Social Media Smackdown Presenters Roy Hickman, Moderator David Palme, Con Stance Jeff Trudell, Pro Stance

What is Social Media? Any website that enables users to create public profiles and form relationships with other users. Interpreted from:

Some examples are: Facebook Youtube Google + MySpace Twitter Bebo LinkedIn Friendster Classmates.com

What role should social media have in education, specifically K-12? Many teachers want social networking websites accessible to students because they can provide tools for teaching in a way that engages and captivates young minds. Others argue that social networking websites compromise safety, are disruptive, and could even be a liability for schools.

7/1/12 schools must amend their existing Internet safety policy to provide for the education of minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking sites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response Internet safety policy must also include “monitoring” the online activities of minors Schools “may” need to update their AUP on social media and education of students. Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act - CIPA Update

Creating a school Facebook page sounds like a good idea, but.... Mansfield ISD, Texas... MISD recently decided to shut down its Facebook page after spending nearly two years building a following of some 7,000 "friends," others using or interested in using social media in their communications programs took notice. The big question was why? In an explanatory blog post the district said the site's commenting feature was causing disruptions and making MISD a liable participant "in issues related to sharing of private student information, defamation of employees and other abusive online behavior." Bottom line: the district was not willing or able to commit the staff resources required to adequately monitor and moderate the incoming content. shut down its Facebook page abusive online behavior Video link: pagehttp:// page

This debate is so strong... This past July Missouri passed a law which restricts private online communication between teachers and students. The law has been challenged and blocked in court... For now. 16/Real_Risk_of_Missouri_Social_Media_Law_is_Over-Zealous_Enforcement.aspx

Creative Development Social networking sites allow for creative expression in a new medium. They provide free messaging, blogging, photo storage, games, event invitations, and many other services to anyone with access to a computer and the Internet.

Sexual Solicitations 43% of online sexual solicitors were identified as being adolescents (under 18), 30% were adults between the ages of 18 and 21, 9% were adults over the age of 21 (as of Dec. 31, 2008).

Making a Difference On Nov. 3, 2008, the day before the US presidential election, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama had 2,379,102 Facebook supporters while Republican candidate John McCain had 620,359. Obama had 833,161 MySpace friends and McCain had 217,811. Obama had 384% more Facebook supporters and 383% more MySpace friends than McCain.

Effects of Facebook According to studies, middle school, high school and college students looking at Facebook at least one time during a 15-minute study break made lower grades. In addition, many young Facebook users show more tendencies to be narcissistic.

Have and Have Not's Social media helps low-income kids become more familiar with computers and related technology. One study showed that nearly three quarters of children from poor households have profiles on MySpace or Facebook. By using these websites, they have learned how to edit and upload photos and videos, and have become experienced in using html code to personalize their profile pages.

Time Wasting Social networking sites entice people to spend more time online and less time interacting face-to- face. The sites offer many time wasting activities that supplant more productive activities. Teens spend an average of nine hours per week on social networking sites. Connect.pdf

Peer Support In one study students report that one of the most common topics of conversation on the social networking scene is education. Almost 60 percent of students who use social networking talk about education topics online and, surprisingly, more than 50 percent talk specifically about schoolwork.

Digital Tatoos Teens growing up with these sites may not be aware that the information they post is public and that photos and text can be retrieved even after deletion. Consequences from over-sharing personal information include vulnerability to sexual or financial predators and lost job opportunities from employers finding embarrassing photos or comments.

Solutions & Workarounds

References & Resources