Shannon Magnacca Georgia Southern University Summer 2011: Internet in the Classroom Assignment #3: School issues in Social

Networks

(August 4, 2009). Social Networking Guidelines. Retrieved from www.dtcc.edu/socialweb/docs/social_web_guide_aug09.doc The social networking guidelines from Delaware Tech beings with an introduction to what the purpose of the guidelines are. The school also outlines the goals of using social networking and the benefits it will have on the college. The document continues to discuss the schools presence on Facebook and Twitter. It encourages participants to update the information regularly and to create groups to encourage the interaction of students. Faculty and staff are encouraged to keep postings simple and use correct grammar. At the conclusion of the documents it outlines general guidelines for faculty and staff of social networks. The guidelines main focus is Facebook and Twitter, but it is not limited to these sites. The five guidelines for faculty and staff are detailed and encourage them to remain ethical and contact Campus Marketing with any questions or concerns. The policy exhibits strengths when dealing with the guidelines to social networking. First it clearly outlines the purpose of using Facebook and Twitter, provides guidance to the faculty and staff, and identifies the philosophy and goals of using social networking. The goals are to use the social media for prospective students, communication and improve retention. A second strength is that the college has an official Facebook page and updates it regularly. The third strength is that the policy provides information on how to setup groups and link them to the official college Facebook page. A fourth strength is that the guideline also discusses the colleges presence on Twitter. It again outlines what should and should not be done and provides contact information when following Delaware Tech. And finally the fifth strength is the detail list of five guidelines the faculty and staff should follow when using Facebook and Twitter and also provides contact information to the Marketing and Public Relations group. After reviewing this policy and other polices I did not find many weaknesses in the guidelines when dealing with social media networks. One thing I did find as a weakness was there was no mention of how students should behave since they are either a current or alumni of the college. Also there was no mention of consequences when breaking any of the guidelines mentioned in the document.

St. Thomas Episcopal School Social Media Policy.Retrieved from http://stthomasschoolsatx.com/socialmedia.pdf

This media policy is very detailed and discusses how employees, parents and students should conduct themselves when dealing with social networks. It states the purpose of using the Internet and social media to engage, learn, collaborate and share information. There is a general guideline that should be followed when using social media. Students and teachers should use good judgment, provide value, and accept responsibility. Teachers must remember they are representing the school and the content on their page should be content they would want to share with anyone. Then the policy discusses the faculty and staff guidelines when using blogs, wikis, Podcasts, digital images, videos and social networks. And it also states that faculty and staff members must have a disclaimer on their personal blogs and other media illustrating their views are not necessarily the views of the schools. There is also a detailed list of guidelines for the students parents to follow as well. From this policy, a strength is that it reminds teachers to gain permission from the Director before posting pictures or videos of students on any form of social media. Another strength I found was using the disclaimer on the faculty and staff social media outlets, protecting themselves and the schools. I found it also a strength for the school to include a list of parent guidelines too. The parents are asked to sign a release form so the student can participate in social media activities in the classroom. This is a strength because it allows the parents involvement in the students education. I feel a weakness of the policy is the list of guidelines the students must follow. Yes, the list is detailed, but it is not very specific when dealing with their behavior or interaction with faculty and staff members. Another weakness is that it does not say anything about teachers and students friending each other or following one another on Facebook or Twitter.

Guilford County School Social Media Guidelines for Faculty and Staff. Retrieved from http://www1.gcsnc.com/boe/2011/3_24/Social%20Media%20Guidelines.pdf Guilford County schools have written a well-developed social media guidelines for their faculty and staff. The guidelines begin by stating the purpose of the social media guidelines and a definition of social media. Then it list seven personal responsibilities the faculty and staff should follow when using social media. After the seven very detailed responsibilities, the guidelines provide a list of six professional responsibilities. Finally the document goes through several topics dealing with overall guidelines that should be used both professionally and personally. They are specific in terms of how one should behave, but it does not mention how these topics relate to the jobs in the Guilford County schools. At the conclusion of the guidelines there is a topic concerning student-staff relations. It provides a list of references and resources as well as where the document was adapted from. I found there to be many strengths of the guidelines provided for Guilford County faculty and staff. First I like how it starts off by being direct and telling teachers and staff members that discipline will occur if these guidelines are not followed. Second strength is that the document provides a definition of social media. Third they are specific when dealing with private yet public information and encourage the faculty and staff to be cautious in their postings. Another strength was that it provides a statement when dealing with friending students. It tells teachers what to say and how to protect themselves. A fifth strength was that it encourages the sense of community and positively representing the school district. Finally it is a very stern about relationships with students when dealing with social media. In this very detailed social media guidelines I did find a few weaknesses. One is that there were not any guidelines provided for students or any mention of guidelines for students to follow. It also does not discuss if the school system has a Facebook or Twitter officially for the school. This could cause problems if a parent, student or teacher decides to make a page without the knowledge of the school or school system. Also there are not any direct consequences mentioned when and if a faculty or staff member violates these guidelines.

Social Media Guidelines for Polk School District

A guideline for Faculty, Staff, Parents, and Students

Purpose for Social Media Guidelines: What is Social Media? Faculty and staff Guidelines Staff-Student Relations Disclaimer Student Guidelines Parent Guidelines