Should We or Shouldn't We: Teachers and Students Friends on Facebook
Connective Wednesday, March 25th, 2009A critical topic schools need to discuss is the notion of teachers and students friending on Facebook.
However, the time is not right for scare tactics. It isn’t right to attack social networking. It isn’t right to blame technology. The time is right to have an honest discussion about what is important for all stakeholders and provide the right alternatives, if needed, so that we don’t lose the power and potential of participatory media and social/learning networks.
Should Teachers Accept Friend Requests From Students
To answer this, we need to understand what Facebook is for many students. I won’t pretend to know the answer to that question as students are the ones that really need to assist us with that understanding. However, for the sake of this blog article, I’ll give it a shot.
It seems that for many young adults it is a virtual hangout. And, if that is true, should we ask ourselves whether or not we would hangout with students in the physical places they “hangout”?
What about legitimate uses for Facebook between teachers and students such as communicating, sharing, and community-building? Without a doubt, Facebook offers this possibility with relative ease for many students. However, are there other means of making this happen via networking tools such as Nings?
We also have to consider the legal ramifications and responsibilities teachers have in reporting issues they may encounter when visiting a student’s Facebook page: abuse, drugs and alcohol use, and harassment. By no means am I saying that all young adults fill their pages with content falling into these categories, I would say that it is likely teachers will run across photos of questionable content at some point.
Should Teachers Request Friendship From Students
We must think about the pressure this could potentially place upon students especially if they don’t want to accept the friendship. Should students have to determine whether or not to accept the request? Should students have to wonder what will happen if they don’t? Should students have to ponder the level of access teachers will then have to their profiles?
What to Do
I’ve heard of a few schools moving to policies that forbid teachers from engaging with students on social networking sites and even IMing. I struggle with this but will say that any district moving towards such a policy should include all stakeholders in the discussion.
For me, I think it is about education, discussion, and proactive measures. In other words, let’s educate our teachers about Facebook using students to assist and even lead our growth and understanding. Let’s be sure to work with our younger teachers especially those recent graduates that have spent their young adult years in college on Facebook with a digital footprint that may outline their mistakes of youth.
Let’s have discussions about approaches that allow us to leverage the power of participatory media and social/learning networks within a framework that is best for all parties. Let’s have discussions that remove fear and promote understanding.
I also think we need to take proactive measures by working with all stakeholders on what we value and who we are as a community. What tools can we provide students and teachers to create powerful learning networks? How are schools moving towards multi-dimensional learning spaces that create environments that render Facebook redundant to class goals?
Overall, the worse thing we can do is destroy means of growing stronger as a community because we are in a reactive state due to our failure to engage in the topic. How will you, as a leader in your organization, begin to have this conversation remembering that this is not about banning, policy-making, or scaring?
Now is not the time for schools to be ostriches. It is time for schools to be professional communities working together for the common good.
[Tags] facebook, socialnetworking, schoolpolicy [/Tags]
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Short URL: http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/?p=764
Great post and a conversation that needs to occur. I think there are many benefits to online learning and social interaction. I agree, maybe a Ning is a much tighter and private space for these learnings to be modeled and learned. I think that there would be a lot of professors that would be very appreciative if the students came into their classes with strong digital safety education and experience in these settings.
That said, I tweet and I don’t mind if my students read along…I keep it clean and try to respect those boundaries we need to have.
Here’s a post that also covers this topic pretty well. Thanks Ryan for asking the questions!
I find that the best way to reach the students with whom I work closely is through facebook. Leaving a message in the evening guarantees they get it before school the next day. Facebook is also a great way for students who have graduated to keep in touch. Occasionally, they need a boost or want an opinion on college courses and are comfortable using this venue to communicate with me. It’s nice to know that students from three or four years ago still want to keep in touch and let me know how they are doing.
I do not request friendship with students and also keep the number who can contact me to a minimum.
I replied to this post in my own blog about two months ago: http://jorgie-learning.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-if.html But wanted to make a comment here. The argument, and concern I have is if we abandon these spaces to the kids and basically let them have their “hangout” we are then throwing them to the sharks. If we as adults are fearful of being to available to students or to out there, then the only adults in that environment are the dangerous ones, or the ones who are willing to snub their noses at convention, if instead we as adults and educators firmly stake our claim in that world, and then model good behavior by good clean appropriate conduct we are doing not just students, but the whole online environment a huge favor.
IMHO it is vital though that we set explicit (in the being clear sense not the other sense) guidelines with students for example:
I will add you as a friend if you request, I don’t request students as friends.
Whatever we are comfortable with is what we should set up ahead of time. Also, involve the powers that be. Explain to administrators why and what you are doing. No principal wants to find out after there is an accusation of misconduct that you are online friends with a student.
I also wonder what Edna Mode means when she states I keep the number to a minimum? If we selectively choose which students we accept as friends we run the risk of alienating some students and giving the impression that we favor some. For instance, if a teacher only accepted young men, it might give the impression of impropriety.
Hi Jorgie:
Thanks for the comment.
Here are some thoughts that are running through my mind when reading your comment:
1. Don’t we let kids have their hangouts now in the physical? I never went to my students’ hangouts and there were invites. For me, the reasons why I didn’t are obvious. I see Facebook as their hangout and don’t want to invade their space even with an invite. I am on Facebook but not for merging my virtual hangout with their virtual hangout.
2. The logic of adults being fearful of being available to their students doesn’t resonate with me. I don’t think choosing not to connect with students on Facebook is a fear of being available. I think for some, there are better options.
3. If we stake claim in that world, I personally believe students will find somewhere else to go.
4. I agree with you that guidelines are huge and that broader discussion is need.
5. I couldn’t agree more about being selective. This simply creates more problems.
Finally, I read your other post and think you may be painting with too broad of a stroke yourself. I don’t think asking these questions is a sign of being a technophobe. I think it is a sign of being a responsible adult and a thoughtful person that takes the time to see both sides and asks many questions.
If connecting that post to mine, I’ll say why Facebook. If your goal is to help students understand social networking, I think you may just be cutting the students short. They understand it and could teach us a few things (maybe an argument for Facebook connections). However, I think it can be done in a variety of social networks.
I also think we do our profession a disservice by not educating the adults. Your focus is on students. Great! But, how about the teachers? How about the young teacher with four years of a digital footprint from college?
As I stated when I began my post, this isn’t about attacking social networking, creating fear, or blaming technology. This is about putting asking some hard questions and including a wide range of stakeholder in the discussion.
@Michael
Thanks for the comment. Interesting ideas in there especially Twitter. Is it different than Facebook or should the same conversation apply?
I leaned towards Facebook simply because of the % of students on there and the increasing number of adults.
Thanks for making me think beyond just Facebook and into a broader conversation.
This is a tough conversation with no clear answer for me right now.
@Edna
I agree that it is a good way to connect with graduates and while some might want to discuss that as well, I’m of the mindset that “friending” at that point is fine.
As for now, I don’t know. I understand it is easy to communicate with them because they are on Facebook. However, I think there are other ways to do just that without having wide-open access in Facebook. Again, I’m still pondering my full position BUT I think the rationale that is easy to connect with students is a faulty argument if that is all we can come up with as to why we friend students on Facebook.