Schools Shouldn't Block Social Network Sites

From Slate: Educators should stop thinking about how to repress the huge amounts of intellectual and social energy kids devote to social media and start thinking about how to channel that energy away from causing trouble and toward getting more out of their classes. After all, it's not as if most kids are investing commensurate energy into, say, their math homework. Why not try to start bridging the worlds of Facebook, YouTube, and the classroom?

High school allows social networking for educational uses

A North Dakota high school has lifted its ban on social media at school, allowing teachers to use YouTube and Facebook, and giving Twitter access to students and educators. The decision, say teachers and school officials at Century High School in Bismarck, was prompted by the pervasiveness of the media and its usefulness in some classroom applications. "I think we have to adapt to technology," one teacher said. "People are able to connect to it."

Why Schools Should Break the Web 2.0 Barrier

In the current issue of THRESHOLD, media/tech guru Will Richardson provides plenty of reasons to drop the firewall at schools.