30Nov/09
Should Schools allow Access to Facebook?
Schools generally do not allow access to Facebook and other social networking sites. It's hard to imagine how they could allow students access without things getting out of hand, but this is the way the world is moving so shouldn’t schools be looking to USE things like Facebook rather than trying to block access? Can you think of ways that schools could use social networking to interact with their communities?
Recent Comments
- Whr24U: Hi Grace – thanks for your comment. Perhaps we should change the question to “Should schools use...
- Grace Manalili: Excuse me? Facebook usage in schools? Aren’t we (I’m still a student, don’t get me...
- Mike: There are a number of articles on the New Zealand ICT website that may be of interest –...
- Whr24U: Mike – Thanks for this – you echo the sentiments of others who have commented on our Facebook...
- Mike: Perhaps if a school/classroom created a dedicated page to manage? Otherwise, I think that Facebook should not...
Archive
- February 2010 (1)
- January 2010 (2)
- December 2009 (2)
- November 2009 (10)
- September 2009 (1)
December 7th, 2009 - 13:05
Perhaps if a school/classroom created a dedicated page to manage? Otherwise, I think that Facebook should not be allowed to be used unless the teacher is using as a project topic. An employee with access to facebook during work hours can be problematic, I see the same happening with students if not closely monitored.
December 7th, 2009 - 16:29
Mike – Thanks for this – you echo the sentiments of others who have commented on our Facebook page about this topic. The idealist in me says we should be able to find ways to allow people to manage their own time and focus on the OUTPUTS we want, but the pragmatist says people need boundaries. I can see the difficulties with controlling something like Facebook, particularly in a school context, but by shutting it down we are also losing an opportunity to connect with students in a forum that fosters open communication. Does anyone know of a school that is using Facebook or some other open forum?
December 7th, 2009 - 19:19
There are a number of articles on the New Zealand ICT website that may be of interest – http://www.interfacemagazine.co.nz – enter the keyword “facebook” in the search field. Take this for example (taken from a US study)…
“Researchers have found that Facebook users are more likely to perform poorly in exams, according to their study on the academic impact of the social networking website. They conclude that the majority of students who use the site every day are underachieving by as much as an entire grade compared with those who don’t.”
April 20th, 2010 - 10:38
Excuse me? Facebook usage in schools? Aren’t we (I’m still a student, don’t get me wrong) already on Facebook half the day? Why go on Facebook in schools too? To totally forget are writing and spelling skills? Just leave it till you get home, seriously. We don’t wanna be that desperate.
May 14th, 2010 - 15:10
Hi Grace – thanks for your comment. Perhaps we should change the question to “Should schools use Facebook for promoting the school and its activiites?” I was thinking schools could have facebook groups for the school itself and for various special interest groups within the school and then allow students to interact with each other on those pages. What do you think of that idea?