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Why I wont be your Facebook friend…
Facebook is certainly not new anymore. In fact it is ubiquitous. Do we even e-mail our friends these days? Should we approach it differently as teachers?
Sure, I use e-mail at work, but my Facebook icon is first in my bookmarks, and while I check personal e-mail at least a few times a week, I check Facebook twice a day if not more. Most of my friends from senior school, university, my old job, my current workplace, and church are in my network. I would certainly be less connected without this neat web application.
However, this presents a problem…
If I think I am connected through Facebook, it is truly nothing compared to most of my students. I teach 90 students this year and 81 of them admit (in an anonymous survey) to having a Facebook account. I have learned through conversation with them that they are at least as addicted as I am. Many of them have hundreds of friends, post innumerable videos and pictures on line (including some of me, I hear 
). And…
Some of them want to friend request me…
My answer will always be no. For a number of reasons:
- Teachers should not be friends with students. The relationship is one with a duty of care, and I truly do feel affection for my students (well, most of them;-) ), but it is not an equal relationship. The closest relationship I have with any of my students is a mentor relationship, where I am the mentor and they are the protege. The fact that facebook calls the members of a network friends should instantly fire off warning bells for teachers. I was even uncomfortable with the interactions between educators and Arthus over the summer… our colleagues are our equals, not our students, it can never be healthy for us or them if we alter that relationship.
- Facebook is a not a carefully moderated environment. I cannot control the posts of others, or even save the all of the actions of others to use for my own protection. If a student were to accuse me of inproper conduct it may be impossible for me to defend myself. It is almost as dangerous as meeting with a student on your own in a room with a closed door and no windows.
- Teachers and students should interact in an educational environment. Facebook is a social environment. Almost every school now has technology tools like e-mail, wikis, blogs and discussion boards. They are maintained, moderated, and with logs stored by the school system. This is the place for an educational connection to take place. I would not meet my students at starbucks… the school building is the right place.
- Many students use this tool inappropriately and we need to understand it so that we can help them avoid the big ” boo boos”. We can only help them know what content to post, how to make their profiles secure and decide who to accept as friends, if we have gone through those processes ourselves.
- Facebook uses a number of Web2.0 applications like forums, groups, blogging (notes), instant messaging etc. If we can make connections to this in our use of similar applications in the classroom it will help students transfer the skills they are building at home.
- I also see no problem with us using Facebook to connect with some alumni… with much care. Facebook is the best way to continue mentoring former students. It is easy to set up privacy controls that block alumni from photographs, videos, and even wall posts. I would only connect with students whose parents you know, who you have had a significant connection with in the past, and in a professional manner. The most important rule with alumni, I believe, is that you let them initiate contact. I have been e-mailing with alumni for years on this basis and, I think, it is now time to move to Facebook - although my gut says I may have to revise this position
. Feedback on this would be helpful 