Legal contexts and digital identities

Create a blog post where you examine the application of guidelines on social media policies within your organisation.

Our school does not currently have any specific guidelines in place for staff, however it is expected that as professionals we will follow the guidelines set out by the Teachers Council in their Teachers and Social Media guidelines. 

We have received professional development on the use of social media in a professional context, the importance of keeping private information private and the perils of making connections with families of students online. 

We have been encouraged to keep our social media profiles private, and be very careful what information we share on the public platform. We have also been advised to routinely check privacy settings as these can and do change. 

As the Teachers Council highlight there are key things we need to take into account before we share online. They are as follows: 

Maintain appropriate boundaries

Be respectful and take into account

• the views and opinions of your colleagues, learners, and parents/guardians
• the privacy of those involved in your groups and the things you share

Be clear about

• the purpose of your interactions via social media
• the purpose and lifespan of online spaces you set up for teaching and learning purposes
• situations where you need to seek agreement from learners, colleagues and parents/guardians

Be open to learning by

• taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise of your colleagues
• seeking guidance from a professional leader as soon as you have a concern

Be aware of how persistent and shareable your posts are

Be responsible and role model for your learners and colleagues by

• being transparent and upfront about your online identity
• owning the content you create
• keeping your own privacy settings up to date and appropriate

Attend to copyright issues

If we were to develop our own social media guidelines I believe we would follow the outline from the Education Council, with more specific policies relating to the use of social media accounts in digital classrooms. Highlighting the need for personal and professional accounts to be separate. I believe the development of further policies will enable teachers to best reap the rewards social media has to offer. 

References  

Education Council. (n.d.). Teachers & Social Media. Retrieved from http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/guidelines/before-you-share