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Twitter has even been introduced to the MCPS elementary school curriculum. Images of Tweets by students have gone out on Twitter and elementary students are now using Twitter to chronicle their school day.
Here's a blog describing how one MCPS elementary school uses Twitter.
http://www.dacha.com/?p=1750 |
CV: I’m looking forward to making use of our class Twitter account. The 5th grade team has made it a job in our classrooms for kids to create tweets throughout the day...
Yet, in Superintendent Starr's recent letter on Twitter usage he states:
"Also, remember, if your child is under 13, do not allow them to use social media—they aren’t ready for it and it is a violation of the user agreements or guidelines for nearly all major social media sites. If your child is 13 or older, please consider whether they are ready to use social media."
We are pretty sure that the vast majority of elementary school students are, in fact, under 13.
How does Superintendent Starr reconcile what he is permitting in MCPS classrooms with what he is telling parents?
A year ago I expressed my concern about the use of Twitter in Westbrook Elementary classrooms. I did not think there was any educational value to it and I believed it was not the right thing for the school to do to introduce such young children to social media. I felt that the use of Twitter was a direct result of Dr. Starr’s unhealthy obsession with it. The principal took my concern to Chris Garran who was then the Community Superintendent. He determined that indeed it was appropriate to introduce children to Twitter in elementary schools. Aren't these children under the age of 13?
ReplyDeleteThe twitter test for your teen
ReplyDeleteDeny if age is less than 13
Consider if age is more than 13
Stonewall if age equals to 13