalton
<p>It's an extremely dangerous thing to friend students. They have access to every post and picture you put up and every picture you get tagged in. If you have old friends who comment on one of your posts and their comments aren't appropriate, or perhaps reference something that happened in your past, it'll be all over the school in 30 seconds. The fact of the matter is, teachers can be mentors, role models and in a sense friends, but not in the online environment. There are plenty of ways…</p>
<p>It's an extremely dangerous thing to friend students. They have access to every post and picture you put up and every picture you get tagged in. If you have old friends who comment on one of your posts and their comments aren't appropriate, or perhaps reference something that happened in your past, it'll be all over the school in 30 seconds. The fact of the matter is, teachers can be mentors, role models and in a sense friends, but not in the online environment. There are plenty of ways to support the emotional needs of students without giving them access to every detail of your past. The bottom line is, despite technology, there is still such a thing as professionalism.</p> In my district, we are prohib…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-14:649749:Comment:8751372012-09-14T11:51:35.225ZErin Baileyhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/ErinBailey
<p>In my district, we are prohibited from interacting with students on social networks, students' personal emails, and telephone communication with the student. I teach fifth grade and most of my students complete their homework on their personal computers at their home. Not being able to email me is something that they have trouble grasping when their printer is not working or they need to contact me about questions outside of school. I do not respond to their emails and remind them in person…</p>
<p>In my district, we are prohibited from interacting with students on social networks, students' personal emails, and telephone communication with the student. I teach fifth grade and most of my students complete their homework on their personal computers at their home. Not being able to email me is something that they have trouble grasping when their printer is not working or they need to contact me about questions outside of school. I do not respond to their emails and remind them in person that they must contact me through their parents. I think that not being Facebook friends is necessary to keep a professional relationship. Many of the people in the article mention that they keep their Facebook PG and it is a great way to interact with their students, although I still feel there are other sites that would do this more appropriately. The students look at Facebook as a place to see their friends and a teacher should not be placed in that same category. I agree with Patrick, in this forum, who stated that you should compare Facebook to a social setting and you would not hang out with your students outside of school. I do however wish I was able to create a wiki or some kind of blog to communicate with my students outside of school. I would use this as a way to create discussions, answer questions about homework and projects, and give the students additional resources to work on at home. This would also be a great way to teach my students how to properly use the internet for educational purposes. Unfortunately, due to my district's policy that I mentioned earlier, this is not possible for me. I do have a classroom website, however I feel that my students do not get the same experience from it.</p> In my opinion, it is never a…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-14:649749:Comment:8748882012-09-14T02:38:36.866ZRobin McCarterhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/RobinBrennick
<p>In my opinion, it is never a good idea to "friend" a student on your personal social media pages. There are too many things that can go wrong and it's not worth jeopardizing your career, etc. That being said, there are numerous ways that students and teachers can professionally interact with each other without crossing personal boundaries. Facebook now has the option to add "Pages" which students can "like" in order to get updates, homework assignments, etc. There are also sites like Edmodo…</p>
<p>In my opinion, it is never a good idea to "friend" a student on your personal social media pages. There are too many things that can go wrong and it's not worth jeopardizing your career, etc. That being said, there are numerous ways that students and teachers can professionally interact with each other without crossing personal boundaries. Facebook now has the option to add "Pages" which students can "like" in order to get updates, homework assignments, etc. There are also sites like Edmodo (similar to Facebook) which are designed specifically for teachers and students. With as many professional social media applications as there are today, I think there are better options for teachers to stay connected with students than through personal web spaces.</p> Although the original post da…tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-13:649749:Comment:8746832012-09-13T22:29:26.822ZKurtis Stillhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/KurtisStill
<p>Although the original post date was several years ago, this will forever be a relevant topic. I read the article and found several of the points to be very valid. First, does accepting a student friend request (current student or former student), cross the line as a teacher. Second, what is the district's policy on "social" communications/interaction with students during your personal time? Does the district even have a policy? Finally, are you putting your own self at risk by…</p>
<p>Although the original post date was several years ago, this will forever be a relevant topic. I read the article and found several of the points to be very valid. First, does accepting a student friend request (current student or former student), cross the line as a teacher. Second, what is the district's policy on "social" communications/interaction with students during your personal time? Does the district even have a policy? Finally, are you putting your own self at risk by communicating with current and/or former students on a "social" network?</p>
<p>In my opinion, this whole subject is grey matter. Moreover, most areas surrounding technology and its governing policies appear to be uncharted waters. Simply put, we are "making up the rules as we go along". </p>
<p>In my personal and professional opinion "friending" a student just seems to leave the door open for potential issues. While several of the examples in the article appeared reasonable (KIPP to College page), there could still be potential problems.</p>
<p>I personally have been faced with the "friending" issue numerous times and while there are many good reasons to say "accept", I have not added any of my former students. My primary reason for not "friending" any former students boils down to not wanting to remotely jeopardize, career and or my family.</p>
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