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.

Online Classes for High School Students

Online class are in. Image from NY Times

On March 11, I went into a rant about what Tom Luna was trying to do to the education system in Idaho. One of my readers asked about information regarding online classes in high school.  So I thought I would take this column to explain that situation.

Online classes are quickly becoming a new trend in the education world. Some schools are using them to offer classes that would normally never make it into the curriculum. According to NY Times columnist Trip Gabriel on April 5, Superintendent Reze Namin used online classes to teach Chinese to the 10 students who were interested in taking it- which was a cost he would normally not be able to justify when his school is on a budget crunch. 

Online courses benefit students. Image from well trained writer

These schools also allow students to take classes at their own pace. It can also be a Godsend for students who struggle in traditional schools. In Arizona, 13 year old Connor Valesco was the target of bullies in regular school, and as a gifted student found his niche with online classes. The Arizona Daily Sun wrote on April 13:

Without the distractions of a traditional classroom and with the ability to set his own pace, Connor has been able to focus enough to tear through the subjects he's good at and take time on the subjects that don't come as naturally. With writing, for example, he dictates his papers into a voice recorder, and then plays it back as he types.

Florida student learns off computer.

Image from NY Times

Some tech savvy schools are beginning to take advantage of online courses. According to Gabriel, in Memphis students need at least one online course to graduate. Proponents of this system say students should have an online course to compensate for its increasing presence in the college setting as well as the work place. In Arizona  and Florida, schools themselves are becoming online classrooms where computers have now replaced teachers and students are asked to learn on their own.

Right now, there is a huge debate over whether schools should pursue online classes. Proponents for online classes say it offers schools a cheap alternative to regular classes, allows students to make up work, and can offer AP courses to students wanting to take them. Opponents say online classes trade a teacher for technology, can offer remedial course work to students, and make plagiarism easy to pull off. Both the Huffington Post and The New York Times (see first link) wrote articles outlining these pros and cons in depth as well as other arguments.

Should we learn through computers? Image from slapstick analysis

With the online world quickly invading the educational world, many schools are finding themselves staring down the barrel of change. As with the case in Idaho, experts have weighed in and put their opinions out on whether schools should embrace this type of learning and whether it is right for students. The only thing that is left to ponder is whether this type of education is right for the student or if it should be left outside the realm of education.

Rules to Know for Online Posting

Image from: mrspal blog

The name calling game has stepped up to the next level in schools. In the old days, two people in an argument talked to the principal about what they said to each other in face-to-face conversation. Nowadays, they talk to the principal about what they said about each other online.

Welcome to the world of online posting where the entire world knows what you said in the click of a mouse. Despite all the information about online etiquette, it would appear that students and teachers are still learning about what to post. So I’ve decided to come up with my own five rules for online postings.

Rule 1: Anything that gets posted online is public NO MATTER WHAT THE PRIVACY SETTING.  With all the information online, it is easy to assume no one will be looking for what you post or that you can hide it through privacy settings. The truth is, sometimes things can come out through either looking up the information or word of mouth. Check out this video below to see the story of one high school student whose private my space page became known to school officials.

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Rule 2: What you say can and will be taken seriously. It might sound obvious, but sometimes people say things without thinking and it sticks. Just ask Alejandra Sosa. MyFox news reported on March 2 12-year old Sosa called her teacher a pedophile because:

I was mad that day because of what he [did]. So, I mean I had no intentions of ruining his reputation.

Moral of this story is: be extremely careful about what you say.

Rule 3: Do not use online posts as a way of venting. Ranting to people you don’t know is uncomfortable and dangerous sometimes, so why do this online where everyone can read it? Teacher Natalie Munroe discovered this after she posted an online blog calling her high school students lazy, disrespectful and just generally annoying. CBS reported in February Munroe was using her blog to share information with her family and friends and got suspended from her job. At least she was smart and took her blog down.

Natalie Munroe and some of the things she allegedly said.
Image from: CBS

Rule 4: Do not use online posts to harass others. Thanks to Phoebe Prince, cyberbullying has come into the public light and many schools are making an effort to crack down on it. Think carefully before deciding to go this route. Oh, did I mention in some cases police have been getting involved? See this story from the April 1 Eagle Tribune in North Andover, MA for more information.

Rule 5: Follow the Golden Rule. I think this rule  covers etiquette rule 101.  

Many school districts are still trying to learn how to deal with new technology. Please do everyone a favor and leave bad facebook posting, name calling and harassment off the computer where it belongs.