Social Networking and Cyber-bullying
Rebecca Shook
In the article, Have you Googled Your Teacher Lately? Teachers’ Use of Social Networking Sites, social networking sites are defined as “interactive websites designed to build online communities for individuals who have something in common- an interest in a hobby- a topic or an organization- and a simple desire to communicate across physical boundaries with other interested people” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank). Networking sites are being used more and more by teachers in schools as a means to communicate with their students by allowing discussions to take place inside and outside of the classroom. While these sites offer teachers advantages by increasing the amount of interaction and communication between themselves and students, enhancing instruction, and allowing quieter students to become more vocal, it also presents issues for teachers. More and more, teachers are getting in trouble for having inappropriate photos or references on their personal sites and because they are allowing students to see these photos or references, they are getting in trouble for it. “Venting about personal frustrations at work has also caused problems” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank). High school English teacher Natalie Munroe got suspended from her job because she vented about her frustrations with students in a personal blog that was viewed by a student or parent. Carter, Foulger and Ewbank write, “As communities have viewed what they consider to be inappropriate information on an increasing number of teachers’ social network spaces, judgments have been made, and a range of consequences have been experienced” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank). Although social networking sites allow teachers a better understanding of their students, it is important for teachers to take care in how they present themselves on these sites because there are a lot of ways for things to get misinterpreted or seen as unprofessional which in turn could ruin a teachers’ career.
“Our society has always been interested in the actions of teachers beyond the classroom walls” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank). Teachers are held to very high standards in respect to behaviors inside and outside of the school environment. I think that professionals as a whole should be held to these high standards, but that it is especially important for teachers because teachers help mold the minds of the future and need to practice what they preach. Teachers should be responsible with how they portray themselves and take precautions when using social networking sites. Making special pages to use at school that still let the students get a feel for their teacher, while keeping the personal life of the teacher private is a good way to get the best out of social networking sites. Once a person starts their journey into becoming a teacher it would be wise to erase anything from their personal sites that could be misinterpreted or misunderstood or set their account to private to keep students from seeing it. As long as teachers are responsible and aware of the issues that may arise from incorporating social networking sites into their classrooms, I think that both students and teachers a like can come away with positive experiences.
A really big issue that can also play a role in the use of social networking sites in the classroom is cyber-bullying. In the article, Online Bullies Pull Schools into the Frey, Hoffman defines cyber-bullying as, “willfull and repeated harm inflicted through phones and computers” (2010, p. 1). If not monitored closely, social networking sites used in the classroom can turn from an innocent conversation about personal hygiene in a health class to devastating vote for the smelliest kid in class. Teachers must take special care when running these sites to teach students digital responsibility and cyber-etiquette. It is a teacher’s responsibility to make sure that the environment in which their students are learning in is safe for everyone. If there is a possibility of a discussion on the classroom site escalating into bullying, it is the teacher’s job to stop it before it has a chance to progress. I definitely believe that teachers and schools in general should help monitor and punish students who are bullying their peers regardless of if it is in a physical way, a verbal way or over the internet.
I fully agree that teachers should be held to a higher standard because they are models for their students. One question I have though, in relation to Natalie Munroe, is whether our rights as citizens should be suspended because of our profession. Must we sacrifice our basic rights to free speech (outside of classrooms or class settings - including fb groups for a class) in order to maintain a professional appearance?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that we would necessarily have to sacrifice all that much of ourselves in this regard. We need to be aware of the public nature of the internet as we know it and we also should be showing and teaching kids of this importance of staying guarded in what we allow ourselves to share online. Mrs. Munroe was not privy to the accessibility of her blog and learned the hard way. We can learn from her example and also use it to reference the potential dangers for all who use the medium. ie: our students and ourselves.
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