Pros and Cons of Social Networking in Schools

Social networking in schools has been slow to arrive.  Schools are concerned about safety and the possibility of not having full control of the content that is displayed by anyone who is part of the social group.  Now that social networking is in full swing, and more is known about it, there are more schools moving toward it.

PROS  

• students are interested, comfortable, and familiar
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• can be monitored by facilitator
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• promotes digital citizenship
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• free educational resources
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• meets the needs of different students' various learning styles
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• students can work in teams, collaborate, and comment on each others work

CONS

• requires a good level of technical understanding to use and maintain social media effectively
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• must have all the features working effectively, such as, one on one interaction
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• can be a distraction to students
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• could reduce the need for students to discuss things face- to- face

I think when looking over the pros and cons the bottom line is that social networking isn't going away and the pros or positive outcomes are greater than the negative.  The world has been moving into this age of technology and we must teach our students how to use it effectively to learn, work, and communicate. As students are taught and expected to demonstrate digital citizenship hopefully some of the issues we have now because it is still new will be overcome. As students, educators, and parents we will make mistakes and hopefully learn from them, but isn't that what we've always done anyway.