(Posted by Dughall)
A couple of nights ago I was following a discussion on Twitter with the theme ‘How do schools educate parents as to the risks and benefits of Web 2.0 tools in Schools?‘ Although the discussion title was about Web 2.0 tools, the flow of conversation was themed more around Social Networking. This discussion has also been blogged by Stephen Anderson.
This is particularly interesting to me as I am seeing evidence of a greater awareness of social networking amongst our youngsters and evidence or a greater involvement in these networks by the children themselves. Last week, I was working with groups of 6 and 7 year old children. One of the questions I asked them was ‘How do your older brothers/sisters, Mum or Dad use the internet?’ Without exception, the first answer I was given was ‘Facebook’. I also had responses that included ‘Email’, ‘Ebay’, ‘Shopping’, ‘Games’ etc.
I have also worked with Y5 (9-10 yr olds) and asked the question ‘How do you use the internet?’ Guess what some of them say? Yes. ‘Facebook’ When I point out that Facebook’s Terms and Conditions point out that ‘ You will not use Facebook if you are under 13′, these same children often say ‘Well my Mum/Dad set up the account for me’. Is this worrying? Should we be concerned?
So social networking is clearly something that young people are ‘into’; it is out there in the world and they are engaging with it and it is here to stay. But do schools have a responsibility to do anything about it? Can they ignore it as something that happens outside school? These questions set me thinking about my own education in the 1970s. My teachers (as with today’s teachers) were charged with giving me the best possible preparation for the world I was to enter when leaving school. This included a thorough grounding in the full range of communication skills I would need: how to talk appropriately in various situations, how to write various genres of letter, how to write and speak persuasively etc. I got a great education in this respect. The world is different now. There are new and different forms of communication out there afforded by Web 2.0 tools and social media such as Facebook that didn’t exist when I was 10. I believe it is the responsibility of today’s schools to prepare young people for a world that includes these new forms of communication and this means educating them on the benefits and dangers therein. I have already mentioned how I believe the Learning Platform can be used as a vehicle for important e-safety learning, and I’d reiterate the importance of using it to help children learn how to use Web 2.0 tools appropriately and (more importantly) safely.
What about parents? I think that it is vitally important to have parental involvement when discussing the benefits/dangers of social media.
With anything new, I believe it is best to introduce it with the youngest children (in age-appropriate ways). Also, with these youngsters, it is often much easier to ‘capture’ the parents at the same time – the younger the child, the greater the degree of parental involvement. We have a Learning Platform that includes many Web 2.0 features – blogs, fora, quizzes, surveys, ratings etc. I would advise, when first introducing the platform, that a letter be sent home to all parents with important information about this environment and about its positive aspects and also inviting them in to a launch event. At the launch, I would urge parents to see engagement with the LP as a ’side-by-side’ activity that they do with the children. This, I believe, sets the tone for a healthy relationship between child/parent/social media for the coming years. I would also urge teachers to constantly deliver a message around e-safety and appropriate usage of the tools as the LP is used broadly through the children’s schooling.
This bottom-up model is all very well for kids just entering school and (as I say) can set the tone at the start. What to do, though, with older kids where Social Media engagement is already under way and embedded in their lives? Here I’m inclined to agree with those that advocate a side-by-side approach involving openness, dialogue and all parties in a sharing of the benefits/drawbacks. I agree with Drew Buddie’ Twitter comments when he says “Parents learning to use WITH their children can help banish MANY of the fears & worries” and “TRUST between parent & child is VERY important”.
Let’s involve parents at the start and keep that level of involvement going throughout a child’s schooling. That way we stand a chance of producing safe, well rounded and well prepared young adults who are able to use technological tools for collaboration and life-long learning.
Image courtesy of Jacob Botter’s Flickrstream
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