This is something that I have struggled with until recently. I was afraid that it might break down the distinction between personal/social life and the professional learning environment. We have recently set up a social media page so that our students can be updated on what is going on in other classes and what kind of projects other students are working on. It hasn't broken down the professional learning environment at all and has inspired excitement in the field and discussion about techniques used on projects from other aspects of the program.
I think this is a great idea as long as both students and instructors; "keep it clean" so to speak. My only question is, should I ask permission from my superiors first? We have a very strict social media ruling with students and my attempt at introducing new technology in the classroom may be misconstrued as fraternization.
This is certainly a rather loaded question that would draw audiences from both side of the isle. I personally believe that social networking is an excellent tool to reach, especially, those students who would not perform as well in a classroom setting for various reasons. In addition, Social networking is also an excellent ancillary tool to supplement classroom activities by making the instructor available to students outside class hours and office hours. Moreover, students can use a dedicated course site/account to post questions, collaborate with other students, get answers, download files and other resources provided by the instructor, etc. On the other hand, one has to think about the potential misuse of the opportunities social networking provides.
Personally, I do not think that students and instructors should be connected via social media outlets. My situation is a very uncommmon one, but I am the same age as my students. However, I have a minimum of 3-4 more degrees than they do. That is the only thing that really seperates us. I often enjoy some of the same foods, entertainment, social scenery, etc. but there is a very fine line that I walk as a professor/instructor. Therefore, with the guidelines within the institution that I am employed instructors can not be friends with students on social media sites anyway. I appreciate that rule because some students do not know how to seperate personal occurrences from professional occurrences.
There may be some who disagree and think that it is fine and dandy. But, wait until things go sour and a student makes a bad grade. The tables turn quickly.
Good Point. I agree with Theresa's response as well. Early on in my teaching career a message board was set up by a staff member who did not communicate this to faculty. They also did not moderate the board. It quickly turned into a space where several students mocked another student in the class. Drastic measures had to be applied to clean up the situation because of the initial lack of communication.
Robb
I agree with the to close for comfort involvement, our campus does not allow interaction on media between students and teachers so our hands are tied on this one
Yes I think it is a great way for students and instructors to learn from each other even when the students are finished with the course. For example if the student learns something new on the job, he/she can share it with the instructor and the new students who are taking the class. Its just very important to keep it professional and not share personal information.
This has been a wonderful discussion and, though I see the potential use of communication through social media, the possibility of misuse or crossing the line is too risky. There are other forms of technology that can be implemented to improve or enhance communication between instructors and students. Students can contact each other on their accounts and instructors can do the same but, to maintain professionalism, the two should not merge. IMHO
Rommel ,
I would definitely ask your Dean/Department Chair- the school should have an acceptable use policy on file that outlines your campus guidelines when it comes to incorporating social media in the classroom. I certainly wouldn't want you to get into hot water!
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Roger,
I see great value in creating a department Facebook page- it keeps the students engaged outside of class and they can see of of the exciting projects their peers and instructors are working on. Monitoring the comments/discussions is key if you are moderating this page- keeping the discussion professional is very important when using Facebook for educational purposes.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I feel like there are too many problems that can stem from this. Our School strictly forbids this type of relationship and I have had multiple students attempt to look me up and find out every little detail about me that they could. Having a seperate facebook which has no personal info of any type may prevent this type of problem but in post secondary education lines can get very blurred very quickly and this is certainly one way that can happen.
I believe that social media sites could be useful to an instructor if used correcty.
No I dont believe that teachers and students should be "friends" on facebook but I have utilized a Facebook page as a forum type page. I have posted assignments, pictures from classes, food for thought questions, discussion boards, etc.
I feel the instructor needs to be knowledgable in using Facebook or which ever site they choose because securities need to be in place and the page needs to be monitored often for content. There is no way to prevent off subject discussion if the site is not monitored by the instructor.
Connecting with my students on social media has been a helpful tool for me. Sometimes, I cannot connect with my students via telphone or email, but it seems as though whenever I try to contact them on Facebook, the students will respond immediately! The only thing is that some students fail to remain professional at all times and making sure that the students understand the boundaries, but this is a problem that can occur in the classroom as well. Other than that, I have had success with social media in the past and I plan to incorporate it even more in my future classes.
I think connecting on social media is a great idea! It can help keep students involved in the class and the instructor can check on a student if they are not showing up.
Many schools actually frown upon teachers and students socializing outside of the school/classroom setting. This, then might be walking a fine line, and not one I'd personally like to cross. On the other hand, The class management programs that are becoming popular in colleges now do have the ability for students in a class to interact with each other and with the instructor. Students contact me all the time on that!
Bob I agree i gave out my cell # and that will never happen again the 3am call is not good.
Yes, I believe an additional resource can be beneficial.
Yikes!
I was all set to say an emphatic "yes" until I read through the comments.
They made me stop and think. There have been so many cases in the news in just the past six months that would never have resulted in arrests were it not for postings on social media that proved illegal behavior.
That fact, and the number of institutions that forbid teacher/student contact on social media, suggest that it is wise to move carefully. For the protection of all involved, the communication would need to be clearly limited to course-relevant discussions. That would require extra thought and precautions. They would be worth the effort if they prevent the site being used for bullying or inappropriate messages.
Maybe I'll put more thought into how to do this well before pushing immediately into the social media. I'll begin by learning best practices from instructors who have been successful with them.
Yes, it is very important to have dialogue going on classroom topics that were discussed. Having social media keeps the students engaged until the next time class meets.
I believe students and instructors should be able to connect through Social media if clear guidelines are set by the institution. It is a great place to promote anytime learning. The key is clear guidelines. Without this you will have to many ethical issues between student and instructor.
