Ask most students if they are Facebook friends with their teachers and they will tell you, “it depends on the teacher.” That alone should tell us that a blanket policy prohibiting teachers from interacting on social networks with students is the functional equivalent of burying your head in the sand. As social networks become a normal means of connection, it’s time to step back and examine the underlying purposes that the social networking tools facilitate. Facebook currently has everyone’s attention but it’s not because the relationships on it are unique relative to other types of social media. It’s because it is so in-your-face. Facebook, much to Mark Zuckerberg’s delight I’m sure, has become synonymous with social media, like Kleenex is for tissues. In the past week alone, I’ve been asked if Facebook means we have to give up our privacy, be friends with people we don’t want to be friends with, and whether or not it’s okay to connect with … [Read more...]
