Is It Okay for Teachers to Communicate With Students Via Facebook?

I strongly disagree. Myspace and Facebook would be great tools if the people using them weren't obsessed with sex. Everything has to do with sex these days. Children and teens are exposed to it on television, in video games, movies, and other media outlets. If at a young age everyone learned the proper morals and the ways to deal with their hormones, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in (teachers and students having relationships, teens getting pregnant, pastors molesting children of their community). Oh, and some children keep many of their feelings to themselves because parents they fear their parents.

I have heard many pro's and con's to this debate. Many school are forced to ban this with teachers because of irresponsible ones who use it to solicit sexual relationships with students. This story has also appeared on http://detentionslip.org. Check it out for more commentary, as well as other crazy headlines in education.

Hall Monitor
http://detentionslip.org

Who would want to?

I have personally used both sites for student communications for a few years now. I find them a great resource. I've had several students ask about assignments or school related activities and was able to communicate with them in a timely manner.
As for the inappropriate responses to students, I am extremely professional.
It is a shame that a tool that can actually help better student/teacher communications may be banned because of some perverted individuals who are using it it for lewd purposes.

Kids shouldn't have to deal with sexual advances from any adult, but the fact that it's online shouldn't make any difference; the same behavior is inappropriate offline and we already have laws to deal with that. If a kid isn't mature enough to take partial responsibility for keeping themselves safe, the parents should be supervising.

Teachers need to walk a fine line here. Social networking sites are good tools and while it may be ok for instructors to use it for limited communication with students, it is probably best if instructors used official university means of communication with students. This also means that universities need to have a policy as to how instructors should communicate with students.

Learn The Secret to College Success
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Ooooh, bad idea! Not only could teachers make advances toward students, the other way around could occur. I know my Latin teacher and I used to flirt with each other like mad, and that was in front of everyone...

Considering a more formal environment for communications can be done with freeware (free SQL server, php, and free bulletin board software), I am amazed that some cannot think out of the box long enough to develop more in-house solutions to their needs and instead resort for external high-profile and seemingly questionable means to solving their basic needs.

My wife is an educator with a state institution and even they seem to be beyond basic problem solving when it comes to this overly simple solution. Heck, I even setup a trial discussion forum using phpBB and they still couldn't wrap their head around it as a means of communication and document repository.

So, the end solution is even more simple and a lot less political. Teachers, if they want to, can invest a small amount to getting a registered Domain Name and inexpensive web-hosting package and install it themselves without the need of political or social constraints that this story illustrates.

I totally disagree with the idea of teachers communicating with students outside of the classroom - period! Teacher/Student relationships should be centered strictly within/during/after the classroom session on SCHOOL grounds. Opening up communication outside the school lends itself to many future, if not present, charges of teachers "stepping out of bounds" with respect toward students. Advancements in society may prove beneficial; however, it is also another avenue for corruption. There have been many cases of inappropriate teacher/student relationships and this "outlet" could...potentially...increase those cases. Everyone knows, not thinks, not speculates, but knows that not all parents provide the proper internet oversight required for children while surfing, creating their personal websites, chatting online, etc. Therefore, providing an additional access, even for the most remote of chances where a student can easily be manipulated, should not even be questioned. Many generations were taught IN THE CLASSROOM and have prospered in society without the internet. I am quite sure this and future generations can do so just as efficiently. Everyone KNOWS that relationships online via type, IM, etc. opens an area where one "feels" more open in expressing themself more openly, personally, vunerably, etc., so this "new access via Facebook and MySpace", too, could lead to even more unfavorable effects. Parents MUST be held accountable for their children and openly and willingly keep an open dialogue with their children's teacher whenever a student requires clarification, assistance, etc. This is NOT a responsibility of the child nor the teacher. KEEP SCHOOL IN THE CLASSROOM - Where education should be.