With all of this talk about using technology in the classroom, what about the use of different platforms for communication?
When I first became aware of the issue of technology in the classroom, I took for granted that social platforms would be off limits for teacher and student relationships. Apparently, it's not so black and white. In my Education and Law class this semester, I've been looking at student teacher boundaries, including the use of electronics. Ontario legislation has not regulated teacher's electronic use in terms of legislation including copyright, pornographic images, and confidentiality, to name a few - the same restrictions placed on non-educators. However, the more specific teacher behaviours online, such as professional ethics in using facebook with students, for example, are not defined.
In 2011, the Ontario College of Teachers put out a Professional Advisory on the Use of Electronic Media and Social Media. In this advisory, the OCT lays out several guidelines for electronic use:
This advisory allows teachers and students to maximize the potential of technology - some classes use twitter or facebook pages to communicate, others stay away from social media sites and use other technological platforms - but gives teachers guidelines. No facebook friend requests. No personal content. Professional tone. Accountability by parents. However, the part of this policy that struck me the most was "model appropriate behaviour." This one struck me because it goes beyond curriculum and beyond what you can legally get away with. It goes to the heart of what a teacher should always keep at the forefront of the profession - the wellfare of the student. By not only following the 'rules' but also by showing proper and responsible use of technology, teachers can guide students to healthy technology habits that they will use for years to come.
Great thoughts, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI think (from reading all of these case studies!) that it can be easy for us to forget that no matter where we are, we are teachers and it is our responsibility to uphold the standards of the profession. Being in front of a keyboard should never change that. Maybe we need to adopt the idea that if we wouldn't share it with our students or our students' parents', we shouldn't post it online!
Great post Sarah! I really enjoyed reading this post. I feel technology is one of the most important/recent tools to use in the classroom. I agree with all you have said. I would just like to comment on how teachers had developed these blogs as a way to communicate with parents/students outside of school. This fits within the boundaries and I find many teachers are taking advantage of these blogs to post messages to parents, sharing pictures or what the students have been doing in class. This is a great communication tool that is being used by many teachers. At the same time we still need to remember what is appropriate to post on these blogs. The teacher-student boundaries need to be remembered as well. Lauren commented by saying "we need to adopt the idea that if we wouldn't share it with our students or our students' parents', we shouldn't post it online!" I'd like to add that we shouldn't post anything that we also wouldn't say face-to-face.
ReplyDelete"It goes to the heart of what a teacher should always keep at the forefront of the profession - the wellfare of the student." - Agreed! Great way to word it!
ReplyDeleteNice work, Sarah! I really like your blog post. I remember when I was in high school, I had a teacher that allowed us to add him on Facebook and on MSN so that if we had problems with our homework, we could send him a quick inbox or message on MSN. I loved that he did this for us. I remember getting stuck on a question, and I message him about it, and he helped me through the problem. So, I think social platforms may be something I use in my classroom (depending on age, of course). Thanks :)
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