FIRST TAKE
Tackling a Social Phenomenon Head On Never mind that its initial value has fallen by 25 per-
cent, when Facebook stock went public in May it was proof that our social society will never be the same. Seldom has such an IPO been more hyped, or has it underperformed. While those reasons, real or imag- ined, multiply, like it or not student transporters find they are stuck in the middle of a different kind of social networking debate. With more than 600 million Internet users on Facebook worldwide and
four in 10 Americans spending more time socializing online than face-to- face, it follows that a large chunk of the student transportation set is right there, somewhere, with the masses. In fact, more than 1,200 Internet users are either Facebook “fans” of School Transportation News or following the magazine on Linkedin. Last September, an article in this magazine gave readers tips on how not
to become a “dead duck” when using social networking sites, especially as employees of a company or a school district. Hundreds of online so- cial landmines lurk, the likes of which only begin with the most popular: joining Facebook as examples are YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare and Pinterest, to name but a few. Te fact is that U.S. Internet users are outpacing their counterparts in
the U.K and Germany as the largest group of online networkers, as indi- cated by a study conducted this spring from Badoo, which touts itself as “the world’s largest network for meeting new people.” Tose numbers will only continue to grow, with children leading the charge. And while doing so, they are also documenting other problems that heretofore may have gone unreported or under-policed. According to a Pew Internet survey conducted last spring, more than 75 percent of children ages 12 through 17 own a cell phone, and at least a quarter of these are smart phones capable of shooting video. Tis month, we take a look at how students are using cell phones and so-
cial networking on the school bus (see “School Bus Incidents Going ‘Viral’ an Unintended Consequence of Social Networking” starting on page 34”). Te media too often picks up on videos depicting incidents of bullying, fights or other mayhem. But truth be told, the technology is becoming a valuable educational tool, and nationwide organizations are taking steps to inform educators, legislatures, parents and the students themselves on more appropriate uses of social networking. As pointed out by a representative of FirstGroup America, which oper-
ates First Student, student use of cell phone video on the school bus, for example, can actually shed light on issues that transporters need to ad- dress but otherwise might not be aware of. But first it’s vital that we teach our children how not to abuse the technology. Much like its predecessors radio, television and the Internet, social networking is here to stay and will only evolve. So, too, we as adults must get ahead of the technological curve and act as leaders for our children. ■
By Ryan Gray
ryan@stnonline.com
School Transportation News Magazine is published by: STN
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Denny Coughlin, Consultant; Judith Dupille, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles; Dick Fischer, Trans-Consult; Ron Love, Delaware DOE; Randy McLerran, National Bus Sales; Pete Meslin, Newport-Mesa Unified; Nancy Netherland, Migrant-Seasonal Head Start; Robert Pudlewski, Consultant; Alexandra Robinson, NAPT; Launi Schmutz, Washington County Schools
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10 School Transportation News Magazine July 2012
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