Fear Free Social Networking?

I remember when my boys first started using MySpace when they were in middle school. It was a new phenomenon, and wildly popular with middle schoolers. Both my boys got in over their heads with strangers getting on their sites and posting negative and false info. It was pretty scary to my husband and I, and we ended up making them delete their spaces. There was also some trouble with students posting inappropriate comments about school faculty.

Then along came Facebook, and that made much more sense because you had to allow people to be friends, and to post on your wall. That helped, but my boys still have zillions of friends that they can’t possibly know. However, since the early days of Facebook and MySpace, we have learned a lot. We know a lot more about privacy, and about the susceptibility when you accept people as friends.

I think it is clear that social networking is here to stay. (as per the AASL article which says it is widely accepted by public and private schools.)The question is, should we allow it in schools? I can understand why some might be leery of social networking in schools, but I think with explicit instructions for students and teachers, it is a great tool. Teachers should be reminded not to “friend” students or parents on their personal accounts, but should make separate accounts that will be used for school exclusively. Again, students of all ages are getting on social networks, why not teach them how to be responsible members of a network?

 I think forums like LibraryThing would be a great tool for allowing students and teachers to share what books they are reading, have read, and like (or don’t like). This is a great way to get book ideas, and to get to know each other (without getting too personal). I know that many schools have started using Edmondo, a facebook-like forum just for their school. I have not had personal experience with this, but I think it is a great idea. I also think that libraries of all kinds (school and public) should use every venue possible to entice patrons to read, find new books and authors, and be aware of nonfiction resources. Whether that be via facebook, twitter, LibraryThing, or any other venue, I think they are worth pursuing. Once set up, they shouldn’t be too much strain on time, and the benefits may far surpass the small sacrifice of minutes.