If you're asking about whether students should be allowed to use the internet at school for personal reasons rather than for schoolwork, I would personally have reservations. The high costs of bandwidth aside, ICT resources are under pressure in most schools and are generally provided specifically to help with teaching and learning. That said, some learning management systems are taking cues from social networking sites and integrating similar functions. Allowing student access to these sorts of resources at a 'recreational' level could be useful in helping them develop safe and responsible behaviours for when they go online in an unmoderated environment.

Using sites like Bebo is indeed part of many young peoples socialisation, and is for most is no different to meeting up at a mall, friends house, or some other offline venue. One teacher recently said to me, "If you sat behind a group of teenagers at the movies, you'd probably be astounded at some of the language and what they talked about there too!".

Hi!

 

Regarding the use of sites and services like social networks, video sharing sites, etc. in a school, I'm for it. Indeed kids and teens use these sites as part of their socialisation and I think that forbidening the use of these resources is a lost battle. I think that teachers can integrate these sites by creating a group with their students. But this is more for teens than for kids, since most social networking sites have a minimum age limit (13 or 15 years old). For instance, I strongly advise teachers to use YouTube with their students for creating Public Service Announcements on Internet Safety issues.

 

Best regards

 

Tito de Morais

(From Portugal, Southern Europe)