Saturday, July 3, 2010

Blogs, Social Networking, and Schools




As far as I know, there are no restrictions on blogs or social networking sites on our university network. I'm not sure what filters are in place at our K-8 school, but as a parent and as a teacher, I should find out this information.

I'm of two minds on this issue when it comes to elementary and secondary education: On one hand, of course a blog can be useful for a type of class project, with specific instructions and clearly-stated educational objectives. (E.g., this blog!) On the other hand, I'm not sure if access to social networking sites has any usefulness for students in an educational setting. I'm sure we're all too familiar with stories of students who are surfing Facebook instead of taking notes or doing class work.

I suppose it comes down to the teacher monitoring behavior and activity -- regarding internet use, behavior, classroom management, etc. No matter what the issue, we need to be good and responsible teachers.

No comments:

Post a Comment