More on Edmodo and Pinterest & Social Media

In a class that I am in (College Teaching) we were discussing social media. Edmodo and Pinterest both came up in our discussion. Edmodo seemed to be a hot topic as almost everybody had heard of it and knew someone who used it. One of my peers said that her son's teacher uses it to e-mail assignment deadlines to both the student and the parents (this is the Blacksburg Middle School). She also e-mails parents tips for helping their students with specific assignments as well as study tips. She also uses Edmodo to contact parents to schedule parent/teacher conferences. The parents also get a courtesy e-mail reminder the day before the scheduled meeting. I guess what I found interesting about this discussion was how Edmodo was used to foster parent involvement in their child's education.

The Pinterest portion of the discussion was rather disappointing. Most of my colleagues acknowledged that Pinterest could be useful, but most are using it in an unscholarly way.

We also talked about Facebook & Linked In. Most of my colleagues believed it was okay to have a Facebook account as long as one is thoughtful about posts (pictures and verbal). We were discussing how to keep it professional so that potential employees don't get the wrong idea about you when they are considering you for a position (most employers google potential candidates and look at their Facebook & Linked In accounts). We also talked about linking both Facebook and Linked In accounts together (although I don't know how to do this) and keeping both consistent and honest. Sometimes potential employers look to verify your education or experience and if your Linked In and Facebook are not consistent (or consistent with what you put on your resume) it raises a red flag.

We also discussed whether or not we should friend our students. Everyone pretty much were in agreement that it would be inappropriate. I agree as well, but I do have a slightly different approach. Since I am a teaching assistant in chemistry, my students are of college age (I am a young graduate student) so we are close in age. I only accept friend requests from my students after they have completed my lab and it is certain that I will not have them as a student again. Does anyone have any opinions on this?