The Google Alerts that I received this week are of differing topics, but both articles intrigued me. The first article describes a social media policy that was put into place by a public school district in Wisconsin. The policy states that any teachers that want to communicate with students through social media need to make a separate, “professional” account to do so. The school district also stated that they advise teachers to not friend or follow any students on their personal pages until the student turns 25. I find that interesting because I have friended former students once they graduated high school. I wonder why the district suggests the age of 25, the article does not explain why. The school board did recognize that social media is a great way to communicate with students and create a sense of community.

The other article that I read discussed how technology is helping to improve the education system in Afghanistan. The article described how many schools have been rebuilt in Afghanistan, but technology is helping to fill the void in materials in the schools. Some schools are also promoting the use of technology by female students. The article does point out that many schools still have unreliable access to the internet, and many areas cannot afford adequate technology. This article was important because it serves as a reminder to teachers of immigrant students that not every student has had experience with technology. We expect that all of our students can easily navigate technology, perhaps better than the teachers. It’s important to remember that our students come from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences.