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Teachers Told Not to “Friend” Students

Huh.

Earlier this week, Lee County school officials issued a list of guidelines to teachers suggesting they don’t correspond with students through sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. The guidelines for the 2010-2011 academic year also warned teachers to be careful when using communication to prevent legal or workplace issues that could surface.

“It is inappropriate for employees to communicate, regardless of the reason, with current students enrolled in the district on any public social networking website,” the guidelines said. “This includes becoming ‘friends’ or allowing students access to personal web pages for communication reasons.”

This is the first school district in the state of Florida, possibly even the country, to issue teacher-protocol guidelines for social media.

On the one hand, it’s a good idea for teachers and students to maintain a professional relationship with clear boundaries.  Social networking breaks down those boundaries.  On the other hand, Facebook and the like might just be the best communication tool for some kids.

Thoughts?

Posted by Owen at 1214 hrs
Culture + Technology

1. IIRC, Elmbrook (Brookfield) schools have the same policy.

   I agree with it.  A lot of the ‘net is not controlled as well as is email or (egads) typed correspondence.

   Faculty should not be “friends.”  They have different social status.

   Posted by dad29 on August 20, 2010 at 1529 hrs
   
   
   

2. It’s the content not the medium, so basically, this is stupid.
   The same rules of conduct should apply regardless of whether it’s Facebook or running into a student at the bowling alley.

   Posted by Charlie Hillman on August 20, 2010 at 1743 hrs
   
   
   

3. Yes, it’s content.  But running into a student in a public place—with people around—is a lot different than over a laptop with no one else nearby.

   Posted by dad29 on August 20, 2010 at 1959 hrs
   
   
   

4. It has more to do with the stuff that teachers put on their facebook pages that what the kids do.  I once saw a middle school teacher’s pics from a bachelorette party that included doing thing to an anatomically correct male doll.  She thought she had her privacy settings set right.

   I do think that friending on facebook crosses the line of professional conduct.  If the kid has facebook, they have email.  You also can use the message system.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2010 at 2001 hrs
   
   
   

5. This is the first school district in the state of Florida, possibly even the country, to issue teacher-protocol guidelines for social media

   Florida has 67 school districts (districts are county-wide).  There are almost 15,000 districts in the US.  I suppose they could have checked all 67 in Florida (or just taken the word of the school), but I like how they say “possibly even the country”.  Lazy journalism, for sure.  Either check all 15,000 districts, or leave out the drama.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2010 at 2100 hrs
   
   
   

6. I think you are missing the point, Notnamed. And I suspect one call to the DPI in Florida could answer the question of how many districts in the state have the policy.

   I agree with Dad29

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2010 at 2108 hrs
   
   
   

7. And I suspect one call to the DPI in Florida could answer the question of how many districts in the state have the policy.

   Whatever, the point I was making is that one district in Florida adopted the policy (out of a small number of 67),and the article enthuses that it may “possibly” be the first district in the nation to adopt this policy.  Owen posts on this topic, and the first commenter cites another district that already has it.

   I would be surprised to hear if WI DPI monitors or inventories every policy adopted by local school boards, other than those that they mandate a district to have.  Their site is pretty data intensive, when you have time, go over there and prove me wrong.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2010 at 2119 hrs
   
   
   

8. I scrolled through the comments at the article, and commenters from Utah, Nebraska, Illinois, Maryland, Lousiana, Alaska and a whole bunch of unknown locations mentioned their school districts having similar policies.

   They don’t call it the Lame Stream Media for nothing.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2010 at 2141 hrs
   
   
   

9. Facebook and Myspace would be kind of creepy, but Twitter or text could be a good way of assignment reminders and such.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 20, 2010 at 2233 hrs
   
   
   

10. Don’t “friend” them.  Just hand them condoms and explain how the little blue pills work.

    Posted by James Wigderson on August 21, 2010 at 0137 hrs
    
    
    

11. Don’t “friend” them.  Just hand them condoms and explain how the little blue pills work.

    Posted by James Wigderson on August 21, 2010 at 0138 hrs
    
    
    

12. Review this slide deck and you’ll understand why social networking sites in general don’t work that same way as real life, offline social networks and why the policy has merit, per Rick’s comment.

    http://www.slideshare.net/padday/the-real-life-social-network-v2

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 21, 2010 at 1059 hrs
    
    
    

13. Having a personal FB account and “friending” students isn’t a good idea, but FB allows you to set up another page for your organization, like “Mrs. Peterson’s 4th Grade Class.” That would be completely appropriate IMO, especially if parents of the students are “fans” of the page as well.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 21, 2010 at 1116 hrs
    
    
    

14. In addition to teachers, former Vice-Presidential nominees should maintain a low profile on social networks as well…

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 21, 2010 at 1439 hrs
    
    
    

15. Primary and secondary education should emulate what higher education is doing: Providing their own e-learning environments for student and teacher interactions.  These environments need not be strictly course-based. They can also become institution-wide places for broader interactions as well as e-portfolios for students to selectively share their academic achievements to parents and others outside the institution.

    Posted by scott on August 21, 2010 at 1614 hrs
    
    
    

16. Sure, Scott.

    Just as soon as primary and secondary students are all above the age of 18.

    Here in the world with ONE moon, eight other planets, and ONE sun, we’ll let kids grow up as kids.

    Posted by dad29 on August 21, 2010 at 1644 hrs
    
    
    

17. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.  Maybe you’re not quite understanding what I’m saying?

    Posted by scott on August 21, 2010 at 1704 hrs
    
    
    

18. I miss the good old days of meeting my teachers at bars.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 21, 2010 at 1904 hrs
    
    
    

19. Primary and secondary education should emulate what higher education is doing: Providing their own e-learning environments for student and teacher interactions.  These environments need not be strictly course-based. They can also become institution-wide places for broader interactions as well as e-portfolios for students to selectively share their academic achievements to parents and others outside the institution.

    I can agree with this.  I would hope most parents want more for their children than becoming “folksy” people with “goals” of manual labor jobs and living in West Bend the rest of their lives.  Let’s provide them with the best educational experiences we can.  Parents can do the parenting.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 21, 2010 at 2111 hrs
    
    
    

20. Let’s provide them with the best educational experiences we can.

    That will be tough in the more progressive higher per pupil cost urban areas…. many of the kids there can’t even read near grade level. Scott’s blackboard induced communal educational experience only works if the kiddies can actually read what it says on the computer.

    You don’t learn basics by playing Farmville with your teacher on facebook. You won’t find basic arithmetic in an e-portfolio. Until we have some real control and accountability of those urban school districts like Milwaukee, dreaming about web based learning experiences is just more of the same nonsense that got us into the current mess we are in.

    Teach them to read a book. Teach them to add and subtract. Put some basic discipline and polite behavior back into the schools. When you’ve reached the point where 8th graders know what they should know, then you can add non course based e-goof off items to the salad bar.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 22, 2010 at 2113 hrs
    
    
    

21. You won’t find basic arithmetic in an e-portfolio.

    Actually, yes.  Yes you could. 

    I think you’re making a false choice, here.  There’s not a choice between e-learning and basic education.

    Posted by scott on August 22, 2010 at 2117 hrs
    
    
    

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