What I write in this post is not original; it is a reminder. Banning Facebook in school is not a solution to anything. If you think banning it will make it go away, you are mistaken. Students are using Facebook, blindly. They are building their online presence, now! Why are we not teaching them to be responsible digital citizens?
You are really finding your groove in the social media world. Your posts are provocative and great.
ReplyDeleteIngrid :)
Ingrid, Thank you for your kind words. Cheers to you.--Brian
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I teach fourth grade and some of my students already have cell/smartphones. I do a few activities throughout the year using wikis to teach them the concept of posting in a somewhat controlled environment. I'm trying to get them to think through what they are doing now can affect their future in important ways if they aren't thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteI realize I'm generalizing a little when I say this but I think the trouble starts with the fact that too many educators have not explored Facebook and other forms of social media/networking themselves. Because too many of us aren't fully comfortable with it, we choose to ban student access to these sites, in hopes that we will not have to deal with our discomfort. How does one become comfortable with the unknown? Expose yourself to it so it is no longer the unknown. Ultimately, I guess what I'm saying is it's not banning access to social networking sites that is truly the issue. Educators who are not familiarizing themselves with social networking is the bigger challenge.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of some comments Angela made on a post I did a few months ago. These are conversations that need to happen. I'm glad to see one being started here.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Banning is not the answer. Heck, as soon as something is banned it just makes people want to do it more and if they have to hide to do it, well, it could end up being done in an unsafe manner.
Here is the link to my response to Angela's comment (the link to her full comment is in the post):
http://leadingfromtheheart.org/?cat=5
HI Brian,
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right in raising this issue and all I can say is that there are still plenty of teachers who refuse to acknowledge that digital learning is here to stay. It is our responsibility as educators to teach students how to become responsible digital citizens while having fun and keeping safe. The future is happening now and educators need to tune in and keep up with today's students' realities.