The Ethical Dilemmas of Social Networking Sites in Classroom Contexts

Glenn Auld and Michael Henderson have a chapter in a new book ‘ The Social Classroom: Integrating Social Network Use in Education’ edited by Gorg Malia. This chapter explores five ethical dilemmas associated with using Social Networking Sites (SNS) in classrooms. First, do we have the right to colonise or marginalise students’ out of school social networking practices in the classroom? Second, should we access students’ out of classroom virtual identities from their SNS in a classroom context? Third, should we be engaging students’ social networking in public performances of the curriculum? Fourth, are we prepared for recognising and responding to illicit activity in SNS? Fifth, do teachers understand the implications of exposing their out of school identities to their students who inhabit the same social network? We do not dispute that SNS in the classroom can be a rich site for learning, but we argue that the concept of ethics as a process of analyzing and respecting the other is essential if we are to responsibly engage with SNS in the classroom.

For more details: publisher website

Please cite as: Auld, G. & Henderson, M. (2013). The ethical dilemmas of Social Networking Sites in classroom contexts. In Gorg Mallia (Ed), The Social Classroom: Integrating Social Network Use in Education. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.