Why Schools Should Allow Social Networking…(Follow Up)

I blogged yesterday stating the merits of schools and school districts to allow students to access social media sites while in school. In doing my usual news search this morning, I found this and thought it was interesting to write about. Very timely.

The headline reads from NJ.com,

Facebook sparks fights at Union County high school, discussion on networking site’s risks

Oh man, just as I suspected. Controversy! The article goes on to say, “Administrators at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School want to hold sessions for parents and students to talk about social networking websites after two lunchtime fights — sparked by disputes on Facebook — broke out in the school cafeteria.

“This goes further than bullying 30 or 40 years ago when you would get a bloody nose on the playground,” said Norman Whitehouse, president of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood school board. “A community is a family of sorts, and you want to look out for each other and make sure kids don’t feel harmed.”

The article goes on to say, “Jack Aiello, a psychology professor at Rutgers University who has studied the effects of social media, said problems arise online because messages can spread quickly and to a large group of people.

“It makes children even more vulnerable, because they are so concerned about what people think,” he said.

The clashes at the Union County high school came on the heels of an incident at the Terrill Middle School in Scotch Plains last month, when several students were given in-school suspensions for making fun of another student on Facebook, Superintendent Margaret Hayes said.

“Learning to get along with one another is part of growing up,” Hayes said. “This is something children work through and get past.”

While I think we would all agree that bullying is not a good thing, I still believe using social media in a controlled environment can be a powerful learning experience for a young person. I’m a firm believer in being where the students are, in this case online and social media, makes learning much more fun and interactive.

Advertisement