Teachers online raise worries
August 11, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) – As social networking sites like Facebook become more common among adults and almost universal among children and teenagers, new concerns are arising about online friendships between teachers and their students.
In Missouri, for example, a new state law forbids teachers to have private conversations with students through social networking sites like Facebook, and some school districts have their own rules to regulate such online activity.
Among the concerns: avoiding inappropriate personal contact between teacher and student.
“We have to really think about what is the personal relationship we have with our students,” said Jim Johnson, who teaches technology to future teachers at Indiana State University. “What’s going to be a real concern, as time goes on, is how we interact with our students but still make them feel special.”
One high school student, Michael Didier, said many of his teachers have Facebook accounts, but avoid contact with current students.
“There’s a few of my teachers on there,” Didier said. “I know a couple of them have Facebook, but a lot of them won’t add you until you graduate.”
While some teachers shy away from contacting students through social media, others consider it an important tool for answering questions after class or helping with homework.
Some even use sites like Facebook to send messages to parents.
“Students might have a question at home, and they feel they don’t have access to a teacher,” Johnson said. “It’s just another alternative … communication.”
Still, Johnson said, parents need to monitor everything their children do online, including correspondence with teachers.
