Facebook!

The other day I saw found this article, "Facebook: Friend or Foe?" The article was published in The Times Educational Supplement and was written by Mark Piesing. In this article, the author uses examples and possible situation to describe issues that could arise with teachers using Facebook both privately and professionally.

There have been teachers who have put themselves in vulnerable positions by accepting their students as friends. If students become friends with their teachers on Facebook, then the student then has full access to the teachers profile which accompanies personal information as well as personal photos/messages.

There have also been situations where students have been upset with their teachers and have made fake profiles and inappropriate interactions with others through Facebook.

There have been cases where Facebook has been a very helpful educational tool. Teachers can talk to many of their students at one time through Facebook chat. The students can easily communicate with there teacher and ask question that they might not have had time to in class. Many students also become more comfortable with their teachers once they see they have a real life outside of school. It makes the students feel like they can more easily relate to their teachers since they seem more like real people.