2008 Woodie Awards
Social networks affect teachers' careers
By Lauren Whitaker
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: Features
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Lately these are the phrases you hear everywhere: "Look for me on Facebook" or "Check out my MySpace page." Facebook and MySpace are the two biggest social networks on the web today, each boasting millions of members and each growing more and more by each and every day.
College campuses are no different; most students are members of at least Facebook or MySpace, allowing them to have their own personal web pages to post pictures, hobbies, music and all sorts of personal information. Students "logged on" to these Web sites are communicating with people around the globe, and staying in touch with friends and family members.
"I'm on Facebook to keep in touch with my friends," communication studies major Sarah Levin said. "A lot of them go to schools pretty far away, so it's easy to keep in touch over Facebook."
Postings can be in any form, some being tame and others completely inappropriate. According to the Associated Press, Ohio teachers have posted inappropriate things such as 'she is an animal in bed', or another has 'taken drugs and likes to party'.
This becomes a problem, since Facebook and MySpace are now catering towards a slightly younger age demographic. Now, high school students and sometimes even middle school students are logged on to Facebook and MySpace, making it easy for them to access information to their teacher's profiles and web pages, which becomes a problem when students view inappropriate things from their teacher's personal information.
This trend is not popular with everyone, though. Departments of education are starting to take precautions to teachers posting inappropriate things available to their young students.
According to the Associated Press, The Ohio Education Association, the largest teaching union in Ohio, has started to discourage teachers from becoming members of Facebook and MySpace or limit what they are posting on their own personal web sites. It is recognized that teachers have their own right to have a site. However, they are being cautioned on what they are posting because it could mean facing punishments or even worse, losing their teaching license.
College campuses are no different; most students are members of at least Facebook or MySpace, allowing them to have their own personal web pages to post pictures, hobbies, music and all sorts of personal information. Students "logged on" to these Web sites are communicating with people around the globe, and staying in touch with friends and family members.
"I'm on Facebook to keep in touch with my friends," communication studies major Sarah Levin said. "A lot of them go to schools pretty far away, so it's easy to keep in touch over Facebook."
Postings can be in any form, some being tame and others completely inappropriate. According to the Associated Press, Ohio teachers have posted inappropriate things such as 'she is an animal in bed', or another has 'taken drugs and likes to party'.
This becomes a problem, since Facebook and MySpace are now catering towards a slightly younger age demographic. Now, high school students and sometimes even middle school students are logged on to Facebook and MySpace, making it easy for them to access information to their teacher's profiles and web pages, which becomes a problem when students view inappropriate things from their teacher's personal information.
This trend is not popular with everyone, though. Departments of education are starting to take precautions to teachers posting inappropriate things available to their young students.
According to the Associated Press, The Ohio Education Association, the largest teaching union in Ohio, has started to discourage teachers from becoming members of Facebook and MySpace or limit what they are posting on their own personal web sites. It is recognized that teachers have their own right to have a site. However, they are being cautioned on what they are posting because it could mean facing punishments or even worse, losing their teaching license.
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