TeachersandSocialMediaintheBCContext: WhatHathWeWroughtandWhatareWeGoingtoDoAboutit?

LauraMann OLTD506 JuliaHengstler September22,2013

Youhavetomaintainafinebalancebetweenhopeanddespair.Intheenditsalla questionofbalance. RohintonMistry,AFineBalance

MostteachersinBChaveparticipatedintheworldofsocialmediapersonallyand/or professionallyandthroughthisinvolvement,cocreateonlineculture(boyd,2010).Itsanexciting processandtheuseofsocialmediaopensupworldsofpossibility.Liketheprintingpress,socialmedia haschangedtheworld.Unliketheprintingpress,however,socialmediahasdevelopedandbecomean intricatepartofmanyofourlivesoveranincrediblyshortperiodoftime(WarschauerandMatuchniak, 2010).Accompanyingalltheamazingandpowerfulthingssocialmediaallowustodo,isrisk.Social mediauserisksincludeprivacyviolations,identifytheftandmisrepresentationandcyberbullying,to nameafew.Despitetherisks,socialmediaareheretostayandteachershaveabigresponsibility:to usesocialmediainaneducationalcapacitywhileunderstanding,evaluatingandminimizingtherisksto theprivacyandsafetyofstudentsusingthesetools.Ascitizensofthedigitalage(HicksandHawley Turner,2013),BCeducatorsmustfindbalanceinthissituation. Whendanahboyd(2010)asksWhathathwewrought?shesnotonlygivinganodtoSamuel MorsewhosentasimilartestquestionovertheBaltimoreWashingtontelegraphlinein1844(early socialmedia?)butshesalsoacknowledgingourcollectiveparticipationinandcocreationofsocial mediaworlds.Weareaheadofthegameinsometimesfrighteningways:digitalworldsexistasaresult ofourparticipationandyetoftenwithoutmuchthoughttotheconsequencesandriskthatcomeswith

thisinvolvement. Socialmediacanonlyexistwithourparticipation(Hengstler,2011)andcitizensofourdigital worldwillparticipate.Abstinenceisnolongeraresponsiblepolicyoptionforeducatorswhenitcomes tosocialmediabecausethispushesuseundergroundtoaplacewhereinappropriateparticipationgoes unchecked.Educatorshavearesponsibilitytoteachdigitalliteracy(HicksandHawleyTurner,2013)so educationalbenefitsofsocialmediacanusedsafelyandresponsibly. Ourdigitalfootprintislinkedtoourreputation(Hengstler,2011)andmanagingourdigital footprintisanimportantpartofbeingdigitallyliterate.Oneoftherisksofpresentingoneselfonlineis thatthereispotentialforthewrongpersontoseewhatyoupostorthatsomeonemighttakewhatyou postoutofcontextandallofasuddenyourreputationisruined.Manydisastrousscenarioscanbe imaginedwithlifelongconsequencestoonesprofessionalandpersonallife.Insociety,educatorsare heldtohigherstandardsandarealsoboundtotheBCTFCodeofEthics.Thefirstthreepointsofthis documentonprofessionalresponsibilitytranslatewelltoourresponsibilitiesonline: 1. Theteacherspeaksandactstowardstudentswithrespectanddignity,anddeals judiciouslywiththem,alwaysmindfuloftheirindividualrightsandsensibilities. 2. Theteacherrespectstheconfidentialnatureofinformationconcerningstudentsandmay giveitonlytoauthorizedpersonsoragenciesdirectlyconcernedwiththeirwelfare.The teacherfollowslegalrequirementsinreportingchildprotectionissues.
3.

Theteacherrecognizesthataprivilegedrelationshipwithstudentsexistsandrefrainsfrom exploitingthatrelationshipformaterial,ideological,orotheradvantage.

Thisrealityhasalwaysappliedtofacetofacescenariosandnowmustalsoincludeourdigital

worlds.Educatorsmustteachaboutandmodeldigitalfootprintsthatmaintaintheconfidenceand respectoftheirsuperiors,peers,andinparticular,students[]Teachersmust[]leadbyexample, (Shewanv.BoardSchoolTrusteesofSD#34,1987,p.7,asquotedinHengstler,2011).Students (andsometimesadults)oftenlacklongtermperspectivewhenitcomestothinkingabouttheirdigital footprintandschoolcanbeaplacewheretheseperspectivesaresharedandbroughttolight. Risktoprivacyisoneofthechallengeswithsocialmediauseandcloudcomputing.Social mediaisinherentlyinthecloudandmostsocialmediaservicesarelocatedintheUSA(Klassen,2011). Thismakestheinformationheldinthecloud(onUSsoil)subjecttotheUSPatriotAct,apieceof legislationwhichallowsUSgovernmentagenciesaccesstopersonalandprivateinformation.BC legislationonprivacy(FIPPA)ismuchmorestrictandrequiresconsentbeforepersonalandprivate informationisaccessed.Hereinliestheconcern:onceinformationisoutsideBCjurisdictionitisno longersubjecttoBClaw.Whilesomeinstitutionshavepoliciesthatrestrictsocialmediausebecauseof thisissueoflackofprivacyinthecloud,others(andindividualswithintheinstitutions)dontwanttosee powerfulsocialmediatoolsgounused.Whileprivacyisnotdead(boyd,2010)therearechallenges aroundprivacythatneedaddressing.SomeclaimthatFIPPAistooconstrainingandshutsdownnot onlycostsavingopportunitiesbuteducationalopportunitiesaswell(BCcampus,2011).Aconference reportonprivacyandcloudbasededucationaltechnologiessuggeststhatchanginglegislationand educatingeducatorsonhowtooperatewiththelegislationtomaintainprivacywhenitcomestosocial mediacouldbewaystotakeadvantageofthecostsavingandeducationalopportunitiespossiblewith cloudcomputing(BCcampus,2011).Beforeeducatorsteachstudentsaboutdigitalresponsibilityand usesocialmediainaneducationalcontexttheymustlearntheinsandoutsofprivacylawandsocial

mediainordertosafelyandeffectivelyusethesetools. Thereisnobetterwaytoexposeyourselftounsafesituationsthantostickyourheadinthesand andpretendliketheproblemdoesntexist.Youleaveyourselfvulnerableandexposedandwithoutthe toolsandwisdomtosaveyourselffromharm.Thisappliestosocialmediauseaswell.Whileitis becomingmoredifficulttoignoresocialmedia,itisstillpossibletoignoretherisksassociatedwiththe useofsocialmedia.Theriskofexposingoneselforonesfriendsandfamilytounsafesituationsonlineis veryreal.Onceagain,disastrousscenarioscanbeimaginedandevenrecalled.Behavinglikeanostrich byhidingfromtherealityoflearningonlineonlymakesforavulnerableandunsafesituation.Hengstler, (2011)suggestsawisealternative:beaneagle.Eaglesarevigilantandtakeinthebigpicture.They recognizedangerandsteerclear.Theywarnothersandprotecttheiryoung.Itistooeasyforonline predatorstostalkandpreyuponourchildrenusingsocialmediatoolsbutthereareprecautionsthatcan betakentostaysafeonline.Thisstartswithawarenessandeducationandunderstandinghowthese toolsworkandhowtomakesafechoicesonline.Thereareseveralonlineresourcesthatsupportdigital responsibilitysuchashttp://www.nsteens.org/andhttp://www.netsmartz.org Educationis,firstandforemost,anenterpriseofsharing.Infact,sharingisthesolemeansby whicheducationiseffected,(WileyandGreen2012).Withsocialmedia,educatorsnowhave incrediblypowerfulsharingtoolsbutnotallmembersofalllearningcommunitieshaveaccesstothe devicesthatenabledigitalsharing.Thisiswhatisknownasthedigitaldivide:ahave/havenotdivision inoursocietythatexistsbecauseofsocioeconomicreasons,accessibilityissuesandalackof education.Schoolisoneplacethatcanhelpbridgethedigitaldividebyprovidingaccesstoand

educationontheuseofsocialmediaandtechnologicaldevices.WarschauerandMatuchniak,2010, explain: Thelargeandgrowingroleofnewmediaintheeconomyandsocietyservestohighlighttheir importantroleineducation,andespeciallyinpromotingeducationalequity.Ontheonehand, differentialaccesstonewmedia,broadlydenied,canhelpfurtheramplifythealreadytoolarge educationalinequitiesinAmericansociety.Ontheotherhand,itiswidelybelievedthateffective deploymentanduseoftechnologyinschoolscanhelpcompensateforunequalaccessto technologiesinthehomeenvironmentandthushelpbridgeeducationalandsocialgaps.

Ifinstitutionsandschooldistrictscouldtakeadvantagesofsomeofthecostsavingopportunities providedbycloudcomputing,perhapstheydbeabletoinvestmoreinprovidingstudentsaccessto technology.Oncestudentshaveaccesstothedevicesthentheycanlearnabouthowtousethem responsiblyandtothebenefitoftheirowneducation.Withsomecarefulconsiderationandclever budgeting,providingtechnologicalaccesstoallBCstudentsispossible.TheOneLaptopPerChild initiative(http://one.laptop.org/)continuestobesuccessfulworldwide:asimilarinitiativecouldbe possiblehereinBC.ThereisanotherinspiringstoryaboutacomputerengineerinBCwhodesigneda $40tabletandsignedacontractwiththegovernmentofIndiawhowillsubsidize$20pertabletforeach studentinthecountry(Segan,2012).Yes,wecanbridgethedigitaldivide! Thetitleofthispaperis:TeachersandSocialMediaintheBCContext:WhatHathWe WroughtandWhatareWeGoingtoDoAboutit?Tobegintoanswerthesequestions:Whatweve made(wrought)asparticipantsofsocialmediaarevirtualworldsofpossibility.BCeducatorshavea choiceaboutwhatwearegoingtodoaboutthisreality.Wecouldbecarelessrisktakersinthisvirtual wild,wildwest.Or,outoffear,wecouldstickourheadsinthesandandignoretherealityofsocial

media.Themiddleoptionwouldbetofindabalancebytakingeducatedrisks,learninghowtooperate withinFIPPAlegislationanditsimplicationsandteachingparentsandchildrenhowtobesafe,private andresponsibleonline.

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