Browsing around some TechEd sites, I came across this piece by a grad student at UC: Berkley about the relationship between students and teachers as it relates to social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Yes, it’s seven pages, but worth a read. I admit I was skeptical about Ms. Boyd’s viewpoints, especially after reading Andy Carvin’s blog post about a teacher who was fired for encouraging students to visit her MySpace profile:

I still see a role for educators to use MySpace and other sites, even if it’s just to have a presence there. That way, students realize that they don’t have the run of the place, and that their teachers aren’t as technologically clueless as they might otherwise think.
- Andy Carvin

In my opinion, a great deal of the appeal social networking sites offer to students is the distance it places between them and the adult-centric world in which teenagers live. Educators who proactively attempt to “have a presence” on sites like Facebook, according to Carvin, should do so as an intimidation tactic, the equivalent of a parent putting a GPS locater in your car. It simply plays into the [what I thought was a] delusion most teenagers have of adults always interfering in their private lives. This is irresponsible.

But after reading Ms. Boyd’s essay, I saw how educators could potentially use these sites as a tool to help students. According to Boyd, teachers should make sure they:

Do not go surfing for your students, but if they invite you to be Friends, say yes. This is a sign that they respect you. Write a kind comment back to them if appropriate and make certain to respond to comments that you receive. If something concerns you, privately ask why they chose to put a particular item up on their page, rather than criticise their profiles. Ask about their lives; don’t demand that they behave as you’d wish. Show that you care, not that you dictate.
- Danah Boyd

Teachers acting in such a manner could conceivably serve as a vital support network for certain students. Unfortunately, this rule seems to be the one few if any adults operate under when interacting on social networking sites “for the benefit of the children.” From the stories we all hear of educators researching job candidates on Facebook, to parents punishing their children for pictures they find on MySpace, the main reason adults will use these sites is exactly what Boyd says not to do - they go searching for their students/applicants/kids. In other words, what began as a method of escaping the control of adults becomes another way for parents to track their kids. Though, admittedly, it is a small, small fraction of parents who actively use MySpace to keep an eye on their kids.

But when you get to the bottom line, teenagers are always going to be a step ahead technology-wise. If adults “infiltrate” the social networking sites, kids will find a new place to escape to from the rules and regulations of normal life. But if you’re an adult who, for whatever reason, wants to get involved in Facebook or MySpace (my mom actually has a Facebook account - but neither me nor my sister accepted her friend request), try to stick more to Boyd’s philosophy than Carvin’s (no disrespect intended).

#m

Glad you found Danah’s work. She’s one of the most eloquent researchers when it comes to social networking. And I hope you don’t think I’m against social networking - quite the opposite. I think they’re an enormously powerful tool. I’m just skeptical about MySpace as a primary tool in education because it’s a commercial space for marketing and didn’t take online safety seriously for a long time. Unfortunately, many people equate all social networks with myspace, so the others suffer because of it.

btw, if you want to see the educational power of social networking, go straight to http://www.takingitglobal.org. They’re a social network of more than 100,000 students in 200 countries collaborating on social justice issues. Yes, you’ll occasionally find nuggets of education in MySpace, but they get muffled in the noise. And since MySpace has such a bad rap in educational and political circles, it still remains a hard sell for teachers to embrace, whatever the potential benefits. It’s hard to invite your students over to a friend’s house for a study group when that house has a reputation as a place for parties when the parents are out of town.

Lastly, I’d encourage you check out my other writings on social networks to give you a broader sense of my perspective, if it’s of interest:

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/social_networking/

As you’ll see, Danah and I are in agreement probably 95% of the time, for whatever that’s worth.

take care,
andy

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