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And some districts -- from South Dakota to New Jersey -- are starting to limit what teachers can do on the sites.

"It is the responsibility of all individuals associated with the Foundation to act in a manner that will ensure the public's trust as well as the trust of colleagues and peers.

he has heard that some teachers have "risqué" photos on their accounts, but he hasn't actually seen any.

Given the newness of these types of technologies, it is only in the last few years that educators have started to notice them and explore their effects on student behavior and performance. While there is supporting evidence to suggest that these technologies have a large influence on the social development of adolescents, an even more pertinent issue for classroom teachers is what effects these technologies have on the academic development of young people. In this article, I examine how students' use of text messaging technology, specifically IM, affects their writing skills. How does IM use affect students' interest in traditional writing (as learned in school)? In what ways does IM usage affect students' writing ability? How does "IM-speak" change students' views of what is considered "proper" language? How can classroom teachers build on student use of this increasingly popular technology? In this paper I provide a discussion of the current issues and current teacher practices surrounding instant messaging as it relates to student writing.

For the past few years educators have sought a way to utilize social networking to communicate and collaborate with other teachers, parents and students.  From Twitter to Facebook teachers have created streams to alert parents of upcoming assignments, Q&A pages and be available for students long after the school doors have closed

Security and privacy issues have run amuck with teachers ‘friending’ students on Facebook.  In fact, teachers have lost their job for placing school administratively deemed inappropriate photos on their wall. My school district has mandated that educators follow certain guidelines for teachers to adhere to when students or their parents attempt to become our social network friend. Some people may call this extreme but I view said guidelines as a form of protection for all involved.

Student Who Created Facebook Group Critical of Teacher Sues High School Over Suspension

A former Florida high school student who was disciplined for "cyberbullying" a teacher on Facebook is suing the school principal on allegations of violating her free speech rights.

"We’re in the very first generation of this and there’s nothing ripe for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear," said Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Virginia-based Student Press Law Center.

1.) Participation — unlike classroom settings, you can’t just “show up” and expect to pass the class. An online class is a community, and as such all are expected to participate. Discussion posts, opinions and feedback should be thoughtful and well-articulated so that everyone can enjoy a fun learning experience. 2.) Procrastination — do not wait until the last minute to do your work! Taking an online course means working with technology, and sometimes it can fail you. Work ahead of schedule so that any problems can be taken directly to the instructor for help, without losing time. 3.) Sharing — ideas, opinions and experiences should be shared with the whole community. Classmates may post questions on the Discussion Board, which you may be able to answer. Don’t keep information to yourself; in a community, everyone works together for the good of the whole. 4.) Proofread – before you press the SEND button, think about what you have written; you can’t take it back! A response to a classmate, a discussion post, an email to the instructor, make sure that you have said what you meant and that you mean what you said! 5.) Express — classmates and teachers cannot “see you”, so you have to be clear. Sarcasm, concern and other emotions are lost in an online environment if there is not enough information to back the statement up. 6.) Feedback — give feedback to your classmates and be open to theirs. Online classes function best when everyone is involved in the learning process. 7.) Respect — do not put down anyone’s ideas or thoughts, also state your own opinion in a way that is not hostile or overwhelming. Respect your classmates and they will respect you! 8.) Caution – be careful about statements that may come off as derogatory, racist or inappropriate for the classroom setting. If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it online. 9.) Cheating – treat the class like an in-room course. Do not cheat, it only hurts your learning opportunities. 10.) Work hard! — to get the most out of it, you’ve got to put your best into it! Work hard and achieve results!