FILTER, BLOCK or NOT??
Social networking sites have grown in popularity. Sites like Facebook, myspace and Friendster are popular with both children and adults and memberships are growing daily. There are even social networking sites created to attract only adults, such as Boomj and Boomertown.
Whatever the site the issues surrounding students using these social networks seem to be the same. Many of the articles online and the research discuss the most common problems..Privacy, cyberbulling, online predators(Acquisti, Gross, 2006). The quick fix to these issues for many school districts, parents and guardians is to filter or block these social networking sites. But, is this the answer?
The appeal of social networks for students can be great. Networking with friends, sharing photos, ideas, opinions with friends. All very attractive for students. A frontline episode explains that teenagers do not see being online as a separate place you go but a continuation of their existence. “It’s learning about life” (Carvin, 2007). The Internet is an important part of many students life. It is how they socialize. The online community can be compared to hanging out at the mall with friends (Boyd, 2008). Evidence of the popularity of these sites is Facebook. Facebook alone has grown to an online community of over 12 million members. Not only is it a place to socialize but a place to learn and create. Facebook has allowed members to create software applications for others to access and use on the site. There are applications for viewing your timetable, courses, creating bibliographies, books iread, do research4me, flashcards, Heymath are just a few. All these applications are ideal tools for making learning easier and add to the appeal of the sites (Jacob, 2008). These are some of the many positive aspects of these online communities.
With all the positive aspects and attraction of these social networks there are problems and possible dangers. Cyberbullying, privacy issues, inappropriate behavior, online predators are a few. Many teachers have had some kind of experience with or heard of cyberbullying stories on these sites. At my school we had several cases of cyberbullying and the police liaison had to be called in to speak to those . Also, some students say things online that they would not necessarily say face to face and this often spills over into the classroom. Students feel safe in their homes behind the security of their computers and say things without thinking of the consequences when they face their classmates the next day. It isn’t cyberbullying but unloading how they are feeling about their friend or something like that. As a teacher of grade 5 students I have dealt with these issues myself over the last several years. Several times a student has unloaded some pent up feelings online then can be seen crying at school because they don’t understand why their friends are ignoring them. There are many serious problems that come up on these online communities but is blocking the sites the answer. Is blocking these sites at the school district level not just a way of the school board covering themselves. While blocking, filtering, and legislation may be quick, “feel good” fixes by politicians to address this real issue, ultimately, education is the answer (Finch, 2007). One article discusses how we must address the behaviours that occur not where the occurred (Carvin, 2008). I believe this is very true. Bullying is bullying it shouldn’t matter if it happened outside the school or on the Internet.
I believe education is the answer. These online communities appear to be an extension of many of our student’s lives (Boyd 2007). Rather than blocking access, students should be taught tools needed to interact safely and responsibly online. Students need to understand the difference between truth and fiction and to learn what is appropriate to say or post online. They can not be taught these skills in a vacuum. We need to provide access and education. Besides, blocking sites in today’s world just doesn’t work if a student wants access they will find it on their cell phone or Ipod touch etc. And, ignoring the issues inside the schools does not keep students safe in th real world. Educating students may be the best answer.
Works Cited
Acquisti, Alessandro, and Ralph Gross. “Imagined Communities.” Carnagie Mellon Univeristy4 (2007). 25 June 2008 <http://privacy.cs.cmu.edu/dataprivacy/projects/facebook/facebook2.pdf>.
Boyd, Danah. “Why Youth (Heart) Social Networks sites.” MacArthur Foundation Series on Digitial Learning. 21 June 2008 <http://www.danah.org/papers/WhyYouthHeart.pdf>.
Carvin, Alan. “PBS Teachers — Resources For The Classroom.” PBS. 2 July 2008 <http://pbs.org/teachers>.
Jacobs, Susan. “Facebook Classroom.” College Degrees. 21 June 2008 <http://www.collegedegree.com/library/college-life/15-facebook-apps-perfect-for-online-education>.
