Social Networking-Susan and Loraine

SOCIAL NETWORKING IN SCHOOLS

Moral Spaces in MySpace:

Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives about

Ethical Issues in Social Networking

Summary: Every day technology is advancing and schools are now having to reevaluate how they are going to deal with all the advancements. This article talks about how social networking can effect students and teachers in their careers. It also talks about the boundaries and where to draw the line. 

• Teachers and social networking:
• This article gives many examples how teachers have lost their jobs due to personal post they have made on popular social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. It asks the questions, 
• Do teachers have the right to free expression online even if they oppose the values of the institution?
• Do teachers have a duty to uphold the values of the educational institution in their personal online activity?
• Students and social networking:
• The article also discusses the topic of teaching our students how their personal posts can effect their future. 
• They asked their students to look beyond the present when posting and to remember the effects it could have on their future.
• Example of effects of social networking in schools:
• "Hoover, a high school art teacher in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District, was fired when nude photographs were discovered on her MySpace profile and on the photo-sharing Web site Flickr (May, 2006). Hoover was fired for conduct unbecoming a teacher, although the photographs displayed could be interpreted as artistic and professional. Hoover agreed to a cash settlement from the school district and now uses her MySpace profile to promote teachers’free speech rights (Hoover, 2008). The Hoover case has attracted national media attention, but it is not an isolated incident. Other teachers have also been disciplined for their off-duty conduct, and some claim that such discipline is unconstitutional (Fulmer, 2002). Clearly the concern, debate, and vulnerability for educators who use social networking sites suggest a proactive strategy to minimize risks."
• My Thoughts (Susan Widener)
•  We as education majors have a lot of technology issues that are not only new to us, but new to the schools as well. Schools are having to reevaluate their guidelines in order to keep up with all the advancements in technology and social networking is one. I feel that teachers should have the right to be able to have the freedom of connecting to their friends and families through social networking, however; I do feel their needs to be guidelines set in place to protect their career. I feel one of the guidelines should be is to not interact with their students on their personal social networking sites. 
• I also feel that students need to be educated on the long term effects of social networking. Jobs in all fields are looking up potential applicants on Facebook and My Space and checking the character of the person before even meeting them. This changes the whole outlook on the saying "a good first impression". This no longer means just by the appearance of yourself, but the appearance of your social networking profile as well.
• Journal of Research on Technology in Education 3
• Copyright © 2009, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 541.302.3777 (Int’l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved.