I went on Facebook today, trying to find out how long I've been a member of this social networking site and funnily enough, though I can find out the daily going-ons of my friend's life on this site, I failed to locate how long it's been since I've clicked the 'Sign up" button on Facebook. Recent lectures have gotten me thinking about my 'online conduct' and if a potential employer were to click on my page one day, would my page reflect an accurate perception of myself or would it possibly condemn me and my chances of getting the job. My answer: It's accurate if you carefully follow the progression, personally know who I am and have been a live witness to the context of each and everyone of my pictures and videos. Verdict: I'll probably be condemned and lose my potential job.
So then, are we responsible for our each and everyone of our online actions and to what extent? Can we be accountable for everything that is uploaded to the web about me. Referring back to the ACMA seminar, there is a huge need for web users to be safe cybercitizens. Since the seminar and this week's lecture, I've checked and edited my Facebook friends, double checked my privacy settings and actively tried to untag myself from numerous photos and videos.
Would I use social networking sites in the classroom? Given that Facebook and most social networking sites are meant to be for individuals aged 13 and over, I feel relatively comfortable with my position as a future primary school educator who will not have to implement these sites in my classroom due to these restriction. I will however have to prepare myself for the more junior versions of these sites such as Moshi Monsters and ensure that I am aware of how these sites operate, their capabilities and their benefits in Education system. There will also be the issue of preparing my students for future uses of social networking sites.
On a different note, one albeit astray from the topic of social networking sites but what about blogs? Blogs represent an excellent platform for people to share information, photos, videos and at the same time present people the opportunity to comment on their posts. I have to admit, I'm a closet blog follower. I know the names of children, their parents, their favourite activities and numerous other random facts of people I've never met and am likely never to met halfway across the world but whose blogs I have stumbled across in the past and am now addicted to. How safe is it for people to be posting so openly? While I love being invited into their lives, when I do take the time to think about my favourite pasttime, I find it slightly 'creepy'.
Until my next post...
Hi Deborah,
ReplyDeleteYou've made some really interesting points. I did exactly the same and tried to find out how long I'd been on Facebook (and I know it must be around 4 years because my original profile picture was a recent one that I'd had taken on holiday that year - 2007) but could find no information on that topic at all. I also went through and checked some of my postings and photos, but I'm a bit boring and there's not a lot on there. I've also really tightened my security settings. But I still feel a bit uneasy in the light of all we've been learning - I don't want Facebook to own the rights to my photos. It's a bit of a double bind as Mark said in the tutorial this week - if you don't have an on line presence - are you up to a job that uses technology or do you have something to hide? And if you do have an on line presence - how much privacy are you sacrificing?
Hi Deb,
ReplyDeleteI also tightened up my facebook, and deleted a lot of "friends" as well as untagging a few photos! At the end of the day there is nothing incriminating on my facebook, but for me it is a social place, not somewhere I intend my future employers to see. However you can never be too careful as to who might see it!
I agree with what Jo said in the importance of having an online presence to reflect being up with the times. It is such a balancing act managing presence and privacy, and something we all have to manage before we enter the profession.
Hi Deb
ReplyDeleteMy FB is relatively boring so no need to worry there! We do have the option to remove comments and photos we may find inhibits our employment.
I like your point about blogs. I think they are more open to the public than FB.With FB no-one can see all your information if you have the privacy settings set correctly, however a number of blogs can appear from a internet search, even this one if someone enters the words 'social networking sites' so does this mean that as future educators we have to be careful what we post on a blog? The list of where we need to be careful online is growing!
We just have to think before clicking publish!
Deb, that was a very honest assessment of your own Facebook profile! What you say probably applies to lots of other people as well ...
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear how many people have checked their FB privacy settings in the wake of the ACMA seminar, but of course it's about finding a balance: having an online presence (and I think there has to be room for both a social and a professional presence) but not sharing compromising information/materials. Finding the right balance is at least partly a matter of experience and practice, but there's still a lot we can learn - and can teach our students - about this area.
Wrt blogs, they can of course be set to private - but that would limit the benefits of having a global readership. Again, it's about finding the balance point.