Legally, schools are allowed to prohibit access to certain sites they think are not suitable for students. My question is, How do certain sites get labeled inappropriate for student (and teacher) use? I choose Facebook as an example.Facebook, along with Myspace and others, are popular web sites used for social networking. These sites have many possible uses, socializing with friends being the primary one. The site itself allows different members to connect and exchange information, to communicate. There are various levels of privacy and publicity so that members can self-regulate. It seems to me that schools prohibit the use of such sites because they associate them with non-academic, silly playtime. They ignore, however, the possibilities for learning that are yet untapped.
It’s worth noting one major point of complexity with social networking sites. The sites seem like they are private, like the user is hanging out and catching up with friends. However, depending on the privacy settings, this “catching up” might well be out there for the whole cyberworld to see. It feels so private, yet it can be so incredibly public. Consider this: Colleges have been known to look at the social networking pages of those applying to them for school. The Princeton University newspaper reported that graduate schools admissions offices admitted openly to checking applicants’ Facebook pages. It gave them a rounder sense of students’ character, they said. It also gave them a negative impression about fifty percent of the time.
Should schools use the internet at all? Whether it’s for learning about students or teaching students how to communicate online? Does an English teacher, for example, have an obligation to teach his students how to blog? What is the role of the internet at school? The debate is ongoing, with the voices of students, parents, teachers, and administrators calling out from every direction. These voices might almost be as loud as the sounds of keyboards trickling.
