We can go almost anywhere... a restaurant, concert, beach, library, park, or even our couch and you will undoubtedly find someone perusing social media. It's the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning and often the last thing we do at night. In between those hours there is a lot of swiping, scrolling, sharing, commenting, liking and messaging. Social media use has some good factors, but there can be negative kickback from social media use as well. This is why it is important to know where to draw the line. This is especially true for educators where things can quickly turn from inspirational teacher and super colleague to the being the focus of a personnel investigation... or even worse, you can find yourself unemployed. weareteachers.com gives of some great dos and don'ts for social media.
Do's Stay in contact with your students through the power of texts.
This offers an opportunity for improving their academic performance. You can also send reminders about due dates, answer questions about homework, and give tips about an exam. These texts should always be sent through a third-party app like Remind or ClassDojo.
- Don't connect directly with students.
Although this may seem obvious, there is always a story about a teacher who has gotten in trouble for being too friendly. No matter how pure your intentions, never give a student your personal cell number to text each other. Do not follow a student's social media account and refrain from commenting on something a student has posted online [unless it is related to an academic assignment]. - Do follow colleagues you know, respect and like.
Networking and staying connected to your peers can not only improve your work environment, but can be a powerful means of collaboration. - Don't follow colleagues you don't know, don't respect, or don't like.
This can be considered trolling. - Do share what you are proud of.
This gives insight to who you are beyond the classroom. But careful not to post anything personal, controversial or inappropriate, however. - Don't share personal pictures or tag other teachers.
Steer away from booze pics and pics on the beach if your platform is public. Students and parents will most definitely be checking them out. If other teachers want to share something, leave it to them. - Do encourage students to make the most of their social media accounts.
This can provide a means for creative storytelling. Furthermore, using social media platforms as the foundation for class assignments, can show students there is more to social media that duck lips and selfies. - Don't use social media to post negative reflections of your profession.
Using social media to complain about students, administrators or the excessive work hours can start a PR crisis. The only narrative about our profession should be of caring for kids, working hard and enjoying our craft.
Demetrius - nice information that connects back to our group discussion! I remember when the Pandemic hit and getting in touch with our students was near impossible. In an online classroom, I would have 8 out of 30 students attend. This scared me and made me reach out further to try to check on the welfare of the students and their families. In this situation, I shared my cell phone with all constituents; I wanted to be easily reached in case any family needed a contact to ask for help. I did ask that the students not use it unless it was an educational need, and not to message me after 8pm. I was highly surprised that this request was maintained. Students would message me if they needed further help on assignments. I even would do video chats where students would see me and I would see them - and then I could share my screen to show the students further information on completing the activities. Yes, this may have been a "don't" way to communicate; but, for me, I knew I needed to connect with students and families. Things were different and I wanted all to understand that I was there for them and to support them. This method is not for all teachers and personalities. As leaders, it is safer to say "no", don't connect via cell phone than to make exclusions for those who can skirt the line. I would also see myself as an Admin telling my teachers "don't" share personal information and personal contact information.
ReplyDeleteYour mention of dos and don'ts are very relevant to our schools currently. Considering that 50% of professionals in the industry leave the profession before 5 complete years, being clear in what is allowed and what is not tolerated is essential. Having consistent reminders of what is allowed is also another good practice. Modeling behaviors that should be replicated is also another practice that should be incorporated. I was shocked by Auburn School System's approach to publish Social Media Guidelines for faculty/staff and students. It was great to see a system jump at the opportunity to outline what was and was not approved. This lays it out for the employees and employer so that there is no grey area. I am interested to know how successful the plan is and how effective they consider it being posted versus it not being board approved and just communicated as a "best practice."
Demetrius,
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on about social media. Everyone is on it constantly; even I am guilty of using my phone too often from time to time. I frequently forget that while social media can have an ugly side, it also offers some serious benefits for those who are able to take advantage of them. According to Carpenter and Morrison, Twitter can help teachers interact, learn, and grow through connections with other educators from across the globe (2018). Sheninger also goes into detail about this “connectedness” and the “unparalled access to a wealth of free resources” that these professional connections afford (2019, p.149). Frazier and Hearrington state that “the technology coordinator (TC) is usually the person who leads the school or district toward a coordinated vision” (2017, p. 20). While TCs have a huge responsibility, teachers are ultimately the ones integrating technology into their curriculum. This is where social media can help. Both technology coordinators and teachers can utilize the collective knowledge accessible through social media. The connections they form, can further their professional growth and help them establish a professional learning network. As they do this, they should both take note of the do’s and don’ts that you describe in your post.
Resources
Carpenter, J. P., & Morrison, S. A. (2018). Enhancing Teacher Education…With Twitter? Phi Delta Kappan, 100(1), 25–28.
Frazier, M. & Hearrington, D. (2017). The technology coordinator’s handbook. (3rd edition). International Society for Technology in Education.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.