“Why Can’t We Be Friends?”:Protecting Students and Staff when using Social Media

Regional Principals Meetings 2015

TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA http://bit.ly/1sRe2nI

• Social Networking

• Micro-Blogging

• Publishing Tools

• Collaboration Tools

• Rating Review Sites

• Photo Sharing

Facebook, Google+

Twitter, Tumblr

WordPress Blogger

Wikipedia, WikiBooks

Amazon, Angie's List

Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest

MORE SOCIAL MEDIA

• Video Sharing

• Personal Broadcasting

• Virtual/Interactive Worlds

• Location Based Services

• News Aggregation

• Group Buying

YouTube, Vimeo

uStream, LiveStream Second Life, World of

Warcraft, Farmville

Foursquare, Yelp

Digg, Delicious, Scoop It

Living Social, Groupon

The Pew Research Center's Teens Relationship Survey 2015

Social Media as defined in DPS policy EGB:

“Social Media is defined as media based on the use of web and mobile technologies that allow for user-generated exchanges of information. With proper administration, social media can foster collaboration and communication as an interactive dialogue, enhancing the value of conversations across a global audience.”

DPS Definitions1. Professional Social Media is a work-related social

media activity that can be either school based (e.g., a district principal establishing a social networking page for his/her school, or a teacher establishing a social media site for his/her class), or non-school-based (e.g., a district office establishing a social networking page to communicate with the larger district community).

2. Personal Social Media use is a non-work-related social media activity (e.g. a district employee establishing a social networking page for his/her personal use).

Staff Expectations“Staff members are expected to serve as positive role models at all times and must represent their school and district professionally at all times.” (D20 Policy GBEE E 1) 

Trusting Educators

Legal Considerations

Many legal issues have not yet been settled by the court system, so it is very important for school districts to have clear guidelines in place.

Legal Considerations

Speech on or off-duty, made pursuant to school district employees’ official duties, is not protected speech under the First Amendment and may form the basis for discipline if detrimental to the school district.

• Tara Richardson (no relation) was a mentor for beginning teachers who sued the Central Kitsap (Washington) School District claiming that she was demoted because of comments she posted on a personal blog. She described one administrator as “a smug know-it-all creep” who has “a reputation of crapping on secretaries….”

A federal appeals court rejected her First Amendment argument, finding that her nasty, personal comments interfered with her job because they “fatally undermined her ability to enter into confidential and trusting mentor relationships” with beginning teachers.

Would you call your administrator a “smug know it-all creep?”

“When using social media, such as Facebook , Academy District 20 employees should always consider whether what is posted will in any way impair their professional effectiveness or reputation. Staff should not use Facebook or other social media to cultivate a non-professional relationship with students. Staff should adhere to the following guidelines* when using any type of social media for educational reasons:

Academy D20 Social Media Guidelines

New York CityDepartment of Education

E. Personal Social Media Use 1. Communication with DOE Students  In order to maintain a professional and appropriate relationship with students, DOE employees should not communicate with students who are currently enrolled in DOE schools on personal social media sites. DOE employees’ communication with DOE students via personal social media is subject to the following exceptions: (a) communication with relatives and (b) if an emergency situation requires such communication, in which case the DOE employee should notify his/her supervisor of the contact as soon as possible.” 

Social Media and Student Benefits

Social Media in the Classroom• 21st C Learning• BYOD

• Blended Learning• Flipped Classroom

• Clubs/Committees • Edmodo, Schoology,

Facebook, etc.

12 Ways Teachers are Using Social Media

• Tweet or post status updates as a class..• Write blog posts about what students are learning. • Let your students write for the world. • Connect to other classrooms through social media. • Use Facebook to get feedback for your students' online science fair projects. • Use YouTube for your students to host a show or a podcast. • Create Twitter accounts for a special interest projects• Ask questions to engage your students in authentic learning. • Communicate with other classrooms. • Create projects with other teachers• Share your learning with the world• Further a cause that you care about.

A Guidebook for Social Media, Vicki Davis

Social Media in the Classroom• Connections

– Interaction/Communal – Sharing

• Web Engagement– Online presence– Interact with peers and

teachers• Knowledge

– Information Literacy– Analyze, Evaluate– DIY

• Social Media Marketing– Work Force Readiness