Friending students on Facebook (and not getting yourself in trouble)
I have to qualify the whole "not getting yourself in trouble" thing. It's possible your school district may have policies against friending students on Facebook. If you work in one of these districts, you probably don't want to test them. And as always, there is a standard "Don't be stupid rule" which always applies.
Facebook began a few years back as a way for students at a single college to network. Eventually, it expanded to more and more colleges, and now to the world at large. It seems like everyone who has ever seen a computer now has a Facebook account (except for my parents). I have one, and I use it to keep in touch with old friends, where time and distance doesn't allow for telephone calls or visits. High school reunions in the digital age are going to be interesting. Everyone who I would talk to at my reunion is already on my Facebook, so I never really lost track of them. Just random food for thought.
Anyway, at the start of the school year, the thought of "friending" a student on Facebook gave me chills. My Facebook page is pretty benign, I've shown it to my parents and grandparents without embarrassment. However, I didn't want my students to see that much of my personal life, nor the occasional "my classes really annoyed me today" status post. However, one day during my planning period, I was reading a blog from a teacher, who said that posting his homework on Facebook, and using Facebook chat to provide extra help to students was working wonders for homework completion. It makes sense - I spend a lot of time on Facebook. I have to assume that validation-hungry teenagers would be spending even more time on Facebook.
So, now, with Facebook's new privacy settings, I'm happy to say that it is possible to Friend students on Facebook, but still keep that crazy Saturday night a secret. All Facebook activity is logged, and if there was ever an issue, Facebook tends to be very cooperative with law enforcement. Anyway, on that note, here is a screencast on how to "student-proof" your Facebook profile.
A few words of warning first:
1) Don't be stupid - remember that people will judge you not based on what you do, but what it looks like you are doing. Anything you put where students can see it should be appropriate. If you write on a student's Wall, it should be AND SHOULD LOOK appropriate. Also, remember that it's easier to misunderstand intentions in text than in person. Be careful.
2) You will learn more about your students than you ever wanted to know. I'm reading a status post by one of my students right now " drunk az hellz". She is 15. I really didn't want to know that about this student, and it gets on my nerves. You have to roll your eyes and move on. If you are thinking of responding to a post like this, I would ask you to refer to the previous warning.
If you can't see the video below, the original is at http://www.screencast.com/t/j3WmLMdTA
