Another school year has come to an end. We did it!! What has been one of your biggest challenges?
As I reflect on the year, one of mine has been dealing with students who have access to social media via their cell phones, iPads, and laptops. Do you have similar concerns? How are you and your school colleagues making sense of this?
As an assistant principal at Gray-New Gloucester High
School in Gray, Maine, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard: “Why can’t we just block all
of those social media apps?” “Students should not have cell phones in school.
If they need to use the phone, they can use the one in the Main Office.”
“Students have little to no attention span today. They are just too distracted
by Facebook, SnapChat, Instant Messenger, Flickr, games, and all that other
stuff.” Sometimes, after listening to their concerns, I can only respond by
saying, “Well, it’s complicated.”
Back in February, I heard about danah boyd’s book, It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. First, it helped me calm down a bit and see the world
through the lens of our high school students who, like us, are trying to make
sense of a wired world.
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Boyd’s book is filled with solid research and intriguing stories
about the teens that she interviewed. One key takeaway for me was the concept
of “context collapse.” She says, “Like adults, teenagers are figuring out how
to present themselves in different contexts.” Think about how we have our
different contexts: our school email, our home email, Facebook, Pinterest, and different
websites and apps that reflect our uniqueness. Boyd reminds us that what is
different today is that all of this is so public, and that messages can be
misunderstood and misinterpreted so quickly. This we do know...that the
consequences can be serious, damaging, and occasionally, even dangerous for our
students.
We need to teach our students how to stay safe online and how
to develop clear boundaries. Is there more we can do? Keeping Kids Safe is one
organization in Maine that can help. Check out these sites for more ideas: Digital Resources Roundup, Internet Safety Rules of the Road, Prevent Cyber-Bullying, and Guide to Social Media. Ways to use social media effectively are summarized here: Social Media in Schools.
Yes, we need clear policies, procedures, and guidelines. Yet,
I also believe that we need to respect and validate our students’ experiences...their need for privacy, their need for clarity and boundaries, their curiosity,
and their need to engage in meaningful dialogue with caring and thoughtful
adults who are willing to help them learn how to navigate through their complicated
world.
So, what do you think? What are you and your schools doing
to address these issues?
