To Facebook or not to Facebook?

MySpace, Facebook, MSN Messenger, Twitter, the list goes on! Social networking has taken the world (particularly the teenage world) by storm in the past few years however, with it has came the imminent issue of cyber bullying.

According to BBC (2007), the news corporation iterates that social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace expose users to high risks of cyber bullying, with around 39% of social network users being bullied in some way.

I know first-hand that most of my learners engage with these sites on a regular basis and even worse that some students have experienced cyber bullying as a result. In terms of social networking and the issue of cyber bullying, I would use this technology as a tool to teach students about how to interact online in a healthy, alert and conscious manner. Such an activity could be a particularly effective and worthwhile if used in the context of a Personal Development Education (PDE) subject where students can explore the ethics of social networking in a safe and supportive environment.

By doing this, it conforms to Kearsley and Shneiderman’s Engagement Theory (1999) as the learning task provides clear links to real-life contexts as many of the students regularly engage with this particular technology and need to be educated in terms of the ethics and netiquette surrounding such usage.

References:
BBC 2007, Cyber bullying gathers pace in US, viewed 19 August 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6245798.stm.

Kearsley, G & Shneiderman, B 1999, Engagement Theory: A Framework for technology-based teaching and learning, viewed 24 July, 2009, http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm.