Hey Everyone,
Is response to to some of the conversation last night, I wanted to pose a question about the facebook/privacy issue.
I have always been very open about most parts of my life. I believe that every experience I have had, good or bad, have made me the person I am and will help me be a better teacher. I have always be a huge supporter of experiential education and the value of life as "the ultimate classroom".
With that in mind, I look at my experiences in life as a pool my students can draw from, either to be inspired to follow a path of their own, or to avoid the mistakes I have made. Although I wouldn't necessarily have students on my facebook, I don't think I will actively hid my profile from them. Everything I put in the public domain (and yes Facebook is a PULBIC forum) on facebook are statements and images that I am prepared to make public and represent a life I am very proud of.
In short, I am of the mind set that if I am willing to allow the rest of the world a snapshot of my life, then why not my students? When I am posting something on facebook or on my personal website the question "is this something I can be proud of?" is always in my mind.
I recognize that this is a complicated issue and there is a whole spectrum of opinion on it, so I am interested to hear your thoughts!?!
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I think that is a really good point. I agree very much. I don't add things on facebook that I don't want people to see. I would not think of adding students to my facebook by any means, however, there is a line that could be crossed. Having students see pictures of me drinking the weekend before is not the best influence for them, especially if they look up to me as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a case of boundaries. Some people let it ALL hang out on their facebook profiles...parties, extracurricular activites, etc. The other issue is when you are tagged by friends and those images get posted onto your profile. I think as a new generation of teachers that we are not as concerned with appearing to be 'holier than though'. We are real people with real lives and may not worry so much about sharing our more personal sides with our students.Does this discredit us or make us more approachable? I am not sure. What do other's think?
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree, facebook is all about how we as individuals want to be seen by the world and what we want others to be impressed by. I think the important thing to note is that we have to change the audience we want to impress. I think back on the teachers that allowed us a little peek into their personal lives, some of them had amazing passions involved in other areas. The things a teacher does outside of school has the same power to inspire as the actions inside the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think you need to be weary of what you are putting on your facebook, especially if you are not limiting the security. Future employers are now looking at your Facebook, if you keep your profile open, they often make judgements about future jobs from there. There have also been issues of pictures of teachers drinking, wearing limited clothing, etc, seen by students that have all led to a job being compromised.
ReplyDeleteI think these thoughts need to be in the back our minds, we may be limiting what we put up, but other people can also tag you in pictures that may be inapropriate.
i agree with what you're saying tyler, why have it on facebook if you don't want people to see it, that's something that i have always wondered. i think as long as you are acutely aware of what is getting posted and what you are posting then you should be fine and when it comes down to it i think the only thing that is really of concern is what others may be posting of you, for that is what you do not have control over.
ReplyDeletebut with the privacy settings getting as specific as they are these days i could see it as something that could easily be dealt with and perhaps a valuable tool for connecting with your students.
It's exactly that phrase "what you do not have control over" that makes me hesitant to add students or anyone I am considered authority or a role model to on facebook. I personally think that no matter how much you try to censor you profile and only post what you are willing the world to see, there will always be something that can be taken out of context or seen before you have a chance to untag yourself etc. that could cross the boundary of a teacher-student relationship. I also wouldn't want to catch myself judging my students in the classroom based on what I saw on their profile. I approach the issue with a better safe than sorry attitude and feel that we can think of other ways to have our students see us as more relatable and more approachable. I think that you can use other technology to connect with students for example a class blog like this one where everyone can share their thoughts and questions. Any other ideas??
ReplyDeleteI personally I have a bunch of my old teachers on facebook and although I didn't have them as friends while in school I still think I would allow students to be friends with me if they wanted. I think that students should add you and not the other way around and I am my no means going to advertise for students to add me but they are inevitably going to look you up I think. I think facebook is a great tool for connecting with people. There are also going to be a few students who don't have good relationships at home and maybe this a way for them to talk to someone about their problems.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Tyler that if we are to post things online in a public domain we should allow even are students to see it. I probably wouldn't add students as a friend unless i had a completely private one for Ms Coutts with just students and school contacts. The only reason why i wouldn't add them to my personal one is not because i'm not proud of who i am and where i've been it's that some of the friends from way back when i have no control over. The only way to get out of that is to delete friends off facebook. Maybe thats something i should look into or maybe i should just not worry about what others say. What are your thoughts?
ReplyDelete-Ange