Should Teachers Blog & Use Social Networks?

I admit it: I am on both MySpace and Facebook. I joined MySpace first, and eventually I got around to using Facebook. I enjoy both of them. I have been able to reconnect with friends from high school that I literally haven’t seen or spoken to in more than a decade. I have been able to share pictures with those who have traveled with me and those who wish that they could. I learned that my cousin was going to be a father to his first child through Facebook, and some time later, I learned that they were going to have a daughter.

I have also been able to reconnect with many, many former students. Michelle found me and sent me an email telling me how fondly she remembers our trip to NYC and that she even has her husband addicted to the soundtrack from Aida, one of the Broadway shows we saw on the trip. Morgan, like many other former students, shares pictures of her son with me on MySpace. When a former student named Wendy was killed in a car accident, I learned about it through MySpace.

But if I were teaching in Ohio, I would have to reconsider my social network activity. According to this article, the Ohio Education Association has ” ‘strongly’ encouraged teachers against using MySpace, Facebook and other online social-networking sites.” The problem seems to be that some teachers have been publishing inappropriate content on the sites.

The article goes on to explain that the memo issued by the Ohio Education Association states, “”While this advice might seem extreme, the dangers of participating in these two sites outweigh the benefits. Because of the high standards placed on school employees and the risk of job and career loss, the OEA recommends avoiding even the appearance of impropriety.”

How incredibly narrow-minded and ignorant. I am glad that the Alabama Education Association has not seen fit to try to meddle in my online activities.

Yes, some teachers have used the technology inappropriately. Some teachers have used poor judgment, some have acted irresponsibly, some immorally, and some even illegally.

Does this mean that the technology should not be used by any teachers? What incredibly poor logic.

Mary Kay Letourneau met with her former second-grade student (who was nineteen years her junior) in her car. Other teachers have most likely done immoral things in cars, some even with students. Teachers probably shouldn’t be allowed to drive cars.

Other teachers have used cell phones to contact students to discuss illicit activities. Others have used email to contact students to discuss their inappropriate relationships. I suppose we should outlaw cell phones and computer usage as well.

The fact is simple: my use of technology, including but not limited to the use of MySpace and Facebook, makes me a better teacher. Social networking sites help me to better understand the world my students are living in. After all, it is a very different world than the one I grew up in. Heck, it is a different world than the one I woke up in this morning.

I even have current students as friends on both MySpace and Facebook. I make it a point not to seek out current students, but if one requests to be my friend, I generally allow it. Doing so has prevented at least one student from making a horrible mistake. A former student was planning on meeting up with a guy she had met only online. When I learned about it, I encouraged an older student to talk with the younger one. When the younger student would not listen, I ended up giving her an ultimatum: either she told her parents or I was going to. The next day, I spoke with the father of this young lady. He handled the situation beautifully, and his intervention prevented her from making a horrible decision.

Yes, I am an an unapologetic user of MySpace and Facebook who firmly believes that the Ohio Education Association needs to remove their collective heads from their collective arses.

Now, if the OEA would like to discuss the responsible use of technology, I am completely on board for that. In fact, if someone at the OEA would like, I could probably arrange for professional leave to come and conduct some workshops. Shoot me an email, OEA, and I will see what we can work out.