The New York Times published an article yesterday about an mtvU television series called Professors Strike Back. MTV purchased RateMyProfessors.com last year, and has been offering professors a chance to respond to their anonymous online critics.
Universities have become more transparent and accessible in the last 10 years, and the Internet has been a primary force in these changes. Blogging and social networks are two tools that faculty have used to develop an online presence.
It is possible for faculty to take their blogging too far. Rate Your Students is a site where anonymous moderates post snarky comments from anonymous faculty members and the occasional student. Some of the articles on that site make me cringe, because I don’t see any need to strike back or retaliate. I teach, but it’s just a job. It’s not my life.
On the other hand, I never thought I’d see the day when professors were the focus of a reality television program. Teaching and entertainment have some parallels, but they are not the same thing.
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