challenges & implications
for education
challenges for educators:
Many educators who wish to use Internet tools such as social media networking sites and others for educational purposes face significant obstacles when trying to incorporate them into their curriculum. According to the article, Social Networking Goes to School, both Twitter and Facebook have been blocked by school networks. Although schools have great success with the creation of a Facebook page, the site is still inaccessible inside school walls. Teacher Shelley Terrell finds great advantages to using social networking sites but claims, “One thing I ran into a lot in the U.S. was filtering or blocking,” says Terrell. To use some social-networking sites or tools, “I had to get the technology director and let him know specifically what I was using it for, and it was a long process getting sites unblocked.” (Davis, 2010) School districts are also skeptical that social networking sites are actually used for educational purposes. Some say it encourages students to stray from their studies and deters from any type of learning whatsoever. Others maintain that any type of Internet use only opens the doors for more problems, specifically, cyber-bullying, which will be addressed in a later section. Some school districts have even gone to the extent of banning teachers from "friending" their students online. "Utah’s 68,300-student Granite school district barred teachers and students from “friending” each other on Facebook. And Louisiana state law requires all school districts to document every electronic interaction between teachers and students through a “non school-issued device, such as a cellphone or e-mail account.” (Davis, 2010) Montana Miller, a Facebook expert, believes that teachers are only putting themselves at risk if they are to participate in exchanges with students online. She claims, "“Facebook is too much of an intrusion into students’ personal and social lives for educators to be using it as an educational method,” she says. “I’m not against collaborative, online education with students, but I am against merging their personal home, private family world with something that is required for a class activity. Millions of things can go wrong.” (Davis, 2010) |
privacy issues for educators:
In 2011 CBS News reported a story about a 24-year old public high school English teacher in Georgia who posted pictures of herself drinking alcohol while on a European vacation over the summer. After a parent called and complained, Ashley Payne was confronted with two options: suspension or resignation. Ms. Payne chose to resign and is now fighting to get her job back. This is not the first time teachers' have been threatened due to concerns on their social networking pages. Link to CBS News story, "Did the Internet Kill Privacy?" Ms. Payne's story is one of many where teachers' privacy has been compromised and jobs have been threatened. Teachers Beware! The Dark Side of Social Networking by Harry Ess Belch details numerous accounts of such incidences:
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the ultimate challenge - cyber-bullying:
Many cases involving cyber-bulling have come to our attention in the past few years. An article titled, "Survey: Cyberbulling is Parents' #1 Fear" showcases the fact that "fifty percent of all students have either been victims of bullying/cyberbullying or were bullies themselves." (Sachs, 2010) It's no wonder parents are terrified that their child may fall prey to such viciousness online when you look at the case of Michael Brewer, 15, who was set on fire by his classmates, or Phoebe Prince, 16, who committed suicide after endless taunting. These incidences lead us to wonder whether or not technology has enabled children to become more meaner? Has technology only served as fuel to the flame of old-fashioned bullying? Dr. Sameer Hinduja, the co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center doesn't blame modern gadgetry for nastier behavior among children. "I don't think it's the technology that's making our children meaner, it's the cultural shifts in our society," Dr. Hinduja says. "We're more tolerant of verbal and physical violence. Being a jerk is more acceptable than in previous decades." (Sachs, 2010) Still, no one can dispute the fact that bullying has taken on an entirely new form with the advent of the Internet. Some school districts have taken it upon themselves to reach out to parents and educate them about the dangers of being online. The Dangers of Cyber-Bullying: Elementary School Holds Workshop to Educate Parents highlights the George R. Martin Elementary School as one who is taking steps "to mitigate youth's increasingly turbulent social environment." (Schmidt, 2010) Stephanie Fanning, an ambassador for the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center created a presentation for parents and staff members to help them manage bullying in schools. Other efforts such as a Massachusetts law requiring all schools to revise and update their bullying policies has shows that there is a huge concern regarding the safety of children online and at schools. Sometimes children who would not normally bully others in a face-to-face setting are choosing to become cyber-bullies. |
statistics:
Incidences of bullying reported:
• Between 2001 and 2007 reports of bullying have increased and in 2009 one-in-five high school students report they were bullied on school property in the past year. • Approximately 8 percent of high school students admit to having bullied others, and about 6.5 percent of high schoolers say they are both bullies and victims of bullying. • The risk of cyberbullying has increased along with the growth of technology in the lives of adolescents. Cyberbullying ranges from repeatedly making fun of another person through email or text messaging to posting something online about them that they don’t like. Of these, adolescents are most commonly cyberbullied via text message. • In 2010, 1-in-5 adolescents said they had been cyberbullied at some point in their lives, and about the same number admit to having been a cyberbully. • One-in-10 adolescents say they had been both a cyberbully and a victim. — Source: Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services bullying websites:
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