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Social Networking in Schools

Today's youth knows no world without the internet and sites like Google, Facebook, and Webkinz. Social networking is not a new tool for our students, in fact, many currently use these types of sites each day. Toontown, Club Penguin and Webkinz all have some sort of communication or messaging forum. Students use these sites to communicate about their animals, games or anything else. This is social networking at their level. Although these websites are not educational in nature, the sites are still teaching our children. They are learning to type, spell, read and the art of conversation. These skills can be brought into the classroom for educational purposes.

Social networking can be a tool that allows students to collaborate on a group project without leaving their home, access materials without using a flashdrive and interact with students on a different level. I believe that students should be allowed to participate in social networking sites in order to achieve an educational goal or objective. However, the terms, rules and safety protocols should be in place before students are allowed to collaborate and converse. Schools should ensure that the social networking forum is secure and only available to students in their local classroom or grade. It should be free of advertisements and not allowing outsiders in. The forum should also be carefully monitored for inappropriate materials, conversations or bullying.

In addition, the social forum should be used for school purposes only. Many schools today use First Class, which allows students to network with each other. These schools take many precautions to ensure the safety of their students. These districts have allowed students to work within the walled garden to ensure that students are safe.

Students should have access to blogs where they can write about their learning, explorations and discoveries during the school day. A parent and teacher would be able to access the students thoughts and questions and will always have the answer to the proverbial question, ‘What did you learn in school today.” Teachers could use Wiki’s to post handouts, notes, worksheets or homework. This would allow an answer for those students who always leave their work or folder at home.

Social networking in many forms should be allowed in today's schools. Districts should encourage students to use many different tools to communicate and collaborate with each other in a safe and secure environment. Students should know that their every keystroke is being logged and they are working within a safe environment without accessing unauthorized adults or information. Technology is embedded into every student's life. It is the school's job to support the student learning with access to technology in a safe way.