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More employees are asking for and viewing social networking sites of job applicants. Most employees like to get a clear picture of the person they are hiring. Lets face it most companies want to make sure they know what they are getting before they spend the time and resources to hire and train a person. Recently officials in Bozeman, Montana requested for all job applicants to turn over their usernames and password of all of their social networking sites as part of the background check. Is that crossing the line?

Before you write off Twitter as just the latest social media "fad," take a look at how some clever educators are using it to enrich their classrooms and even forge informal professional networks.

Sup228 = Workshop wiki for Renee Hobbs, Temple University, Media Education Lab with Kristin Hokanson, Michael RobbGrieco and Joyce Valenza

Painfully aware of this rampant trend, high school educators are very concerned about the impact sexting can have on teenage lives and are working urgently to address the problem by examining policies regarding cell phone use during school hours.

Text messages are forcing us to rethink the way we deal with the difficult issues that arise when teenagers get involved with sex; The Times addressed this touchy issue in its June 1 editorial, "Keeping an eye on 'sexting.' " Some in law enforcement have taken extreme measures against teens who send sexually explicit words and images using cellphones and Internet sites. Their solution? Treat these kids just like adults who traffic in pornographic pictures of children.

As the prevalence of sexting cases continue to come to light, many states are grappling to determine an appropriate punishment for this frightening new trend. With no federal law on the books, kids committing the same act in different states are finding themselves facing drastically different, sometimes life-altering, punishments.

District leaders want some evidence that social networking would fulfill their expectation of adding strong educational value and purpose. According to NSBA, before district leaders would buy into social networking for school use, there would need to be a strong emphasis on collaborative and planned activities, strong tools for students to express themselves, and an emphasis on bringing different kinds of students together, all with adult monitoring.

Back to school presents new challenges for parents staying connected to kids and for parent peace of mind. AT&T has compiled this helpful list of tips to help parents create a safe environment for kids using technology.

My message to parents and teachers is simple: embrace the technology that kids use, recognize that whatever you may lack in technology knowledge you make up in wisdom, and remember that you, too, were once a kid. Your first reaction to kid activity that may be a bit disturbing shouldn't be to freak out and shut down access but to take a deep breath, talk with (and listen to) the kids, and do everything you can to encourage dialog.

Over the last few months everyone has weighed in on the question of "Why Don't Teens Tweet" - except, it would appear, teens. We recently ran a survey of 10,000+ US teens aged 13 - 17 to see if we could add anything new to the question.

In the recent report, How Teens Use Media, Nielsen debunks many of the myths around teen media consumption. Download the full report.

Wide variety of copyright case studies on issues related to duplication of materials, software, video, audiovisual, music, Internet and distance learning.

My Pop Studio is a creative play experience that strengthens critical thinking skills about television, music, magazines and online media directed at girls. Users select from four behind-the-scenes opportunities to learn more about mass media: My Pop Studio strengthens media literacy skills, promotes positive youth development, and increases knowledge about health issues. Highly interactive creative play activities are used to create an online community that guides users through the process of deconstructing, analyzing and creating media. Video segments, flash animation, media deconstruction games and quizzes, and moderated blogs make the website lively, fun and educational. My Pop Studio was created by a team of researchers and media professionals at the Media Education Lab, located at Temple University's School of Communication.

Students can use this site to learn about sympathy chain letters, urban legends and myths and viruses that are transmitted as email attachments. Generally, these messages are only an annoyance, but internet hoaxes have already cost victims property, reputation, and even endangered their lives.

Larry Magid discusses the shift in thinking -- from a focus of constraint and protection against predators to one of developing a culture of responsibility and digital citizenship. For those "at risk" students, school psychologist, Patti Afgatson, suggests that we consider using health prevention models for Internet safety education - basic safety advice for most youth and intense counseling from mental health professionals for the small minority of young people who are taking extraordinary risks both on and offline.

Twitter and backchanneling sessions only capture information for finite periods of time. This site will be used to store all of the great links and resources discovered through ISTE 2011 (Jun 26-29, 2011) so you can retrieve them at home. Please join with me and share your favorite links.

Teacher-made sample PSA media project for 12th grade US Government Class

Google has teamed up with the Citizens Advice Bureau in the UK to launch a new initiative that will see the search giant and the independent charity launch a adverts in newspapers, on public transport and online to promote safer Internet use and help users adopt safer practices when online

Social media monitoring service Reppler recently surveyed more than 300 hiring professionals to determine when and how job recruiters are screening job candidates on different social networks. Results provide really good insight on how comments displayed in a social networking setting may have positively (or negatively) influenced a decision to hire.