Facebook finally considers opening up to the under 13 crowd

If you know kids under 13 you might also know that many of them have Facebook accounts and for good reasons like connecting with family and friends, sharing pictures, playing games, and finding others with similar interests.  For innovative educators the under 13 rule has been frustrating as Facebook can be used powerfully in middle school where you may have some pre-teens.  


Well, now Facebook is developing technology that would allow pre teens to use the site under parental supervision and I'm hoping that this could eventually be extended to educators as well.  Facebook is looking into connecting children's accounts to their parents' and using controls that would allow parents to decide whom their kids can "friend" and what applications they can use. 


Check out this video from the Wall Street Journal to learn more.

With Facebook's move to allow preteens access, schools will need to consider how to best support educators that want to integrate this into meaningful learning opportunities for students.  

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Teachers Union Advice Protects Teachers Rather Than Prepares Students to Use Real World Tools

In a recent story on NPR, New Jersey teachers union spokesman Steve Wollmer became the latest to completely miss the point and give bonehead advice suggesting a variety of policies for teachers to follow when using social media.

His advice:

"Don't ever friend or follow your students on Facebook or Twitter, never post during work hours or use  work materials such as a school computer, and certainly never post anything about your job online, especially about students," Wollmer says. "I think that's where some of these teachers have found themselves in difficult situations."

Ignorant advice!!!
Someone needs to educate Wollmer and the teachers he is advising that social media doesn’t cause inappropriate behavior; it catches it.  

The story, Friendly Advice For Teachers: Beware Of Facebook features teachers who were caught being inappropriate. Is the teacher’s union head really suggesting that we don’t want to catch irresponsible educators? Is he suggesting teachers can’t be trusted to act appropriately so they should just stay away from using 21st century communication tools?  

Here is what the teachers were caught doing:

• Union, N.J., high school teacher Viki Knox posted comments on her Facebook page about a gay history exhibit at the school suggesting it should be removed; she then urged her friends to pray and eventually called homosexuality a perverted sin.
• In the Paterson, N.J., case, a judge ruled that teacher Jennifer O'Brien can be fired for calling her students future criminals on Facebook.

Do we really want these people teaching our children? Is the answer really telling teachers not to use social media or is it that teachers, who are intolerant and make disparaging comments about their students, should leave the profession

This is another case of a union trying to protect teachers that are not best for our children. Wollmer is suggesting educators do what will make his job easier rather than doing what is right for students who will need to know how to effectively use social media to succeed in the world.  After all, it’s social media that enabled our president to be elected into office and Egypt to have a revolution.  Social media is the top source for information and current events. It is also one of the most effective learning tools available to young people and teachers. Policymakers and educational leaders must stop keeping students prisoners of the past by disconnecting them from the tools that are a part of their everyday world.

Instead of Wollmer’s moronic advice, how about this advice from The Innovative Educator:

“Your students need you to connect to them in their worlds whether online or face to face.  Accept their friend requests.  Teach your students how to develop an appropriate digital footprint that will lead to their professional and social success.  Use social media during school hours with your students. Work with them to think critically about the message they are conveying online.  Help them use social media to develop their personal learning networks and connect with those who share their passions.  Remember that as a teacher it is your responsibility to serve as a guide and a mentor.  Model appropriate use and behavior online and in life.”

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Thinking Outside the Ban Keeps Students Safe Online

Our student's digital footprints usually begin before they ever even start school, but once they're there, it is the job of the 21st century school to ensure parents and their children are developing a positive digital footprint that will result in future success. This does not mean banning, blocking, or scaring children about the dangers of the internet. It does not mean keeping children anonymous online.  It means teachers modeling safe and responsible online behavior.  It means helping students think about what the internet is saying about them and those they know and care about. It means talking to them about how to harness the power of the internet. It means empowering them to create an online persona representative of how they want the world to view them.

The below presentation outlines why it is important to move from banning and blocking social media to empowering students to use this resource. It features real ways this is being done in elementary and secondary school. It also provides ideas for analyzing what the internet says about us and suggests some food for thought around how educators will incorporate social media into their work with their students. 

Facebook in Education on Prezi

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Advice for Choosing Pages, Groups or Profiles When Using Facebook for Education

Students have powered-down for school

I’m an advocate of using real world tools in school.  After all, if we’re not using tools of the world in our classrooms, then what world are we really preparing students for?  The one that is most convenient... or the one that is right for kids?  If you want to do what is most convenient, then you can work at a school where they ban, block, filter and restrict.  You know those schools.  Some kids heads are on their desks, others are facing forward listening (but are they really?), and others are engaged in the outdated skill of taking down the words their almighty teacher says or writes on the board. Paper, pencils, pens, outdated textbooks are plentiful.  In schools where we’re doing what is right for kids, you see engaged youth who use the filter between their ears to determine how to best access information. Students are empowered rather than restricted from using personally owned digital devices in school.  At these schools they understand that people, not tools, have behavior.  Fortunately, more and more often these schools that mirror the real world are starting to crop up in places like New Canaan High School in Connecticut and The School in Harlem, New York.  

When I speak about schools such as these, I often get a lot of questions like this one I received recently from a Twitter follower.

"Great ideas for Facebook, but would we be taking a social risk? Facebook is taboo for many admins and districts are frowning on FB because of the potential risk for unprofessional behavior bit.ly/gCEp2n ."

My reply to such inquiries is always the same.  Tools have no intent.  Facebook doesn’t cause a risk for unprofessional behavior, but it catches those who engage in such behaviors.  What we’re really saying when we block and ban is that we don’t want to bother dealing with issues such as those who have chosen to publicly engaged in unprofessional behavior.  It is much more convenient to turn heads the other way.  

After I’ve convinced educators that Facebook is a powerful tool in education because it’s one that our kids are already using and it is our professional duty to use and help keep kids safe in the environments of their worlds, I’m often asked this question.  

:Would you encourage using a Facebook page or profile to connect with students? Is there a difference?"

Students bring their own devices to New Caanan High School
and use an unfiltered internet

There is not a one-size-fits all answer.  It depends on your intent.  If you are like me or Principal Chris Lehmann you have one profile because it’s just another way to communicate and you’ll communicate with your students in any way they wish.  The idea of being two separate people may just be too hard to keep track of and you enjoy being a professional and social role model for students.  If you are like librarian Michelle Loots (Luhtala) you use a personal page to connect with friends and family, a professional profile for students and a page to keep students in the know about library activities.. If you are like first grade teacher Erin Schoening you create a page as a window into your classroom to connect students with parents.  If you are like Brooklyn Tech High School you use a page as a place to connect with present and past students and teachers.  You might be like Education Land, a group created to connect those who are interested in education.  

If you want to understand how you can maintain a professional presence on the site separate from your personal profile, here are some tips, directly from Facebook’s Safety for Educators page (note: You may also want to visit the "Teachers" page in the Facebook Safety Center.)  First they suggest that if you are a teacher and have a personal profile, you can consider creating a group or a Page specifically for interacting with students, parents, or colleagues. Create Friend Lists to control what parts of your profile students are able to access.  If you don’t get the difference between pages, and groups, and friend’s lists here is how it’s explained on Facebook’s Safety for Educators page.

Pages, Groups, and Friends Lists Overview

Pages
Pages are for broadcasting great information to people on Facebook. For example, you could create a Page called "Ms. Smith’s 9th Grade Science Class" where you post daily homework assignments. Anyone can become a fan of a Page on Facebook. People who choose to become a fan of a Page will see updates on their profile. To create a Page, click here. Pages are free, you can control them with your personal profile, and they keep your profile separate from your students.

Groups
Groups make it easy for members of a community to connect, share and even collaborate on a given topic or idea. For example, you could create a group called "American Literature 101 Discussions" where you and your students can contribute to group discussions. Or you could create a group for all of the educators in your your department to collaborate on lesson plans and share ideas. To create a group, click here.

Friend Lists
Friend Lists provide organized groupings of your friends on Facebook. For example, you can create a Friend List specifically for your students. Then you can control which parts of your profile are visible to this entire list. You can also filter your view of each list’s stream of activity separately on the home page, or send messages and invites to this group of people all at once. To learn more about creating and managing Friend Lists, click here.

Connecting with Other Facebook Using Educators
If you want to connect with other educators who are using Facebook for Learning, join the Facebook in Education page.  This page is a resource for teachers, professors, administrators, counselors and others who work in education. You can refer to this page for privacy tips to help you maintain both a personal and a professional presence on Facebook. You'll also find answers to common questions including how to report abuse to Facebook and the best way to use Facebook as a communication tool in your school. To become a fan of this page, click here and choose the "Become a Fan" option at the top of the page.


Read Librarian Michelle Luhtala's response to this blog post at Y U Need 2 "Friend" ur Students!

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10 Ways Facebook Strengthens the Student - Teacher Connection

In our data driven world of education today, we often forget that behind all that data real students whose hopes, dreams and desires are often left behind or unnoticed. Don’t be fooled by the data that points to success by numbers rather than faces.  When you scratch past the numbers, you’ll find many real kids who know these tests have been politicized and that what is most important is their connection with adults who care about them.  This was evident during my recent trip to Educon where I had the pleasure of attending a panel featuring students who shared the importance of, “teachers relating to them as people, not just students”  For them this helped develop a deep level of trust with their teachers who they knew really cared about them deeply and were looking out for their best interests.  


Some students told stories of running a marathon with their teachers, others shared how great it felt for them that their teacher who coached them in a sport or activity saw them shine in a particular area of their life.  The students also explained how the use of Facebook has help strengthen their connections with teachers and their principal.  They also shared, that, they don’t “expect” their teachers to be friends with them on Facebook, but appreciate it when they do.  Below are ways that they, their teachers, their principal and others have have found Facebook to be an effective tool in strengthening the educator / student bond.  

1. Reaching out to a student in need
   Students shared that sometimes it’s hard for them to approach a teacher or even really reach out for help face-to-face.  Sharing a disappointment on Facebook can be easier. Students shared how touched they were by encouraging words from a teacher either on their page, or as a face-to-face follow up.
2. Getting a peak into the lives of students
   Facebook provides a window into the worlds of students.  A look at a student’s Facebook page might explain a little something about how or why a student may have reacted to something on a particular day.  As one student said, “We are people, not just students. Facebook is a great reminder of that.”
3. The family connection
   Students at the Science Leadership Academy explained the great importance of their peers and staff as family.  Facebook is a terrific way to share and keep up with family.  They appreciate having that opportunity.  
4. Instant learning and homework support
   A student might notice a teacher online and use the pop up chat to ask if they mind giving advice about a topic they were studying. If their teachers (or principal) is available s/he can offer support. Luna, a student at SLA explained it this way, “We can still get teachers to help us while we’re at home doing our homework instead of having to wait until the next day. Teachers feel a lot more accessible and also approachable.”
5. Snow Day - Update!!!
   Not sure if school will be open or closed on a snow day?  Check it out on your teacher and/or Principal's page on Facebook.  You’ll find the answer and a whole lotta comments.
6. Facebook lets teachers create a no excuses environment
   This came directly from a student who shared that she liked that Facebook kept all students accountable.  When you’re friends with your teachers and students on Facebook, you generally best really be sick on a sick day, or you’ll be outed.  Furthermore, students like the idea that if you get stuck with school work you can always post it on your Facebook wall and tag some friends and teachers who will be able to chime in with advice.
7. Snow days and sick days don’t hold you back
   Just because students are home doesn’t mean they can’t participate.  During a recent snow event teachers and students connected on Facebook about assignments and assessments, barely missing a beat.  For a student who is sick, she can post that on Facebook, tag key people, and get filled in on what she missed in real time.  
8. Using facebook teaches you how to deal with the world and the way it works
   Students like the fact that adults are connecting with them using real-world tools that they’ll need to know how to use effectively to be successful.  At the writing of the article, Egypt’s Facebook revolt was taking place.  Kids are keenly aware of the power of social media and want to be empowered and trusted to operate in such environments.  They feel neither a school or government should ban them from using powerful tools to communicate and connect.  
9. Facebook as a Learning PortalMore and more students are using Facebook for learning and not just to talk to others about what they’re working on.  One Science Leadership Academy student shared that for physics a group of her peers created a Facebook page about motion.  They created it as a learning portal that contained, definitions, photos, videos, articles and discussions.  Not only was this a learning portal for these students, but it remains on Facebook as a learning tool for others studying the topic. 
   
   Librarian Michelle Luhtala helped break the ban on social media in her school. See what happens when students are given the trust and freedom to learn using Facebook.
   Facebook Group  as Collaborative Research Log from michelle luhtala on Vimeo.
   
10. Mobilize in an instantWhen Science Leadership Academy students found out that a snow day was declared on the first day of their Educon conference for educators, they jumped into action on Facebook where their principal shared a note as well as words of encouragement to all students. The principal shared this status up date at 10:45
    Chris Lehmann There's going to be a horde of kids at SLA tomorrow. This is EduCon, and this is *their* school, and a little snow isn't going to stop them.

Both his note and status updates were met with plenty of comments from spirited students and educators.  

There are more and more educators and students like those at the Science Leadership Academy who are harnessing the power of social media to connect more deeply with students.  Unfortunately for some it’s an uphill battle, but one they plan to fight none-the-less in today’s 21st century world, we know life doesn’t just happen face-2-face.   

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Share your thoughts:  Librarian Michele Luhtala is one such teacher who does a good job of capturing the sentiment of students where Facebook is blocked in her post 'Tud-ish but true.http://bit.ly/yfilter and teachers can visit http://tinyurl.com/yfilter .

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Kids and teachers are interacting. Everybody panic.

In Ben Grey’s latest blog post A Little Common Sense, he provides smart insights into the fear the media, politicians, administrators, et. al. are up in arms about when it comes to digital communications between teachers/students. Makes a great story for the media and politicians use this as a issue to pull on the heart / fear strings of voters who they lull into a false sense of caution-then security. “We will keep your kids safe by banning them from communicating with teachers outside of class!” Cheers from the crowd! But when you think about it, does this make any sense? Aren’t teachers the people who spend the whole day with our children? Aren't they the ones we've entrusted with their safety? Why are we freaking out about those very people being there for our children using the communication tools of the day? You know the answer...

Because it makes a good story for the press and it serves as a great political platform.

We can’t make school policy based on the outlier stories of teachers who've engaged in inappropriate conduct. Their conduct is inappropriate, NOT the platform.

As Ben Grey shares in his post, “Somehow, we’ve forgotten this is a cornerstone of being an educator. That a teacher’s role does not stop at the final bell. That a teacher is also a mentor, and sometimes that overflows into the hours beyond the given school day. And it’s been happening for decades.”

When questioned why he uses social media to communicate with students rather than an alternate platform, Principal Chris Lehmann says, “Because it’s there. I’ll communicate with any student by whatever means they reach out to me.” As Grey explains, “Somehow social media and electronic communications seem to suddenly change the landscape. Districts are scrambling to respond to what they fear is an inappropriate medium for teachers and students to use to interact.” But, Grey goes on to say,

“I’m not sure I get that.”

He says, “The logic cited behind banning such mediums is most often due to the danger and risk of inappropriate interactions between teachers and students. If that’s the case, then there’s a whole lot more banning that we need to do. Because what about the times when students stay after school to get help from a teacher? Or what about the times when students call a teacher’s classroom phone for help? Or what if a teacher tutors a student? Or what if a teacher bumps into a student at the local mall?”

Exactly! When, why, how did the very people we employ to teach our kids and reach our kids become people we fear are interacting with our kids? To some it may seem just another incident of scapegoating teachers and ultimately making BANdates that are not in the best interest of kids.

Grey suggests that we put policies in place that address the behavior rather than ban interaction. He suggests this because teachers and students need to interact. And most teachers and administrators have the common sense to know how to put healthy boundaries and guidelines on such interactions. Guidelines that don’t require the entire ceasing of interaction. Sounds like common sense to me.

To find out how A Little Common Sense can go a long way, visit his entire post here.

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A Parent's Guide to Facebook

Kudos to Anne Collier and Larry Magid Co-Directors, ConnectSafely.org for developing, "A Parent's Guide to Facebook." This is a great guide for innovative educators who are using (or considering using) Facebook to share with parents.

Clipped from: blog.schoollibraryjournal.com (share this clip)

What I love about this guide is that is doesn't talk the tired language scaring adults about their children being online, in fact it encourages them to help their children consider what they want their online identity to represent.

Here's an excerpt...

Digital footprints & good reputations

Type in someone’s name in a search engine and there is a chance you’ll find out something about that person. That, along with the comments, photos, or videos they or others may have posted about them on a social networking site, are part of their “digital footprint.” It’s the accumulation of what we've left on the Internet from our online activities, including text messages on mobile phones, emails, online chats and even Web surfing. Some people worry that any information posted about a young person online is bad, but positive posts can actually enhance teens’ reputations – as long as they don’t include information that is not safe to share, such as their home address. Web pages, blogs, photos or status updates about their accomplishments in school or sports, for example, could actually improve their image. And, if someone does post something negative about your teen which can’t be erased, it helps to have positive information out on the Net to counter-balance it.

Parents have often heard that posting personal information online is dangerous for children. But according to the Crimes Against Children Research Center, simply sharing personal information is not necessarily dangerous. Embarrassing or harassing others or talking about sex in many places online with people they don’t know are what’s risky. Be sure your children aren’t engaging in that kind of behavior. As for personal information, teens just shouldn’t post their address or phone number. General information such as what city they live in is fine.

Reputation Point:

There is nothing wrong with having a digital footprint – hundreds of millions of people do now – but parents want their children’s digital footprint to be a positive reflection on them. It’s vitally important to be aware that we’re leaving a trail of information and careful about what we say online. It’s also good to be aware of what others are saying about us. The key to having a positive reputation online is being a good digital citizen: behaving civilly and respectfully toward others online and sharing positive information about oneself in blogs, social networking sites and other social media.

You can check out the complete guide here.

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The Complete Guide to Facebook For Educators!

I recently found this post featuring one of my posts about Facebook by Jeffrey Thomas. He provides a comprehensive overview for educators interested in incorporating Facebook into teaching and learning. In his post, he provides a lot of information to help you make an informed decision on using Facebook as an educational tool.

Here is some of what you'll find in his post:

• 100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom
• 50 Useful Facebook Tips for Teachers
• 8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Schoening’s First Grade Class
• Using Facebook to Connect With Students & Parents
• Facebook Apps for eLearning
• Teacher’s Guide to Using Facebook (Read Fullscreen)
• Facebook Top 20 Learning Applications–Video
• The (Very) Unofficial Facebook Privacy ManualFacebook in Education
• Facebook in Education Diigo Group
• Drive Belonging and Engagement in the Classroom Using Facebook [PDF]
  

You can view the whole post here on the Tech the Plunge blog.

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The Innovative Educator tries to change the mind of an administrator who “thinks” he disagrees with my stance on friending students online

When George Swain read my Tweet, “Told the mayor on his Facebook page, he was inappropriate for judging teachers who friend students http://www.facebook.com/mikebloomberg, he replied with this:

georgeswain @InnovativeEdu Very interesting issue! I think I disagree with you. See my post to your blog. Thanks for getting me thinking this morning.

What I’m optimistic about is that George said, “I ‘think’ I disagree with you.” and he thanked me for getting him thinking. Clearly, George has an open mind, and I’m excited for the opportunity to potentially expand his thinking. From what I can gather in a quick peer into George’s life, he is a cool guy whose company I can easily see both me and my boyfriend enjoying. Me, because his bio defines him as an educator, he's also an administrator and he’s demonstrated that he is a thoughtful, inquisitive, and articulate one at that. My boyfriend because he would enjoy hanging with George because he’s an ultradistance cyclist and I’m sure they could both talk for hours about cycling.

On his blog, George quotes T.S. Eliot "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -- T.S. Eliot

I love that quote, and so, now, I’m hoping George and other innovative educators and administrators will go on a bit of a risk taking journey with me into the world of social media and education.

George responded to my post, Mayoral "BANdates" are not the answer for preparing 21st century students for success with the following comment:

I get your point about the mayor mouthing off about something he admits to knowing little about. In system with a rigid and steep hierarchy like the NYC public school system, this must just drive you crazy as an innovative and creative teacher. On a more basic level, though I am not convinced that friending kids on Facebook is a wise choice for teachers or other educators. I am an administrator at a small independent school that requires students to use laptops in grades 7-12 and embraces digital technologies enthusiastically. We encourage students and faculty to explore and use all types of social networking tools to expand their learning. Some platforms, on the other hand, like Facebook, are rife with problems specifically because they represent the un-mediated social world of adolescents. I get that great schools will be the ones that prepare kids to be responsible digital citizens, but friending kids in their little social world of Facebook crosses a line between teachers and students that is problematic

I am friends with past students on Facebook and communicate with adolescents and teachers through a range of social media platforms, but you've not convinced me that the benefits do not outweigh the dangers with this one. Am I missing something.

I am not worried in the least that the teachers in my school will make inappropriate overtures to their students. What does concern me, though, is what teachers will do when they come into contact with inappropriate, dangerous and perhaps illegal behaviors on-line. For example, if you see something about a party where parents will be away and alcohol may be served flash across your news feed, do you call the parents? The police? Look the other way? If there is a car accident on the way home from that party, do you feel responsible? If you've done nothing, I think you are responsible on a moral if not legal level. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but I think that when adults enter the social worlds of children they cross a line. Of course we are open to aspects of this world all the time through the general work with and care for our students. They come to us with problems and we observe their social dynamics in front of us every day. On a parallel level, I would not encourage teachers to engage in their students' social worlds through other media like telephones or simply hanging out with them at the mall on a Saturday night.

When teachers friend their students on Facebook, they enter a social world that they may very well not be able to navigate. By the way, I just asked my 14 year old daughter what she thought and she said, "teachers friending kids on Facebook, that's creepy." Maybe it's just her, but do you really want to be a part of what's going on with 12-18 year olds on Facebook? You may find that you have more work on your shoulders than you can handle.

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A thoughtful comment indeed. Rather than responding to George, directly on the post, I felt the conversation deserved it’s own blog post. Below is my response and attempt to push George’s thinking a little bit.

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@George Swain, I’d like to know what you perceive as the dangers for an educator open to connecting with students in whichever environment they exist...online or offline. As an educator I am a role model for responsible behavior in my online and offline worlds and think the existence of adults in all environments of students is a good thing. My role is the same online as it is off line. I don’t behave as a student / child just because I am in a certain environment. Whether I’m in a classroom, playground, park, or in an online environment, I’m there to help students learn and ensure they are safe.

You share that you are concerned about what teachers will do when they come into contact with inappropriate, dangerous and perhaps illegal behaviors on-line...the answer is simple. The same thing they’d do if they come into contact with this face-to-face. I would hope you aren’t suggesting educators turn their heads. Our kids need us looking at them, stepping in and guiding and protecting them. A close colleague and guidance counselor I know shares that Facebook has become an extremely crucial platform in her effort to keep students safe and happy.

As far as your question about what to do if you find out students are having a party when parents are away, again, the answer is simple. The same thing you do if you heard students discussing the same thing at school. To answer your question, should you feel responsible if someone gets hurt because you’ve done nothing with information you had and this could have been prevented if you had done something? Well, I certainly would feel responsible if I did nothing when I could have done something.

There are educators and leaders out there who acknowledge that it isn’t easy being involved in the lives of students online, but they also believe that they didn’t take this job because it was easy and if they can help their student...the whole student in his or her life...then although banning is the easy way out, it is not something they morally feel responsible doing. You can see what I mean by reading principal Chris Lehmann’s comment on this post http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2009/12/friending-students-on-facebook.html and principal Eric Shenninger’s post http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2010/05/banning-is-easy-way-out.html.

I’m surprised that you say you wouldn’t encourage teachers to engage in students’ worlds through media like telephones. If I have a student that wants to speak with me, I want to be there. As far as a teacher hanging out with students at a mall on a Saturday night...I’m just not seeing that. Connecting with students in online environments, doesn’t mean that we’re hanging out with them any more than we are on the playground, cafeteria, or classroom. We’re together in these spaces and our roles remain the same.

As far as your daughter’s response, I understand her reaction, because it’s something that so few adults do, but when we assume the same role online as we do in the real world, it is no longer creepy. I should mention, btw, that most educators I know don’t request friendships, but accept them from students who reach out. My boyfriend is friends with both of his children on Facebook and he has the same role there as he does in real life. Like a teacher, when parents are in online worlds, they are more connected and safety and responsibility are ensured. As an educator myself, when I have an opportunity to offer words of encouragement, advice, and celebration to students online or offline, they appreciate it and I engage the same way regardless of the environment. Being friends with students also enables me to easily tag them in a post or note about something I think they might find interesting...and we have an easy way we can all chat about it. In fact that was exactly what I did when one of my students and I were featured in the NY Times in a positive story about Facebook being a great medium for students to tell teachers how much they’ve meant to them.

Thank you for commenting and hopefully allowing me to push your thinking and solidify mine.

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So, George, I’m dying to know. How’d I do?

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Facebook Doesn’t Get Teachers Fired - Inappropriate Behavior Does

Today’s New York Post story, "Teachers fired for flirting on Facebook with Students” chronicles three educators who were fired for having inappropriate dealings with students on Facebook. The Post plays up the sensationalism of the story by making it seem, the tool is in part the culprit, further spreading the fear so many adults already have of the digital worlds in which their students thrive. While ,”They threw the Facebook at 'em!” makes for a nice headline, it was the teacher’s behavior, not the medium that is at fault.

According to the article, one of the teachers had been cut loose because of the social-networking scandal. The reality, is this is not a social networking scandal. It is an inappropriate conduct scandal, like all the others we’ve seen for years...pre-social networking. These teachers would be fired regardless of whether they were acting inappropriately online, on paper, through email or via face-to-face conduct. In fact, in most cases, these teachers also engaged in inappropriate activities off line as well.

The problem here is that the media is confusing the issue and policy makers and school administrators look like they’re doing a good thing when they take the easy way out enforcing bans and mandates in the name of child safety. The reality is that when we remove the ability of adults to exist in children’s worlds, we are doing just the opposite of keeping students safe. Enabling students to operate in online environments devoid of the watchful eye, guidance and advice of adult family members, teachers and mentors, is not in the best interests of children.

These teachers weren’t behaving inappropriately because of Facebook. There have always been inappropriately behaving adults. Facebook, in the case of these adults, didn’t cause their behavior, it just made it easier for them to get caught. The danger we run in to when we ban the tool rather than address the behavior is that without teaching students to appropriately harness the power of communication and technology tools available today, we aren’t preparing them for the world in which they live and not only survive, but also thrive.

We all know that the U.S. President wouldn’t be in office had he not had social media savvyness. Don’t we want our children to be educated in a way that would prepare them if they one day wanted to run for office, start a movement, change the world? You betcha! And, adults shouldn’t fool themselves that one must be of a certain age to harness the power of social media to make a difference. Kids around the globe are using social media to affect positive change today.

Fortunately, more and more adults see past the media hype and are not falling prey to the sensationalism. Instead they are harnessing the power of online media to connect and engage with students in important ways. In fact, I was recently mentioned in the New York Times after they came across a post I wrote about Friending Students on Facebook. In the piece they shared how Facebook enabled students and teachers to make meaningful connections with each other. Or, take for instance first grade teacher Erin Shoening who helps her elementary students harness the power of Facebook. You can see how she and a colleague do this in the below video.

The answer is not to follow in the footsteps of reactive states like Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Ohio who have ordered or urged teachers not to "friend" students on social-networking sites. While it may be an easier solution for schools, it is not what is best for our students. If we want to ensure students are empowered to successfully communicate, operate, and make a difference in the world, we need to stop trying as The Post suggests, “to find policies that address teacher-student communication on Facebook” and instead enforce policies that address appropriate and inappropriate behavior regardless of the medium. That doesn't mean removing adults from the online worlds of students. It means ensuring that adults and children interact in safe and appropriate ways regardless of the medium that empower them to be self-directed, globally-connected learners and leaders.

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