Social media has changed the way that many people see relationships including teacher-student relationships. Teachers have to be extremely careful when dealing with their students online. This article talked about how teachers posting students' pictures online could create a breach of confidentiality with the students and their families. This also relates to students or teachers posting inappropriate pictures to Facebook and having student "friends" seeing them. Twitter could be less monitored as you do not have to approve of followers. The followers could be students. Also, students who post underage drinking or illegal drug use photos that also have teacher "friends" or "followers" would be caught as teachers in this particular situation would be required to report it. The amount of "student-teacher" interaction on social media could be an interesting development on how their relationships change.
http://www.wday.com/news/3830072-teacher-student-relationships-when-it-comes-social-media
I really like the topic discussed in this article one because teacher student relationships are an increasing topic in the news and because I am an education major. I remember in high school my teachers and administrators weren't allowed to be friends with students on Twitter and Facebook because of the legal ramifications that could arise. There seems to be a grey area now but this topic is so important that it is well worth the read.
ReplyDeleteThis article was interesting because I am studying to become a teacher. It is a topic I have heard discussed many times. The point is well highlighted why teachers need to separate their professional life from their social lives. However, there have been instances where teachers have used Facebook for a class. The class had its own Facebook page and the students could see assignments posted. This is a grey topic and will only become more so in the future. We must remember with every bad use of social media there can be a good way to use it.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who is a music teacher in New York. We actually just talked about this topic, because, even though she is retired she still does not have a Facebook, Twitter or any other type of social media account. To her it was a boundary that should never be crossed, even when the students are no longer in their classroom. She stated she needed that separation, otherwise there would be constant contact between herself and the students. There is also the idea of having privacy. She did not want to watch and be careful of everything she posted on the change that her students would see. Teacher/Student relationships are already very tricky and based off of a very fine line of what is appropriate. Social media would just make that line even blurrier.
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