As teachers, we have the opportunity to transform our communities. An essential component of effective community organization is strong relationships. Often, people are motivated to action only by personal connection. As teachers, we are organizing our classroom communities. Students respond to us as people, not because they want to learn our content. Social networks offer an avenue for strengthened relationships and thus provide further access to course content. As much as some teachers might deny it, we are sales people. I sell math. Learning the material in a course is always optional. We must give students a reason to learn, and a strong personal relationship is often a compelling reason. Time is our most precious commodity. When we have 200 students, it's hard to make a personal connection by attending a performance or sporting event for each student. Social networking sites allow interactions on our own terms, on our own time. I can spend quality time with my family, and log into Facebook after my kid is asleep. In addition, social networking provides an excellent way to model positive online interactions and monitor student stress levels/concerns/joys. Social networks aren't going away, and our students aren't going to stop using them. Social networks are an opportunity to further expand our circle of influence.I think precautions are a necessary part of social networking with students. Setting strict privacy guidelines, adding students to a list that has specific settings, and monitoring content are important considerations when using social networks with students. “Helping educators to understand personal, professional, and societal responsibilities is an important professional development matter. It is incumbent upon those in the profession who are informed to share recent thinking about the conscientious use of technology, about the negative consequences of using technology, and about personal freedoms and choices. Such knowledgeable educators should also be responsible for sharing their wisdom about advancing technological tools, because it is through informed decision making, rather than prescribing what should and shouldn't be taking place, that innovative uses of technology will best be supported” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank 2008). Because teachers are public figures, it is fair to hold teachers to a different standard in public. The internet is part of public space in today's society, and our actions there should be governed by the same standards that influence our choices in any public place. In my experience, the more we model high standards for ourselves, the more students are willing to hold themselves to high standards or respond when we have high expectations for them. Natalie Munroe ignored her status as a public figure (Webley 2011). However, the consequence for her actions didn't need to be suspension from her job; the natural consequence of destroyed relationships with her students is a much more serious affect. She should have had to return to her classroom and repair the damage by showing up every day and using her actions and words to rebuild the trust she destroyed. The school missed a teachable moment; the school community could have practiced learning from a mistake, healing, and forgiveness. Instead, they opted to punish and move on. What does this response teach our students?
Cyber-bullying is a threat in any middle or high school, and we must monitor for it. The Hoffman piece (2010) details story after story of how cyber-bullying has impacted students and discusses a wide range of strategies employed by the adults involved. Issues of free speech conflict with concerns about student safety. This is another reason social networking with students is important; it gives us access to their online world and help us be more proactive when conflicts arise. Further, as Ramig (2009) explains, “it is difficult to have a conversation about Facebook or Twitter if you aren't using these tools yourself.” As we've talked about in our character class, schools, families, and communities must work in concert to promote moral behavior. It's not solely our responsibility to supervise students' online lives, but we are part of the team.
You state:
ReplyDelete"Students respond to us as people, not because they want to learn our content."
My question is:
What motivates the students to respond to us as people?
You argue that time is our most precious commodity, and that Social Networking allows us to attend to a personalized experience with our students on our own time. While I do not disagree with this statement, I also find that there is something impersonal about maintaining a relationship online with your students. Attending a music concert or seeing an athletic performance seems far more personal. I would try to take the time to attend to my students in this way, but I also know that not every student will get attention this way. Not all students perform in such a fashion.
Do you believe that connecting on line is of relatively equal value? How will you find the time to dedicate to all students equally? For example, if you spend some time seeing a handful of your students perform, should the other grip of students get more of your time on a Social Network?
I did not grow up in a world with facebook, etc. while I was in school, so I can only speculate. As a student, if I saw the teacher delivering more attention to another student online, I might take that as an attack on me and my relationship with the teacher. This sort of pain might cause me to have growing issues with the teacher. Do you have a means of balancing the attention you give students?
Regarding Natalie Munroe, I am pretty appalled by what she did, as it is important for us to hold ourselves to higher standards (as public figures). Do you think there is an appropriate avenue for venting frustrations? Venting is not necessarily a bad thing, and perhaps if Natalie was more selective about HOW she said things, she would not be under the spot-light so heavily. In a world where communication is becoming largely online, and a world where your only private time is at home on the computer after your kids have gone to sleep, shouldn't you be able to vent?
I love your insight into what would probably have been a better approach to handling Natalie. "However, the consequence for her actions didn't need to be suspension from her job; the natural consequence of destroyed relationships with her students is a much more serious affect. She should have had to return to her classroom and repair the damage by showing up every day and using her actions and words to rebuild the trust she destroyed."
My contention is that, as a middle school student, and even as a high school student, once I had made a decision to "hate" or "dismiss" a person, that was that. However illogical my decision would have been, there was virtually no way of swaying that. Forcing Natalie to go back and rebuild the relationship would have been best for her, but perhaps the worst thing to do for the students. Many would shut down and ignore her in class, students would lose out on an opportunity to learn, and Natalie would be unsuccessful in rebuilding what little possible connections may have existed.
The punishment still served as a learning opportunity, as Natalie has brought forth a whole new topic of conversation regarding education in the United States. Certainly either path (hire/suspension) has provided insight into the topic, but which direction is best for the student and which is best for Natalie... and which is best for the institution of education.
I know I asked a lot of questions, but that is the nature of dialogue. Feel free to focus in on any of them, because I think all of them are reasonable topics.