About a month ago I was at a school event and a local school board member talked about how they had completely blocked MySpace and other social networking sites. I asked why? Their stance was mostly based upon lack of knowledge (doesn't that sound better than ignorance). My first response was something like this:
In a simplistic view, your students are your customers (as well as their parents). Your job is to educate them. So you're telling me that there is a place where all your customers go, hang out, communicate and interact with each other and you don't want to be a part of that. In fact you want to ban it and discourage it. What does that say about you and your commitment to your customers (students)?
I told them I would be more than happy to speak with the school board or any other local officials to educate them on the world of social media and social networks. You would think they'd want to know. Alas nothing has come out of it yet.
Visitor Comments
In general cases, I wouldn't allow myspace to be used. Not because its a social network, but because the one time they would get the opportunity to use it is during class.
However, maybe schools give time for students to use computers other than during class.
Keep us updated, I'm really interested in technology in schools.
Posted by: Judson | October 8, 2006 1:20 PM
Like anything else, if used correctly, myspace has the potential to be a great learning tool (even inside the classroom). The interest is already there; students love it. So use it as a jump-off point for other discussions about how the www works and html language and rss feeds and, most importantly, the dangers of using all of these tools incorrectly. These are things that children NEED to know and things that, often times, their parents are not equipped to teach them.
Posted by: Christi | October 8, 2006 8:09 PM
I think that when schools ban things like myspace and facebook from campus that they are ignoring a trend that will come back and bite them in the rear. I can understand people not wanting the kids to be using it during class time, but that can be spread to all things distracting not just social networking sites. If teachers just pay attention and keep their students focused then everything will be okay. The people at these schools NEED to be educated about this stuff or they will be sorry fast, if they get involved they can be on top of things that are happening or things that become negative. If they aren'y involved at all how will they even know what is really happening?
Posted by: Michelle | October 9, 2006 1:50 PM
Myspace and Facebook should be banned from being used at school. Kids are not educated on how to use these sites properly. You have to walk on egg shells these days when it involves kids. Schools are just covering all their bases because potentially if something happened to someone's child and the parent found out that it was because of MySpace or Facebook the school would have to deal with a law suit.
I think if used properly these sites are somewhat a great resource but kids in middle and even high school do not use them in the right way.
There was a case in Alabama just a few weeks ago; a group of kids created a group that was deemed racist. The town wanted the high school to do something about it but the school did not have to because Facebook was banned from being used at school. This is one reason why schools should ban these sites.
Posted by: Rachel M | October 9, 2006 3:14 PM
That’s right! Teaching is in fact a contract between the teacher and the pupils and parents as well. Communication should be the main ingredient in this business.
Posted by: Flowers UK | October 11, 2006 10:27 AM
In the 1920s booze was banned. It was called, "Prohibition." Speakeasies flourished. Deaths mounted from wood alcohol poisoning. in the early 1930s, lesson learned, this law was repealed.
I thought we learned our lesson 75 years ago.
--Jack Payne
www.sixhrs.com
Posted by: Jack Payne | July 20, 2007 11:50 PM