Schools need to focus on what happens at school and
leave what happens out of school to parents:
Just as parents are grappling with how to keep their kids safe on social
media, schools are increasingly confronting a controversial question:
Should they do more to monitor students' online interactions off-campus
to protect them from dangers such as bullying, drug use, violence and
suicide?
Focus on readin', writin', and 'rithmetic. When we've mastered those,
maybe then we can branch out and try to control our students' home lives.
When you use social media, you are giving up your right to privacy ... unless you make your page private. So, if you aren't clever enough to do that, whatever happens, happens. I can't imagine a school would invest the time to look up every student's account, so I would imagine that every case brought up is the result of someone who knows the person being concerned about their, or the poster's safety ... To me? That's an entirely appropriate response ... go to someone who might be able to help, without directly intervening. If the student's account is not private, it's fair game. If it is, you can at least call the student in to talk ...
ReplyDeleteWhat is disturbing is that social media is now part of our curriculum. As teachers we're encouraged to develop Twitter accounts to let students know what's going on-not to follow back of course-but to be followed for class information in lieu of paying attention in class. I'm of the opinion that there needs to be a true separation between professional and social lives. Our younger teachers don't seem to see that need and in the end we have serious problems with unprofessional behavior and interactions.
ReplyDelete