Home PublicationsJRTEPast IssuesVolume 42 Number 1: Fall 2009

Moral Spaces in MySpace: Preservice Teachers' Perspectives about Ethical Issues in Social Networking

Teresa S. Foulger
Arizona State University

Ann Dutton Ewbank
Arizona State University

Adam Kay
Dartmouth University

Sharon Osborn Popp
Arizona State University

Heather Lynn Carter
Arizona State University

Abstract

MySpace and Facebook are innovative digital communication tools that surpass traditional means of social interaction. However, in some instances in which educators have used these tools, public reactions to them have resulted in sanctions. With the notion that traditional ideas of privacy and teacher conduct are not yet defined in online worlds, the researchers developed a case-based reasoning intervention to support more informed decisions by preservice teachers. The case-based coursework led students to perceive a need for more definitive guidelines about their participation in social networking spaces. The findings have professional development implications for educators and educational institutions that wish to harness the positive potential of social networking tools without risking professional status.

 Download the full article (PDF)

Contributors

Teresa S. Foulger is an assistant professor of educational technology in the College of Teacher Education and Leadership at Arizona State University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in educational technology, innovations in teaching and learning, and professional development. She is the communications officer for ISTE's Teacher Education SIG. Her research interests focus on technology-rich environments where collaboration, communities of practice, and innovative professional development models support organizational change. (Address: PO Box 37100, MC 3151, Phoenix, AZ 85069-7100 ; Phone: 1.602.543.6420 ; Fax: 1.602.543.7052 ; E-mail : Teresa.Foulger@asu.edu)

Ann Dutton Ewbank is the education liaison librarian at Arizona State University's Fletcher Library. She teaches future and current classroom teachers how to effectively find and use information in technology-rich environments. Her research interests include school library advocacy and aspects of teacher professional development. (E-mail: Ann.Ewbank@asu.edu)

Adam Kay, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Education at Dartmouth, teaches undergraduate courses in various topics related to child and adolescent development. His research interests include social and moral development and ethical reasoning in educational contexts. (E-mail: Adam.G.Kay@asu.edu)

Sharon Osborn Popp is an assistant professor of assessment and evaluation at Arizona State University’s College of Teacher Education and Leadership. Sharon is interested in the validity of performance-based and observational assessments, issues involved in the equating and scaling of large-scale tests, and the application and improvement of psychometric methods for evaluating educational progress. (E-mail: osbornpo@asu.edu)

Heather Lynn Carter is an associate clinical professor and director of Community Engagement and Special Projects for Arizona State University’s College of Teacher Education and Leadership. Her research interests include new technologies and nontraditional methods for teacher certification and professional development. (E-mail: Heather.Carter@asu.edu)