How Will We Know?

Be Careful!

Our peers, family, schools, school boards, unions, and ministry all tell teachers - "You can use Social Media in the classroom BUT be careful."  Well that's all it takes to divide teachers into 2 camps.  Those that do and those that don't.  Or do they?  Well, they try not to.  Even those teachers that say they don't have any 'accounts', who even try to avoid checking their school email that they have been forced into, could still be visible on the web. They inevitably, because it is 2015, have family or friends or colleagues who have mentioned them, tweeted them, photographed them or have written to or about them.  Therefore, they are on the web.  So, it is pretty safe to say that we (teachers) all have some kind of online presence.  Now the question is "How will we know what it looks like?" Some people suggest that one way is to do the infamous 'Google Yourself".  I was sitting around a campfire last night and a teacher friend said "Go ahead and google me, you won't find anything. I don't have any accounts and I don't have a unique name."  Since I was attempting to stay unplugged I didn't do it then, but this morning I was able to find her pretty quickly in 411 Canada, with directions to her house. I almost hate to tell her. Especially now that I've referenced her so she's indirectly here again! Which brings me to a difficult question.  How will we, as professional educators,  know if there is something 'out there' that we rather was not?  The hard answer is that we won't know.  Now what?  A question that our professional world is desperately trying to help us with.   Here are a few of many places to go for advice.

http://goo.gl/WWMVNm

The Ontario College of Teachers provided an advisory  in 2011 for all members. 'Electronic communication and social media create new options for extending and enhancing education.' It also mentions in its introduction that, 'Even the most experienced members may be susceptible to unintentional mistakes.' It can be daunting to fully realize that as teachers we need to keep the respect of the public and maintain professionalism at all times, on and off duty, but that is what we agree to when we accept positions.
I am hopeful that an updated version will appear soon. While it is thorough with advice, tips, potential ramifications for misuse such as criminal and disciplinary action, it does recognize that,

http://goo.gl/sGqICh

In addition, teachers that are members of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) are provided with awareness information. One of its most important messages concerns email, ''treat every e-mail as though it is a written letter."Along with this bulletin there is also a help number posted.

 'Members are advised to consult Professional Relations staff (PRS) in Protective Services at 416-962-3836 or 1-888-838-3836 for additional advice.'

My final suggested link for any member feeling the need to be sure they are doing the right thing is to check out staysafeonline.org. This link focuses on Social Networks, but there are also many useful links available on the site.  So get informed and get safely online....more.

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