When I first created my main facebook account in 2008 (I've created seven), I didn't know that I would be a little square in the 500M+ global photo mosaic that is now fb. I created multiply and myspace accounts that same year (Sorry friendster, you were SO yesterday in '08.), but in truth, I no longer recall my passwords and usernames for both. Like most trends, social network sites come and promise us the moon, then go and deliver more problems than features. Facebook, on the other hand, has been good for our school, since we've begun using our fb official pages as a means of marketing our programs and keeping in touch with students, teachers, parents and alumni. I have noticed too, as I unobtrusively browse my newsfeed while sipping early morning and afternoon coffee (twice a day?!), that people tend to open up more in their statuses, in their links and surveys, in the comments they post. Psychology 101 at work. People reply faster via fb message than on e-mail; videos and pictures load faster as well (Kudos to mobile facebook and photo-sharing apps!).
I will not write about facebook anymore. You readers probably know more about it than I do, but I intend to reprint what it has done, and is currently doing for education, cyber-safety, and other key issues for students, teachers, and families that can no longer hide from the inevitable status update and like button. In this era of connectivity and instant messaging, it is prudent for adults who work with young people to take a serious look at facebook, twitter, tumblr, posterous, and other life-sharing social sites out there in digiland. Adults should in fact LEARN TO JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION--CREATIVELY AND RESPONSIBLY. No ifs or buts about it. We don't want to remain digital immigrants forever, mired in our outdated preconceptions of new technologies.
Immediately below is facebook's article on safety guidelines for teens, which ALL SCHOOLS must include in their ICT curriculum:
http://www.facebook.com/safety/groups/teens/
Playing It Safe
How you present yourself on Facebook says a lot about who you are—just like what you say and do at school or with your friends. In all public places, online and off, it’s important to represent yourself as the kind of person you want to be.
The Importance of Being You
Facebook is a community where people use their real names and identities, so we’re all accountable for our actions. It’s against the Facebook Terms to lie about your name or age. Help us keep the community safe by reporting fake profiles to Facebook if you ever see them.
Think Before You Post
It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and fire off a comment that may seem hilarious at the time. But remember, what you say can really hurt someone, or come back to haunt you. Think before you post. It only takes a second or two. Ask yourself if you really want to say it. Make sure you don’t mind if your friends, classmates, or teachers hear about it later.
At the same time, we all make mistakes. If you find yourself wishing you hadn’t said or done something, it’s never too late to apologize.
Don’t Talk to Me Anymore
If you ever receive hurtful or abusive messages or posts on your profile page you have options. Depending on how serious the situation is, you can ignore it, ask the person to stop, unfriend or block the person, or tell your parents, a teacher, a counselor, or another adult you trust. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.
Report Abusive Content
Be sure to always report abusive content—whether it’s on your profile page, or someone else’s. You can also report inappropriate Pages, Groups, Events and fake or impostor profiles. (Remember that reporting is anonymous, so no one will know who made the report.)
This article is for teachers and their vital role as online role models:Tips for Teens
- Don’t share your password with anyone.
- Only accept friend requests from people you know.
- Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your parents, teachers, or employer to see.
- Be authentic. The real you is better than anything you might pretend to be.
- Learn about privacy settings, and review them often.
http://www.facebook.com/safety/groups/teachers/
Teaching Digital Kids
Technology is all around us, and your students don’t stop using cell phones and social media when they get to school. Both in and out of the classroom, teachers can play an important role in keeping teens safe.
Model Citizenship
Today’s teens are growing up in a digital world. Though most adults aren’t as active with social media and new technologies, teens are still looking to them for examples of how to be good citizens—online and offline. That’s why we encourage educators to engage with students online. Please keep in mind that different schools and districts have varying policies about the use of social media in the classroom. Be sure to understand your school’s guidelines.
Facebook in the Classroom
You can use Facebook as a communications hub. Create a public page or smaller closed group for your classes to keep parents informed, distribute homework or permission slips, and share photos or videos from classroom activities or field trips. Anyone can like a page on Facebook, and students who do will see updates in their News Feed. Groups, on the other hand, allow you to limit membership to only those you approve. You can also email all the members of a group.
Read this blog post to learn more about the differences between pages and groups.
Both Personal and Professional
Maintaining a page or group is also a great way to establish a presence as a teacher without blurring the line between your personal and professional lives. You can interact with parents, students and colleagues via your page or group, called something like “Ms. Smith’s 9th Grade Science Class.” Again, be sure to understand and comply with your school’s social media policies.
Keeping Private Things Private
If you do decide to use Facebook pages or groups to engage with your students, make sure to customize your privacy settings to that they reflect the amount of information you want to share with people who know you from school. As you review your settings, you can click the Preview My Profile button on your Privacy Settings page to see how your page looks to most people on Facebook.
You can also model safe behavior by being careful about what you share online.
Report Abuse
If you see inappropriate content, please report it to us so we can review it. We remove reported items if they violate our Terms.
You and your students can also block another person from finding you in a search, viewing your profile, or sending you a message.
Tips for Teachers
- Know your school’s policy on using social media in the classroom, and comply.
- Use public pages for your classes to post homework assignments and other updates.
- Use groups to control membership and facilitate discussion.
- Be a role model of a good online citizen.
- Report inappropriate content to Facebook.
And here's a very useful article for parents of teens who are 'digital natives' :
http://www.facebook.com/safety/groups/parents/
Help Your Teens Play it Safe
For years, teenagers spent much of their free time talking to friends on the phone. Today’s teens aren’t so different. They just have more ways to communicate.
What’s My Teen Doing on Facebook?
Just like adults, teens use Facebook to connect with friends—through chat, personal messages and sharing photos, videos, links and other kinds of information. They use Facebook to announce achievements, wish each other a happy birthday and plan social events - like going to a movie or a friend’s house.
Who Can See My Teen’s Profile?
The only people who can see what teens post are their Facebook friends, friends of friends, and networks (like the school they attend). We maintain added protections and security settings for teens (age 13-17) that ensure their profiles and posts don’t show up in public search results. Similarly, if teens share their location through Places, only their Facebook friends can see it.
Start a Conversation
Parents don’t need to be social media experts in order to ask questions and begin an ongoing dialog with teens. Have conversations about safety and technology early and often, in the same way that you talk to your kids about being safe at school, in the car, riding public transportation, or playing sports.
One of the best ways to begin a conversation is to ask your teens why services like Facebook are important to them. You might also ask them to show you how to set up your own Facebook profile, so you can see what it’s all about. Discuss what’s appropriate information to share online—and what isn’t. Ask them about privacy settings, and suggest that you go over them together, regularly. Set ground rules, and enforce them.
Learn from Your Teen
Today’s teens have grown up with the internet, cell phones and text messaging. Most don’t distinguish between being online or off. New technology has always been a part of their lives, so when we write it off as trivial or a waste of time, we criticize a big part of their social interaction. You probably know this already, but unless you’re really on top of social media, your teenager most likely knows more about it than you do. That’s OK. Don’t be afraid to ask your child to show you the ropes!
It’s about Respect
It’s also important to talk about the Golden Rule: treating others the way you want to be treated. This also applies to using new technologies. Make sure your teens know where to go for support if someone ever harasses them. Help them understand how to make responsible and safe choices about what they post—because anything they put online can be misinterpreted or taken out of context.
Once You’re On Facebook...
If you have a Facebook profile, and have friended your child, try to respect the same boundaries you use offline. Let your relationship dictate how you interact. For example, whether you join a conversation among your child’s friends or if you post on their wall. Think of social media as a get-together at one of your child’s friends’ houses. You can give permission for your teen to attend, and even though you won’t be there to monitor their behavior, you trust your teen to have good judgment around peers and other parents. It’s all about balancing your teen’s growing independence and need for privacy with your safety concerns.
See our Tools page for more information and resources for parenting on the web.
Learn the Lingo
Friends? Friends of Friends? Like? Poke? Wall? Learn what all these terms mean in theFacebook Help Center.
Tips for Parents
- It can be tough to keep up with technology. Don’t be afraid to ask your kids to explain it to you.
- If you're not already on Facebook, consider joining. That way you'll understand what it's all about!
- Create a Facebook group for your family so you will have a private space to share photos and keep in touch.
- Teach your teens the online safety basics so they can keep their Facebook profile (and other online accounts) private and safe.
- Talk about technology safety just like you talk about safety while driving and playing sports.
Start a Conversation with your Teen
- Do you feel like you can tell me if you ever have a problem at school or online?
- Help me understand why Facebook is important to you.
- Can you help me set up a Facebook profile?
- Who are your friends on Facebook?
- I want to be your friend on Facebook. Would that be OK with you? What would make it OK?
No comments:
Post a Comment