I conclude by agreeing with you that not all social networking sites should be blocked.

My class just started one here:
My Class Blog

I think the bigger issue is that districts (and now the government) are seeking to ban or block ALL social networking sites — including blogs.

MySpace was just the first site banned/blocked by districts — and this was primarily due to the bad press that the site was getting.

My concern is that the district/policy-maker response has been to ban/block rather than teach.

You are very correct in pointing out that we don’t teach safe sex by allowing students to read adult magazines or through hands-on practice — but safe sex education does involve providing information.

At this point, very few educators are even “providing information” about social networking skills — much less providing hands-on practice though sites like think.com or through class blogs and wikis.

If we block or ban these sites/tools then fewer teachers will teach these skills.

I don’t believe that students must interact with MySpace to comprehend appropriate social networking skills — there are many other sites/tools out there that are better suited to the task of teaching these skills.

However, I am greatly concerned about how our students are using the site (and similar sites) when they aren’t under our supervision — especially when so few teachers are helping the students develop safe online practices.

Thank you for your comments on this post — you have pushed me to think more deeply about the implications of student/teacher access, social network skills and practice, and education policy.

Thank you for your response.

Do students need to interact with MySpace to comprehend appropriate social networking skills? We don’t teach safe sex by allowing students to read Penthouse.

While I agree that we must educate students about appropriate means of communication, does that necessitate MySpace passing through the district filters? The kids online know about it, interact with it, and understand all its intricacies better than we can.

Thanks,
Steve

Thank you for your comments — perhaps I should restate the anaolgies that I am making here:

Teaching abstinance means telling kids “not to have sex”
Banning MySpace (and other social networking sites) which means telling kids “not to use MySpace”

Abstinance teaching = no discussion of safe sex practices

Blocking/Banning MySpace = no discussion of safe internet use

Abstinance teaching # (does not equal) kids not having sex

Blocking/Banning MySpace # kids not using MySpace

So — in other words — abstinance teaching and blocking/banning these sites DOES NOT result in changed adolescent behavior.

The other analogy relating to playing on the sidewalk (not on the school playground which hopefully is gated and monitored) is comparing the dangers of the web with the other dangers in life.

We go out of our way to teach children how to safely cross the street or how to safely drive a car. We do not ban these things from our children out of fear that they will be abducted from the sidewalk or killed in an automobile accident.

You are correct in stating that we must be sensible. I believe “being sensible” means teaching students how to communicate clearly and how to use digital tools effectively and professionally so that they are prepared to enter a workforce where social networking tools and blogs will simply be a part of daily work.

Having said all of that — I want to add that all of us want essentially the same thing — we want our children to be safe, protected from predators, and to grow up to become intelligent, responsible and productive citizens who can communicate and use technology effectively and efficiently.

Respectfully,
Stephanie