Facebook Friends

Facebook Friends?

Since human being exist, they have been exposed to socialize and become friends each other. Among the several ways to be friends Facebook offers a modern one. However to be or not to be Facebook friends in an option, as accept teachers or students as friends is a personal decision. Even though if it is a choice is not the most recommendable one, taking on count there are more formal sources than Facebook . In this essay we are going to discuss whether be friends or not with teachers on Facebook should be or not. Some points to consider will be; Facebook as an important tool to support classes, what’s the purpose to teachers and students being Facebook friends, some risks that teachers and students as Facebook friends posed and be or not be Facebook friends as everyone’s preference.

In Pamela B. Rutledge’s (2011) article; should Teachers and Students Be Facebook Friends? The author exposes that it can allow teachers to some beneficial situations; post and share very useful information, teachers can be informed of what is going on in the kid’s live and it also allow teachers become a model for them not just in reality, but also in cyber reality. However she let clear there are certain boundaries which have to be respected. So it cannot be denied that Facebook plays an important communicational space, where you can get a lot of information. Of course Facebook can be used for teachers as a tool to share resources and publish homework and academics topics, but to do that, they should be sure to create specifically groups respecting privacy settings. In that way it will be clear those space’s purposes.

It’s clear how useful social media could be in academic situations. And even Facebook is a network which, in fact, was born as a project of some students, suddenly this network acquired high levels of fame and it becomes a cyber place where too many people share pictures, events and publications about their personal life. It means that people use it more as a way to communicate, express and share their lives than an academic tool. This mixed let open a gap where to be connected with students and teachers means not just to know about homework, assignments and tasks, but also their lives, their hobbies, habits, the good ones and bad ones, too. In the article the author said that teachers can be aware about what is going on in kids’ lives, but the same article denotes that it seems to exist a blanket policy prohibiting teachers from interacting on social networks with students. For this and more accept teachers and students as friends can suppose a deal for both of them, and both of them have right to privacy.

According to: “At least 40 school districts nationwide have approved social media policies. Schools in New York City and Florida have disciplined teachers for Facebook activity, and Missouri legislators recently acquiesced to teachers' objections to a strict statewide policy”. Recent events have shown how students and even teachers can suffer bullying or in the worse of the cases sexual harassment through Facebook. They have been some countries which have been attending these policies. Even the article does not address this sort of risks they exist and are proven. There are not all schools, high schools and colleges which have this regulations, in those cases teachers and students as Facebook friends is a personal choice.

The author also says if teachers and students (and their educational institutions do not prohibited) become facebook friends they have to respect their boundaries, however this could be an unnecessary risk and it’s better to find other cyber space to share knowledge, a good one which doesn’t interfere with personal life and provide either for teachers as students a trustful place where knowledge can be shared and better developed without interference of personal nature.

References:

Rutledge,

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