Thursday, February 24, 2011

Facebook for High School Students

I was part of a discussion today that focused on Facebook at the High School.  There was discussion for and against the use of Facebook.

Positives
We discussed how teachers could use Facebook in their classroom.  Reviewed Jeff Thomas blog on Complete Facebook Guide for Educators (available on my blog). There were handouts on A Teacher's Guide to Using Facebook, A Parent's Guide to Facebook, 8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched a First Grade Class, 50 Useful Facebook Tips for Teachers, and 100 Ways You Should be Using Facebook in Your Classroom. Cited Administrative Team discussion that Facebook should be available for students. Majority of students already have a Facebook account.  Excellent way for students with disabilities to develop social skills.

Concerns:
Should students be allowed to use Facebook while in the library or a classroom if not as part of an educational class? Concerns were raised about policing students on Facebook, distractions, is it against Board policy, cyberbullying, not a safe place, and whether as a building and district we are ready for Facebook and social media to be opened up for students.

Discussion
We discussed gathering more information from staff in terms of a survey and staff meeting.  Building administration viewpoints to be gathered.  What could be a best practice plan for teaching staff on how to use and implementing appropriately?

What are some of your thoughts?

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