Should teachers “friend” students on Facebook?
Social networking is an amazing boon to communication, but what are its limits? Teachers returning to school in at least one district in Florida are being asked to not “friend” students on Facebook or to communicate with them via social networks.
The Lee County School District has issued guidelines (not rules) to teachers warning them of potential workplace issues that could arise from inappropriate contact with current students. Most school districts have websites and other online avenues for communication.
What do you think? Do you “friend” your child’s teacher? Have your children “friended” or contacted teachers online?
See also:
Should teachers “friend” students on Facebook? is a post on Digital Landing
Book Glutton takes reading online
If you aren’t ready for Amazon’s Kindle, but you want to see what online book reading is all about try out Book Glutton. (Found via Geek Sugar)
Now, in some ways there is no comparison as Kindle is its own dedicated device, but the Book Glutton site is an interesting option for those who don’t want to carry books or additional equipment with them.
You can read public-domain works (like all the classics and thousands of other things) via their reader. In addition, you can comment and read what others are saying page by page. If you have your own group, you can have a “virtual book club.” If you prefer, you can also read in private.
The site is currently in beta with additional features and more contemporary works in the plans. For now, it is a nice way to find public-domain works in a readable format. It also could work well for your kids who are online anyway so they could at least be reading a good book! Many English teacher favorites are on the site. You might recommend it to your child’s English teacher as an alternative to the “reader-response” notebooks we are all so found of assigning. Integrating technology in the classroom is a great way to get kids engaged.
