Facebook Around the Globe

Map of Australia. Image from Greenwichmeantime

The world down under is in for a treat. An April 29 news article from ABC states New South Wales  has allowed teachers to access and use social media like facebook in school. This news left many teachers and school officials like New South Wales Secondary Principals Council president Christine Cawsey feeling happy. She said: 

Now they'll be able to access a clip that may be very useful... in the classroom to be able to show the students without having to feel that they're in breach of any social media policy.

Although Australia is going into new territory in terms of allowing staff to access facebook, they needn’t fear. There’s plenty of help and example all over the globe of issues and problems regarding facebook use to help ease the transition.  

Facebook in school lessons? Image from CBCnews

The first example lies in Canada. The April 13 Niagara Falls Review writes a growing number of teachers is using facebook as part of their lesson plans. This prompted Ontario’s college of Teachers to remind educators there are issues to deal with while using facebook as part of a lesson plan. The chief concern is teachers who blur the line of professional behavior.  Liz Papadopoulos, college chairwoman with the OCT said:

Our advice to teachers is to keep ethical standards – care, trust, respect and integrity – in line of sight.

Chart of European fb use. Image from Adhugger

Meanwhile, in Europe, educators are dealing with a different egg: underage facebook use. An article on Mobelia states that 43 percent of 9-12 year-olds have a facebook account. The news has mixed reactions from officials. In high school, officials view this as a problem in the education world because it means they need to come up with a policy that will allow staff to use facebook  lessons without harming the students and teachers. Elementary schools as shown in this cnn video have have figured out a way around this problem by using facebook to inform parents of their lesson plans.

Another issue with facebook our country keeps facing is cyberbullying. I might sound like a broken record, but this is still a growing problem and one that Australia will have to deal with on their own. Thankfully, there solutions to draw on for this problem like seminars for the public (ex: Salem, MA in 2010) that help educators and officials learn what they can do to help keep a school safe. There are also articles like this one from the April 18 Canton Rep in Ohio that can help the parent cope. 

One instruction manual coming up. Image from kiwicommons

Safe is something the New South Wales school district must keep in mind if this policy is going to work. Based on what is already out there, they should do fine. Kudos Australia and remember examples help when facing uncharted territory.