I was recently the cause of a small uproar amongst the first year students at Shepherds College. I had no idea that a class I had taught for years would cause students to revolt!
Each year in Personal and Professional Development Class I teach a unit on Social Media to first year college students. The main focus of this unit is to share the importance of demonstrating professionalism while socializing online. Students learn that having a negative reputation online can cost them potential jobs, friendships and put their own personal safety at risk.
One of my favorite activities of this unit is showing students just how public their pictures/information/activities are on the web. A few nights before we started the unit, I went online and completed a Facebook search of the students in the class. If I found their profile, I printed the first few pictures that popped up on my computer. Before class started, I posted those pictures around the classroom. I wanted to show students that anyone can see these pictures, copy them/share them/print them/alter them etc.
When the students came to class, some of them got pretty mad. I heard everything from “I’m going to have you arrested” to “You are abusing your rights.” I was glad for such a strong emotional reaction! If students were embarrassed about a picture appearing in my classroom that they posted publicly, it would make them think about how they would feel if a potential employer pulled up their Facebook page during an interview!
I challenged students to spend some time “cleaning up” their social media accounts. Get rid of embarrassing pictures/posts/drama that they would not want a potential employer to see. We went down to the Media Center as a class and students created posts that would give a positive reputation online. Students wrote encouraging messages to friends and family, uploaded pictures of themselves working out in the community or studying in classes, and checked their personal accounts for any information that should not be made public (phone number, address, age, etc.) In addition to Facebook, students learned about the dangers of sharing personal information online and how to stay safe when using social media.
I did not expect such a passionate response from my students to this unit on social media. Hopefully this will be a lesson that will stick with them long after they graduate, and impact future choices on social media!
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