Text messaging and the social media platforms Twitter and Facebook offer truly amazing instructional opportunities. Faculty members, in both online and traditional classes, are reportedly "going where the students are." Some instructors are organizing entire courses around the latest digital tools. Facebook, for instance, can be used as a course management system.
As with all technological advances, however, there are potential pitfalls. Privacy is a concern, as widely reported recently regarding consternation over Facebook's latest upgrade. There are copyright and intellectual property issues when instructors post material on the Web for student use. Sometimes teachers don't check with their school's policies before going full steam on a new platform. Institutions may have contracts with companies that exclude other entities. Students must all have access to the same level of sophisticated devices and software.
Let's not forget more subtle issues as well. Is it a good idea to Tweet students to remind them of an impending deadline or exam? Shouldn't they be learning to accept responsibility for such tasks themselves? Texting a student who skips class with "Missed you!" could, let us say, backfire in a host of ways. Online chat rooms can get weird quickly, with the instructor's name prominently displayed on top.
Recently, Faculty Focus posted a handy list of do's and don'ts, based on an online seminar called, "How Administrators Can Avoid Social Media Landmines," presented by Deborah Gonzalez and Rob Jenkins. They outline a number of social media scenarios that pose potential risk with regards to freedom of speech, privacy, accessibility, copyrights, intellectual property, and cyber-bullying.
The 90-minute seminar also incudes tips faculty and administrators should consider before adopting social media. Here's the link, which includes access to the for-purchase seminar. The Faculty Focus piece includes a useful free outline of the principal do's and don'ts.
Perhaps the subject would make a good campus in-service program, allowing teachers to share their experiences.
Comments