Posts Tagged ‘facebook’

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Teachers Banned From Communicating With Students on Facebook

June 17, 2011

Imposing bans is never ideal, because you would like to think that grown adults will always act with maturity, integrity and professionalism.  But recent events have shown that Facebook and Twitter can be the undoing of a person if they are not careful.  I’m sure teachers have used both forms of social media to make themselves more approachable to their students, and assist them with their studies when required.

However, in the current climate, I agree with the ruling handed down that teachers can’t communicate with their students in this way:

Pinellas County teachers can’t communication with students through Facebook, Twitter or other private media.

That’s the ruling from the Pinellas County School Board, whch unanimously passed a policy today that forbids it.

Pinellas County School Board members sought to address the possibility of impropriety as a result of that ease of access.

“I don’t know what information is being transmitted,” said school board attorney Jim Robinson of private communication with students.

While electronic media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter leave a “cyberprint” that have led to countless teacher investigations, it also puts faculty at a new and dangerous risk. 

The policy states: “Such communication could cause the appearance of inappropriate association with students.”

Pinellas and Florida are not alone. In Missouri similar legislation is awaiting a signature from Gov. Jay Nixon.  School and government officials recognize the need for such cautionary measures, but are also concerned that their legislation does not allow for exceptions.

After the recent tornados in Joplin, many students were located through social media websites when cell phone signals were down.

Pinellas Schools board members made certain to take exceptions into account.  The policy also states “staff shall utilize School Board resources in all electronic communications with students regarding school matters. Provided, however, private electronic media, such as a cell phone, may be used when District resources are not available, when such use is in the best interest of all concerned”.

On Facebook Pinellas Park High School has a Fan Page, while the presence of Northeast High and St. Petersburg High School are limited to community pages of standard information.

I’m not doubting for a second that teachers can’t use social media for the good of their students.  But I am also aware that on any given day you can Google News the term “teacher”, and instead of stories about inspiring teachers with brilliant methods, you get one horrific story of abuse after another.

Essentially, it is in our teacher’s best interests to avoid communicating with students on Facebook and Twitter.  It’s just the reality of the world we live in.

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Posted in Social Media | 4 Comments »

The Cheapening of Children’s Literature

June 12, 2011

Young children are not reading, and if that’s not sad enough, the methods used to get them back into books don’t make the grade.  I wish a more concerted effort could be made to reinvigorate and re-engage young readers through authentic and well written books.

Unfortunately, fecal matter and toilet humour is the order of the day. Take this book featuring expletives on every page:

A book full of foul language is tonight generating debate over whether it should be sold in New Zealand.

Anti-family violence campaigners are up-in-arms over the imminent release of the offensive parody of a children’s bedtime book.

The book, entitled Go the F*** to Sleep, looks and sounds like an ordinary kids’ book, but has swear words on every page.

“The book features a father trying to get his young child to sleep – a common experience of parents. It is littered with offensive language, but most disturbingly, looks and sounds just like a children’s book,” said Family First director Bob McCoskrie.

Go the F*** to Sleep by Adam Mansbach was written as a spoof, based on the author’s experience as a Dad.

“It started with some sleepless nights and a Facebook post where I jokingly said I was going to write, I said ‘look out for my forthcoming children’s book, go the F*** to sleep’. And a couple of weeks later actually sat down and wrote it,” Mansbach told the Today Show.

The book is due for release in the US next week, after being available online for months, and a leaked PDF has gone viral via websites like Facebook.

Now, it is Amazon’s bestseller on pre-orders alone, and turned the American author into an overnight sensation.

McCoskrie understands the book is now about to hit shelves in New Zealand.

“I think it sends all the wrong messages,” he told ONE News.

The advocacy group are worried about the effects it may have on dysfunctional parents, and are now calling on bookstores to ban its sale.

“While in an adult context, the book may be harmless and even amusing, we have grave concerns about its effect on aggressive and dysfunctional parents, and also on children who are attracted to the book,” said McCoskrie.

McCoskrie said it trivialises verbal abuse and intolerance of children at a time when New Zealand is battling family violence.

“We’d rather parents spent their hard earned money on a book on quality parenting, or a book that they can enjoy reading to their child.”

He said he is already written to two book distributors, Booksellers Association and Paper Plus New Zealand, urging them not to stock it.

But book sellers say it will be on shelves in a month.

Wellington’s Unity Books has already ordered ten copies for its parenting section.

“It’s a de-stress, at the end of the day, or at the end of the night – have a laugh, sit down together. The idea that someone would take all of it to heart, and abuse their children because of it is a bit hard to imagine really,” said Unity’s Cameron Hyland.

As for the book ending up in the wrong hands – the kids.

“We trust the parents will know, this goes on a high shelf!” said Mansbach.

McCoskrie said Family First is now considering a complaint to the Censor’s Office.

I am certainly not in favour of banning books and I believe that much of this story is driven from conservative alarmist, but I do lament the lack of interest kids have in reading and the methods used to re-engage them.  Young people will read this book and fall instantly in love with iot whether it was intended for them or not.  Just when we needed more imaginative and well written alternatives …

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Posted in Literacy | 1 Comment »

Newsflash: Bullying Was Around Before Facebook

June 5, 2011

I’ve maintained frequently on this blog that cyber bullying is a major concern.  The rise of social networking sites like Facebook has meant that bullying is more rampant and invasive now than it’s ever been. But let’s not forget that cyber bullying is a manifestation of conventional bullying – and that cannot be blamed on Facebook.

That’s why I find then following article troubling:

CHILDREN as young as eight are being treated for anxiety problems triggered by social-networking sites.

Psychologists say modern technology is producing a growing number of children needing therapy to deal with distress arising from posts on Facebook and other sites.

Darryl Cross, a clinical psychologist from Crossways Consulting, said anxiety caused by technology was a growing concern.

“Modern-day technologies and social-networking sites are contributing significantly to child and adolescent anxiety,” he said.

“It is an international phenomenon.”

Although anxiety was an established disorder, more modern triggers were lead to more distressed teenagers, Dr Cross said.

“But also, it’s the ability to be in contact 24/7.”

“In previous generations, you had the telephone and if you were lucky, mum and dad let you make a call after you got home from school. But now, primary school children, not to mention adolescents, have mobiles, which means they are constantly in touch via text messages and Facebook.”

Dr Cross said children used networking sites to determine their identity and form a view of what society thought of them.

Clinical psychologist at The Children’s Psychology Clinic, Dr Elizabeth Seeley-Wait, said she was seeing kids suffering anxiety about “being out of touch or out of the loop” if they had their mobile phone taken away.

Adults are also falling victim to insecurities.

Equilibrium Psychology’s Gemma Cribb said Facebook came up in couples’ therapy. “Someone will check their partner’s Facebook and questions will come up such as ‘Where did you meet this friend?’ ” she said.

Whilst I am very weary of children having a Facebook page, especially under the age of 13, I think it’s important to note that the bullying itself is more important than the medium.  Whilst mediums change, what doesn’t seem to change are the bullies.

What is being done about it?

Sure school’s will give you their standard assortment of “P” words, like ‘policies’, ‘programs’ and ‘procedures’, to reassure you that they are taking decisive action, but these provisions are just there to avoid lawsuits.  The effect of policies and programs are minimal at best, and if there really was stringent consequences handed out, would there be such a huge problem?

Here’s some “P” words of my own – we need a more solid partnership between Principals, Parents and Practitioners.  We need schools to be as concerned about their culture and as passionate about the safety of their students as they are about their numbers, finances and academic reputation.  We need parents to be aware of how their children treat others and raise them to respect others rather than undermine, bully or belittle them.  And we need teachers to continue to fight for their students.

We have a choice, we can blame it all on the juggernaut that is Facebook, or we can fight bullying at its source whilst standing up for the rights of those who are victimised and powerless.

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Posted in Cyber Bullying | Leave a Comment »

Police Want Parents to Spy on Their Kids Online

May 29, 2011

So bad is the problem of stalking paedophiles preying on children, that Police are advising parents to spy on their kids’ online activities.  In a perfect world parents should resist spying on their kids, as their trust is essential for a close relationship.  However, there are exceptions to this rule.  The rise of evil paedophiles who prey on naive and impressionable children, may present parents with little choice.

Parents should keep a regular and close eye on what their children do online, say Scottish police, especially on who they are chatting to.

The Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) is concerned about the growing threat of grooming and the dangers of paedophilia. The Scotsman reports that since Operation Embark was set up to tackle the problem two years ago, 18 people have been convicted of online grooming and sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison, 23 years of probation, and 840 hours of community service.

Detective Inspector Eamonn Keane, who heads the SCDEA’s e-crime unit, said: “There’s various software to assist parents in helping them keep their children safe on the internet, which can help identify their computer history.

“You can set your governance tools to search for key words, so if there’s been sexually explicit behaviour from a 13 or 14-year-old it would pick up on that. You can apply parental controls on the internet in the same way as you can on digital TV channels, blocking unsuitable websites.”

Police say parents should be informal friends on Facebook and other social networks, so that they are in the loop of conversations that their kids are having.

Parents should also educate themselves about the social networks their kids are using – how they work, what functionality they offer and how often they are being used.

Social networks do not only mean Facebook – children can correspond with strangers on Bebo, YouTube, gaming networks, Twitter, MySpace and forums, as well as chat services like MSN Messenger, Skype, AOL Chat and Google Talk.

Parents: Please share this video with your children.  I have posted it before, but the clip’s importance and its powerful message will see me post it on occasion.

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Posted in Cyber Safety | Leave a Comment »

Facebook is a Haven for Bullies

May 27, 2011

When you put the responsibility of having a Facebook page in the hands of young children, you will find that most will use it in the right way.  Unfortunately, it’s those that don’t who spoil it for the rest of them.

MELBOURNE schools and police are battling to remove a Facebook page that allows teenagers to post vile gossip about their peers.

Teachers feel powerless to stop the site, which has resurfaced in various forms over the past month and left students at schools in Ivanhoe and Heidelberg needing counselling.

Parents have been shocked by postings on the page, which include allegations of sex between teachers and students, girls who trade sex for drugs and boys who have been caught wearing their mothers’ clothing.

Most parents were unaware their children had been vilified until notified by their school.

The ”Ivanhoe Goss” page is filled with comments sent by members to the group’s creator, who reposts them anonymously. One page seen by The Age had more than 2300 members.

Schools including Ivanhoe Grammar School, Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School and Marcellin College are implicated in the gossip, but it is believed students from other parts of Melbourne are also members.

And similar Facebook pages have been set up for students in Essendon, Dandenong, Glenferrie and Caulfield.

Ivanhoe Grammar principal Rod Fraser said public and private schools in the region had banded together when the site was discovered on April 13 to raise the alarm with parents and students. The site is believed to have been created as a public page on April 10, but was re-created as a private page about a week later after schools warned students about being involved in cyber-bullying.

Mr Fraser said police and Facebook had been contacted about the page and were investigating those responsible. Three students and their families had been given support after gossip was posted about them on the page, and the school had developed a website to provide information on cyber safety.

”This great thing that we have, technology, can also be insidious,” he said.

Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School principal Heather Schnagl said ”less than five” students had been disciplined for being involved on the site. But no student had been suspended or expelled.

Two students had been counselled after being bullied.

”We deeply regret the poor judgment shown by any student who visits or posts a comment on a site like that one,” Dr Schnagl said.

”One of the biggest challenges … is many parents don’t understand the digital landscape today and … they trust their children rather than maintaining the role of the parent.

”We want to empower our parents to work with us to help students … They are shocked when they are shown what their daughter has posted.”

And some want to alter the age requirement  and allow kids less than 13 to get a Facebook page?

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Posted in Cyber Bullying, Social Media | Leave a Comment »

Mark Zuckerberg Against Facebook Age Restrictions

May 23, 2011

Should we be surprised that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, thinks kids under 13 should be able to have their own Facebook pages?  I’m sure the founder of cigarette companies are only too happy to lower age restrictions on their products too.

You might think that my comparison is quite gratuitous, and I suppose it is, but one cannot properly articulate the damage inflicted on  cyber bullied children.

Zuckerberg thinks he can protect these kids:

“My philosophy is that for education, you need to start at a really young age”, said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking at the New Schools Summit in California, about why he thinks children under the age of 13 should be allowed to be Facebook members. Currently the age restriction requires that one be thirteen years or older to get a Facebook log on ID, but of course it is not difficult to avoid this and create an account anyway. Consumer Reports recently reported that there are about 7.5 million children under the age of 13 on Facebook.

Zuckerberg explained that, in his view, software and technology will help students learn a lot from one another, and that if COPPA were lifted, “we’d start to learn what works. We’d take a lot of precautions to make sure that they [younger children] are safe. “ COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, makes it illegal for web sites to collect information on children under the age of 13.

However, amidst growing concern about online privacy in general, lifting COPPA may be optimistic. Senator John Rockefeller on Thursday question Facebook Chief Technology Officer on Capital Hill saying: “I want you to defend your company here because I don’t know how you can.”

Zuckerberg’s assurances are not in the least bit reassuring.  There is no way they can properly ensure the safety of children.  And why would they need to, if they only let kids be kids?  So they wait until 13 to use Facebook?  I’ve said it before.  Why would a 12-year old need a Facebook page anyway?

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Posted in Cyber Bullying, Social Media | 3 Comments »

Cyberbullying Even More Prevalent Among Girls

May 18, 2011

A recent survey found that girls are especially affected by cyberbullying:

Tweens and teens are both flocking to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to stay connected with each other. While used correctly this can be a positive thing the sites are also being used as weapons to facilitate cyberbullying.

Norton Canada recently completed a study called The Norton Cyberbullying Survey asking Canadian parents about their children’s online experiences. A quarter of the parents said that their child had been involved in a cyberbullying incident. Of those children 66 percent of the parents said their child was a victim and 16 percent admitted that their child was the bully.
More shocking is that 32 percent of parents are unsure of their children’s online behaviours but 44 percent fear that their child’s online behaviour could involve coming in contact with an online predator.

While on the schoolyard the victims of bullies often are male when it comes to the cyberspace playground girls are the ones being bullied. Parents revealed that 86 percent of those bullied were their daughters compared to a rate of 55 percent when it came to their sons.

Computers are not the only tools being used as a weapon for cyberbullying. Cyberbullies turn to cell phones with middle schoolers using this tool more often.

Even though it’s not legal for children under the age of 13 to access social networking sites 43 percent of parents are comfortable when their children aged 8-12 have an account as long as the parents can supervise them. While almost half of parents claim they have an open dialogue with their children about their online behaviour 32 percent feel that they can’t control all the environments where their children have access to social networking. This access includes what their children are doing in school.

One wonders how parents can be comfortable with their underage children on Facebook considering these damning statistics.  Firstly, aiding your children in breaking a law is not a good example to set, and secondly, supervising your child’s internet and social media use is easier said than done.  Why does an 8-year old need a Facebook page anyway?

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Posted in Cyber Bullying, Social Media | Leave a Comment »

Too Many Underage Kids Use Facebook

May 11, 2011

I personally believe that the age restrictions for setting up a Facebook page is quite reasonable.  A child 13 and over is able to make far better decisions and possesses a much greater depth of perception and maturity than a pre-teen.  I think it is very unfortunate that millions of children under 13 have bypassed these restrictions and currently have their own Facebook accounts.  The potential harm of misusing Facebook can not be overstated:

Millions of children are active on Facebook in violation of the site’s terms of service, which require users to be at least 13 years old, according to a survey released Tuesday by Consumer Reports.

The magazine said it estimates that 7.5 million of the 20 million minors on Facebook are younger than 13. More than 5 million children in this group are 10 and younger. These youngsters are vulnerable to predators and bullies, as well as Internet viruses and malware, because they are using Facebook with little parental oversight, Consumer Reports said. The magazine said it projects “1 million children were harassed, threatened or subjected to other forms of cyberbullying on the site in the past year.”

Minors can skirt Facebook’s terms of service by falsifying their birth date when they register for the free site. Facebook has procedures in place to find underage users, including reports from other users, and will permanently delete those accounts if detected.

Consumer Reports said the best way for parents to monitor their children’s Facebook activities is to “friend” them via the site. However, only 18 percent of parents of children 10 and younger have done so. This figure rose to 62 percent for parents of children 13 and 14.

In a response to the Consumer Reports survey, Facebook noted that “there is no single solution to ensuring younger children don’t circumvent a system or lie about their age. We appreciate the attention that these reports and other experts are giving this matter and believe this will provide an opportunity for parents, teachers, safety advocates and Internet services to focus on this area, with the ultimate goal of keeping young people of all ages safe online.”

Online security is a concern for adults as well as minors. Consumer Reports’ survey showed that 21 perent of Facebook users with children at home have posted those children’s names and photos on the site. According to the magazine, 15 percent of Facebook users have posted their current location or travel plans and 34 percent have shared their full birth date. This exposes consumers to identity theft and stalking, Consumer Reports said. In addition, one in five Facebook users has not used the site’s privacy controls.

The magazine compiled its results from its national State of the Net survey, which covered 2,089 online households and was conducted earlier this year. About 150 million Americans are on Facebook.

The social networking company has addressed safety as recently as last month, announcing that it has revamped its Family Safety Center, an online portal with resources for parents and teens. Facebook also said in April  that it plans to release a free guide for teachers on how to safely use social media in the classroom.

“We agree with safety experts that communication between parents/guardians and kids about their use of the Internet is vital,” Facebook said, adding: “Just as parents are always teaching and reminding kids how to cross the road safely, talking about internet safety should be just as important a lesson to learn.”

So is it the role of a teacher to teach children about safe internet practices and responsible internet use?  Yes, to an extent.  However, as one of my readers, Anthony Purcell, wrote so succinctly in a comment on a similarly themed post:

I am a little frustrated that teachers are being the ones that are to teach children how to be good digital citizens. Where are the parents? They should be helping out as well. Unfortunately, I know that many parents don’t know how to be a good digital citizen. There are sites out there that teachers can build to help students out with this. Should they be on Twitter and Facebook in primary school? No, but we can set up ways to help them begin their good digital citizenship roles.

I couldn’t agree more.  Parents, we can only do so much to ensure that your children make responsible decisions on the internet as well as in other spheres.  The rest is up to you!

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Posted in Social Media | 5 Comments »

Encouraging Kids to Use Social Media is Not the Way to Go

May 2, 2011

My experiences in teaching has taught me that while we try to empower our kids to act responsibly at all times, reality suggests that the message doesn’t always filter through.  Sometimes, as unfair or overbearing as it sounds, it is simply naive to suggest that children can act with the responsibility and maturity required to warrant the rights and privileges of older individuals.

Facebook is a two-edged sword.  It has its benefits.  But even adults can’t ignore that there are risks to privacy involved.  The call to bring down the age restrictions of Facebook users from 13, to accommodate Primary students lacks foresight and ultimately makes little sense.  Sure you can teach them about privacy settings and warn them about cyber-bullying and cyber-safety, but sadly, there will always be frequent cases of misuse and bullying should the current restrictions be softened.

Soraya Darabi, social media correspondent for ABC America, disagrees:

PRIMARY school students should be receiving lessons in how to make the most of social media and how to protect themselves from its dangers and pitfalls, says a US specialist.

Soraya Darabi, social media correspondent for ABC America, says platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and a raft of newer sites have taken social media to a point where kids need to know how to control what they post online.

“We’re reaching the point where schools should be teaching best practice for social media, right from primary school age, and the importance of protecting their images and information online,” says Darabi.

“They need to know, for instance, that if they are using Twitter they should only be conveying information they are happy to have recorded in the Library of Congress for all time, because that is what’s happening.”

Four years ago, at the age of 23, Darabi helped The New York Times move into social media and she has more than 400,000 followers on Twitter. She says she uses a variety of sites to secure online privacy.

“You must have a few networks that are sacred. For me, anyone can follow me on Twitter. I only accept people as friends on Facebook if I have personally met them. And there’s a site called Path that I reserve for my closest 50 friends, and where I feel safer posting more personal stuff.

“My personality has changed so much online. I still post some personal things. I’m still playful on Twitter, but nowhere near as much as I used to be.

“There’s this whole thing with the personal-professional hybrid that social media is that we’re all still getting used to,” she says. Darabi is reticent about the future of social media; a five-year horizon is far too distant, she says.

Do you honestly think ten-year olds would uniformly accept only the friend requests from people they have met?  What is the point of a Primary aged child having a Twitter account anyway?  I have absolutely no issues in teaching the importance of privacy settings and alerting my students to cyber safety practices.  This is something I currently do.   But what is gained from lessons that “make the most of social media?”

Whilst it is essential to enlighten our children of the issues that arise from improper social media use, there is simply no good reason for Primary students having their own Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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Posted in Cyber Bullying, Cyber Safety, Social Media | 4 Comments »

Should Teachers be Dismissed for Leading Double Lives?

April 29, 2011

Whilst I don’t think it’s ideal for a teacher to be involved in the racy novel-writing industry, I’m not sure that the crime befits anything more than a ban on writing future novels.  A teacher caught involved in such activities hasn’t broken laws but they have somewhat tarnished their reputation.  Still, is it really worth more than a slap on the wrist?

Parental complaints have led Midd-West School District officials to investigate a veteran high school teacher who writes erotic romance novels under a pen name.

The teacher, Judy Buranich, of Selinsgrove, has taught at Midd-West for 33 years. Under the pen name Judy Mays, she has been writing novels for a number of those years. Her books include liaisons involving werewolves, aliens and vampires and can be found in the Romance section at Waldenbooks.

Buranich declined to comment about the controversy Wednesday.

On her website, she refers to herself as “a mild-mannered tenth grade English teacher in a small public high school.”

Wesley Knapp, superintendent of the Midd-West School District, said he has received a few complaints, but it was after The Daily Item approached him on April 18 to ask about the connection. Until then, he said, “I didn’t know anything about it.”

Knapp said he has told those making complaints “that we’d look into it.”

He declined to discuss the matter further.

“When it’s a personnel matter, I can’t comment,” he said.

Deanna Stepp, mother of a district student, said: “We are not questioning Mrs. Buranich’s teaching credentials. We are not even questioning her ability as a writer … . What we’re questioning is that the two jobs are not compatible with one another.”

Another parent, Wendy Apple, said she had Buranich as an English teacher in high school.

“I thought she was a top-of-the-line teacher,” Apple said.

But the erotica, she said, “is unethical, totally unacceptable. Period. It just sort of sickens and saddens me to know everybody’s sort of looking at this like, hey, this is OK.”

Apple has received comments and messages on her Facebook page, she said, from people who are attacking her for speaking out.

Apple said she heard the rumor from several students, and started during her own research. Although most of Buranich’s defenders are saying it’s not an issue because she does the writing on her own time, Apple said, “then how did these kids find out? These kids knew what kind of writer she was.”

As a result of her speaking out, which she had contemplated for about a month, Apple said her son, who has Buranich as a teacher, has received backlash at school as well.

“I wholeheartedly believe that more parents are looking at things the same way we are,” Apple said.

Writing as Mays on Facebook on April 22, Buranich said, “The world is full of idiots.”

She also referred to support she has gotten.

“I have a lot of people supporting me, including students and ex-students,” she wrote.

She wrote that she hopes the expose will make the sales of her books go up, and already has.

Meanwhile, a Facebook page titled “Support Judy Mays (Mrs. Buranich)” hit 88 likes by Wednesday afternoon.

Cindy Wagner, manager, at Waldenbooks, said the novels are under the category of “Romance,” not “Erotica” at the bookstore. She said the books are already tagged when they arrive, and she simply places them on the shelves according to those tags.

So should teachers be allowed to lead a double life?  At what point would they be taking it too far?  Do you think that the parents of Ms. Buranich have what to complain about?  Do you agree that she should be advised to quit writing these novels while she is still teaching?

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Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

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