I am a teacher. I am constantly surrounded by little people and see their growth every day. I spend more time planning and focusing on their development than my own. I have picked a career that is a lifestyle and not simply a job. But unlike other careers, a simple social media update in my free time could be the end of my job. It is something that has concerned me when writing this blog and the repercussions of having an alternative opinion while working in my profession. Unfortunately, we can’t all be mighty Americans with Freedom of Speech, but I am curious to where the line in the sand is for those that work in the public sector and having an opinion that MAY be interpreted as inappropriate, unwarranted or disrespectful! Straight away, let’s get this straight – I’m not talking about sharing photos of my students, personal information or standardised assessment. Although I have seen NAPLAN booklets shared, which is a BIG no-no for those non-education people. Nor do I wish to go down that freaky road of teachers using Social Media to inappropriately interact with students. (I only raise this as it is surprising the related hits and results when Googling this issue). This blog is not about educators crossing the line between professional and personal, it is about the third parties who do it for us! I’m discussing the outlandish yet common stories that you hear about educators being stripped of the opportunity to share opinions because of our occupations. An article from EduTrendsOneline.com shares some really interest points and ridiculous horror stories about Social Media and teachers losing their jobs. It mentions teachers being sacked for liking certain Facebook pages or images holding an alcoholic beverage. It even reports on a second grade teacher losing his job after sharing his beliefs about dairy farming on Facebook. Additionally, something that is quite awesome is a lot of the tips and discussions are backed up by a lot of current literature. There is also a great Australian article ‘Teachers and Social Networking Sites: Think Before You Post’, that compares and contrasts past ethical use of Social Media and discusses legality issues (Charles, Joan & Sally, 2010). Even reflecting on my own personal challenges with the ethics and Social Media; the awkwardness of friends of friends that happen to be a student’s parent or Year 6 students going out of their way to add my fellow Prac teachers on Facebook. There is the second guessing of comments, liked pages, photos, statuses, things shared and association with organisations and how misconstrued digital footprints have ramifications on policies. As the popularity of Social Media grew, so was the need for policies to be altered that included these provisions. While the Code of Conduct for Queensland Public Service is more vague with its "Community Engagement", it's open to interpretation allows some freedom and wiggle room for any scrutiny and contemplation. Let’s have a quick look at the Department of Education, Training and Employment’s Code of Conduct: Standard of Practice that, as a public servant, I am bound to. Nestled nicely between ‘Conflict Resolution’ and ‘Protecting Students from Harm’ is the ‘Use of Social Media’, which covers both personal and unreasonable/reasonable use of Department ICT facilities. I would love to say that I can’t help but giggle at the careful and clever wording of the first paragraph. But I’m pretty sure that by doing so is actually doing exactly what I’m not supposed to. So I won’t... and I’m not (Phew! Glad that’s covered!). Even with this policy, there is still so much grey area! Now, I do not believe Social Media has its predictable black and white guidelines, but it concerns me that it truly is a modern day ‘Danger Zone’ with everything down to perspective, interpretation and audience on a daily basis. Additionally there is the concern of professional networking. It’s like the re- occurrence of the age old debate of accepting family friend requests all over again. Or the challenges of those on Social Media who are not educated enough or close minded to understand the reasons behind academic or professional comments. This has become such a prominent issue for many colleagues of mine who have recently left Facebook for personal use and have set up a Twitter account for professional uses. A major issue is the fact that Social Media can be such a powerful tool for teachers. It allows teachers to network and share to educational practices and pedagogy. It is also a method/tool to interact and understand the students that we teach and close a generational gap. ‘Confronting the Challenges of Participatory u Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century’ written by Henry Jenkins is a fantastic book about participatory cultures and the advantages of Social Media. I have yet to finish reading it – it gives some very relevant points that are realistic and constructive. Although American, the following fun poster can be found on SocialTimes: Social Media has reinvented the “seeing your teacher in the grocery store” complex and it continues to evolve with technology. #yesIusesocialmedia
So I’ll restate my opening statement. I am a teacher. I am constantly surrounded by little people and see their growth every day. I spend more time planning and focusing on their development than my own. I have picked a career that is a lifestyle and not simply a job. But I am still apart of the general population who would like the option to have a life on Social Media as well. REFERENCES: Adweek.com,. (2012). Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest – How Teachers Use Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]. Retrieved 7 October 2015, from http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/social-teaching/473012 Charles J.R., Joan, S. & Sally, V. (2010). Teachers and Social Networking Sites: Think Before You Post. Public Space: The Journal of Law And Social Justice, 5, 1-15. Retrieved from http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/publicspace/article/view/1493 Edutrendsonline.com,. (2015). Social Media Hazards and Tips for Teachers | EduTrendsOnline. Retrieved 7 October 2015, from http://edutrendsonline.com/social-media-hazards-and-tips-for-teachers/ Jenkins, H., 1958. (2009). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press. Queensland Government,. (2011). Code of Conduct for Queensland Public Service (pp. 1 - 18). Brisbane: Queensland Government. Queensland Government,. (2013). Standard of Practice (pp. 1 - 24). Brisbane: Department of Education, Training and Employment.
12 Comments
You have raised some important points in this post. How much are educators to be held responsible for what is posted on their social media sites? Social media for personal use is a tricky area and educators need to be very careful about who they are friends with and the sorts of comments they are making online. I agree with your concerns though regarding the use of social media within an educational context and the problems and risks associated with publicly voicing your opinions on certain issues. There are certainly some grey areas and as our use of technology increases I think that there will be more questions than answers. A really interesting and relevant post.
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