In my seven years of teaching, I have never caught any of my students "passing notes" to one another, However, I have, on several occasions, caught students texting in class. According to our school's "Acceptable Use of Technology" Guidelines, when I find students passing such virtual notes, it is my job to confiscate the phone and turn it into our Dean of Students.... Let's be honest with one another- I don't do this. If I took every phone I saw being used inappropriately, well, I would be turning in cartons full of phones every day and nobody has time for that! But what if I see a message, or a picture, or a post of something incredibly inappropriate or dangerous? That is a whole other can of worms...
What is privacy in our schools these days??? This incredibly important question is currently being debated within the educational community. When a student's device is confiscated, are school administrators allowed to look through the device with or without probable cause? Can students be disciplined for social media postings made outside of school? Is faculty e-mail subject to review?
Over the next several days, I will be looking at specific examples where technology has blurred the lines of student and teacher privacy. Please check in and offer me your feedback.
This is a great, thought-provoking question that we should all consider. What an incredible blog!
ReplyDeletePrivacy is no longer sacred. Will be interesting to explore this topic with other colleagues! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete