Earlier this week, I shared a letter from a young educator concerned about her schools new social media policy. Your tweets, blog posts, and thoughtful responses have made a difference and pushed the conversation (maybe not the policy) forward.
Thoughts and suggestions shared:
With social networking sites – especially those designed specifically for social networking (Twitter and Facebook), all of those boundaries fade away (unless someone carefully crafts them by using account only for their student-to-teacher interactions). I am not placing judgment on this blurring, but it does bring more social interaction into the mix of things. This blurred distinction is getting mixed in with the, "It's my phone, but the district's network" issue and with the, "I am at home in the evening, but I am performing my duties as a teacher interacting with kids" and tossing together with legal aspects of public and open records and most recently for Wisconsin: Mandatory reporting laws for abuse. Joel VerDuin
Give them the names of principals in nearby districts that use social networking (your tech. coordinator will probably know of some). Ask to form a committee to review the policy. Ask to present that committee's report to the board. You get the idea. There are lots of acceptable, totally legal, avenues that you can take (it is still a democracy, after all). Juston Bathon
My thought is that we are trusting our teachers every day with our students, we should also trust that they will be able to handle the use of social networking tools. I understand having a policy that would address inappropriate use of these tools, but an all out ban is not warranted. As an administrator I know banning these tools would really hamper my ability to learn, connect, collaborate and lead today and into the future. Ryan Cunningham
As a former school administrator, I am embarrassed by this school's policies. These policies highlight the ignorance of those involved with developing these policies. I feel terrible for any teacher or student in this school. Fear is a common reaction to anything that is new or unfamiliar. This school has decide to deal with that fear by blocking the new tool rather than becoming educated about these new tools. Nick
What bothers me most about this is the inability this teacher now has to model good digital citizenship. Administrators (of which I am one) preach that their role is to provide their teachers with the tools they need to impact students lives, but here is a great example of where they are not.
Michelle B. makes a great point in her comment: Teachers are entrusted with the physical safety, mental and emotional well-being of children… but we are not trusted to use the internet.
I second the sentiments of this post as well:
What bothers me most about this is the inability this teacher now has to model good digital citizenship. Administrators (of which I am one) preach that their role is to provide their teachers with the tools they need to impact students lives, but here is a great example of where they are not. baldy7
Justin Bathon, of Edujurist, does a great job of helping us make sense of the legal aspects addressed with the issue.
We live in a time where the lines between home and school; personal and professional continue to blur. The conversation we are having needs to continue. There are no easy answers around such complex issues. Thank you for continuing the dialogue.
