Code of Ethics
Professional interactions of a teacher are governed by four principles; Autonomy (treat people with rights), Justice (share power, prevent the use of power), Responsible Care (do good, minimise harm to others) and Truth (be honest to others and self) (Education Council a, n.d). The Code of Ethics is applied to four key stake holders; Learners, Parents/Guardians, Society and the Profession (Education Council a, n.d). One theme that stands out across all four stakeholders is 'Respect' and 'Responsibility'. We have the responsibility to serve these stakeholders in respect of their different needs.
Teacher Commitments on a Social Media Platform
As mentioned above, the four key stakeholders need differentiation in terms of Social Media. The Learners (students) are growing up in a technological age causing quite a few children having more knowledge than their parents. As a teacher we can demonstrate to students the correct use of Social Media with the idea that we may need to act the same on Social Media as we would act face to face (Education Council b, n.d). Here are some questions to provoke your thinking; when a student makes contact with you via Social Media, what is expectable? What is your school's policy around Social Media with students AND teachers? What do children have access too? Whanau usually are more aware of the dangers that can happen via Social Media, thus being less enthusiastic of the idea. Parents need to be informed. Barriers shouldn't be a reason to not incorporate Social Media in the class, establishing the 'why' behind it is important for the parents to see. The 'why' needs to be thought about, reflected upon, shared with others to get their thoughts and all this information shared with whanau (Education Council c, 2012; Education Council d, n.d). In terms of our responsibility to Society, it's easy to put someone's name into Google and get information on them. Teachers need to remember that they are role models and that if they don't want the wider community to see their private life they need to set their Social Networking sites to private (Education Council e, n.d). Respecting the profession is about understanding your responsibilities to the previous three stakeholders, and yourself. Your digital footprint is out in the World Wide Web and is viewable by anyone. Think about how you want people to see you and the content you post.
Potential Problems
There are several problems that can arise from this scenario:
- Teacher post an inappropriate photo from the weekend and school community can see it.
- Students try to friend teachers through Social Networking sites.
- Formal email between teacher and students can become informal.
- Inappropriate material can pop up on a computer screen at school.
- Students contacted by anonymous users.
How I would address this issue
- Knowing that I'm a public figure online and that everything I post is up on the web, what I post needs to be done thoughtfully knowing that anyone can see.
- Students who try to befriend me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are declined. This is to keep my private life private, and doesn't give anyone a foothold to falsely accuse me of anything.
- I've had students email me on my work email and has stayed professional. At the beginning of the year this is something that I would talk about so that children know the expectation that we communicate via email only under special circumstances.
- Again, at the beginning of the year we set expectations for how our class operates online, creating an online treaty. Children would learn about what to do when inappropriate material pops up, emails sent by anonymous people, cyber bullying etc.
References
Connecticut's Teacher Education and Mentoring Program (2012). Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educators. Facilitator's Guide: Understanding the Code of Professional Responsibility of Educators. Harford, CT. Retrieved http://www.ctteam.org/df/resources/Module5_Manual.pdf
Education Council a (n.d). Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0
Education Council b (n.d). Commitment to Learners. Retrieved from http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/guidelines/commitment-learners
Education Council c (Producer). (2012). Establishing Safeguards [Online Video]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49216520
Education Council d (n.d). Commitment to Parents/Guardians and Family/Whanau. Retrieved from http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/guidelines/commitment-parentsguardians-and-familywh%C4%81nau
Education Council e (n.d). Commitment to Society. Retrieved from http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/guidelines/commitment-society
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