social networks and teacher
Social networks provide huge opportunities for education but can potentially have devasting consequences as well.
As classroom teachers we have a set of processes we use to keep ourselves and our students safe.
- We keep our conversations appropriate. You can not divorce yourself from your students lives but you do keep a respectful distance.
- We avoid meeting students in private, one to one settings that could be mis-interpreted. We protect ourselves by keeping doors open and having other staff around help.
- We keep contact limited to school times and events.
- We keep our communications open and keep a paper trail.
But social networks have alter this. We now have a medium that is 24/7; a medium that easily flows from public to private and back again; a medium that encourages informal communications.
So what are the guidelines for teachers regarding the use of social networks with their students. I think we apply the same sorts of rules to social networks as we apply to F2F contacts.
1. Keep your conversations on a professional level. Keep your language in a more formal mode, try to avoid txt language that could potentially be mis-interpreted. Do not comment or post on students accounts or posts that are not education related.
2. Maintain professional boundaries. Students and teachers alike use social networks to socialise, this is after all what they are for. Keep your distance, do not enter in to conversations that would be inappropriate at school online. Keep seperate their personal/social lives and yours. Don’t enter into their private conversations or chats.
3. Keep you conversations public (analogue with do not have private, behind closed doors 1 to 1 meetings with students). Where possible keep your conversations in the public arena. However, some times it is unavoidable, but keep these appropriate.
4. Keep your HoD’s syndicate leaders, managers or principals informed. Venture into social networks but keep it transparent and open. Let people know what you are doing, why you are doing, what your outcomes and objectives will be etc. I have always invited my principals and Heads of Faculty to join any of these networks, wikis etc.
5. Keep a paper trail. Protect yourself by making sure you always have a full and complete paper trail. Should a concern be raised your best defence is a complete record.
These are my starting points, this is not a final statement or a complete outline just a thought or two on teacher guidelines for social networks.
What do we need to add to this?
June 15th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Points 1,2&3 brought back interesting memories from my last school (an Area School R-12) and how in a small community, we were in almost constant contact with our students 7 days a week. It was a test to maintain that separation, especially in some sporting and social settings and not everyone was successful at doing so.
There is no doubt that we are facing some interesting challenges that seem to be changing as we go along. It would be nice to think there were some core values here but of course we are dealing with an entirely new set of circumstances and not everyone has the ability to recognise the potential consequences of a seemingly harmless comment or observation.
[Reply]
andrewch Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Hi Colin
I believe there are core values but as you have pointed out there is a possibility that innocent comments are misconstruded. Social networks are hugely powerful tools for education and for socialising. I use them all the time for both but I have boundaries. I do not have students as friends on my facebook account and I am not a member of theirs. Those are basic boundaries.
Using txt language is potentially risky to as there are so many different interpretations of these abbreviations. They are quick, fun but often inaccurate. WTF may be appropriate/acceptable between students but not between teachers and students. and so on
A
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June 16th, 2009 at 11:08 am
[...] social networks and teacher | Educational Origami What are the guidelines for teachers regarding the use of social networks with their students? I think we apply the same sorts of rules to social networks as we apply to F2F contacts. (tags: socialnetworking education) [...]
June 17th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Thank you so much for this post. So many good points for discussion. Is it okay if I repost on our blog?
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