Social+Networking+for+Educators

As a native participant in the digital community, it is highly likely that you have at least one social network profile. A social network profile can be a..
 * Facebook account
 * Twitter account
 * MySpace account
 * Blog account (such as Xanga or WordPress).

A great feature of these profiles is that they allow for you to share life experiences with others in an instant.. but this can also be a downfall; especially if you share certain information with the wrong audience. This is where being a good digital citizen can impact the use of Social Networking sites as a professional...

Below are some videos in which social networking has placed individuals in a rough place.. While many of these are live and learn type of experiences, they can have detrimental effects on your professional career.

Implications of Social Networking Usage for Teachers
VIDEO 1: media type="youtube" key="VMJM-SQjUBc?fs=1" height="385" width="480" In this video, we see an administrator's reaction to a few 'inappropriate' pictures posted to a personal facebook page. While many of these instances may have been in good faith that they were secure.. the fact that they weren't is what is dangerous to their reputation.

VIDEO 2: YouTube Video of reactions to being fired over Facebook comments.

STORY 1: [| Drunken Pirate Image] College of Ed. student denied a B.S. degree and teaching certificate over questionable photo.

Implications of Social Networking Usage for Students
VIDEO 1: media type="youtube" key="_xYxYnOIWdA?fs=1" height="385" width="480" A Facebook page was created in order to bash a teacher.. the students behind the scheme are punished for it...

VIDEO 2: [|Cyberbullying on Facebook]page causes problems for the student's that created it.

Should Teachers and Students be Friends on Social Networking Sites?
VIDEO 1: media type="youtube" key="Dvd9H7FOvII?fs=1" height="385" width="480" A teacher's reaction to friending students on social networking sites and how to alleviate any feelings of rejection.

EXCERPT: "Teachers, like all Americans, are protected under the free speech clause of the First Amendment. However, most state teaching licenses have moral codes that teachers need to abide by to keep their jobs." -//Teachers and Social Networking Sites//

EXCERPT: **Guidelines for the use of social networking sites by professional staff:** > **Guidelines for the use of educational networking sites by professional staff:**
 * Do not accept students as friends on personal social networking sites. Decline any student-initiated friend requests.
 * Do not initiate friendships with students
 * Remember that people classified as “friends” have the ability to download and share your information with others.
 * Post only what you want the world to see. Imagine your students, their parents, your administrator, visiting your site. It is not like posting something to your web site or blog and then realizing that a story or photo should be taken down. On a social networking site, basically once you post something it may be available, even after it is removed from the site.
 * Do not discuss students or coworkers or publicly criticize school policies or personnel.
 * Visit your profile’s security and privacy settings. At a minimum, educators should have all privacy settings set to “only friends”. “Friends of friends” and “Networks and Friends” open your content to a large group of unknown people. Your privacy and that of your family may be a risk.
 * Let your administrator, fellow teachers and parents know about your educational network.
 * When available, use school-supported networking tools.
 * Do not say or do any thing that you would not say or do in as a teacher in the classroom. (Remember that all online communications are stored and can be monitored.)
 * Have a clear statement of purpose and outcomes for the use of the networking tool.
 * Establish a code of conduct for all network participants.
 * Do not post images that include students without parental release forms on file.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pay close attention to the site's security settings and allow only approved participants access to the site.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em;">**Guidelines for //all// networking sites by professional staff:**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do not use commentary deemed to be defamatory, obscene, proprietary, or libelous. Exercise caution with regards to exaggeration, colorful language, guesswork, obscenity, copyrighted materials, legal conclusions, and derogatory remarks or characterizations.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Weigh whether a particular posting puts your effectiveness as a teacher at risk.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Due to security risks, be cautious when installing the external applications that work with the social networking site. Examples of these sites are calendar programs and games.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Run updated malware protection to avoid infections of spyware and adware that social networking sites might place on your computer.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be careful not to fall for phishing scams that arrive via email or on your wall, providing a link for you to click, leading to a fake login page.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If a staff member learns of information, on the social networking site, that falls under the mandatory reporting guidelines, they must report it as required by law.

-//Guidelines for Teachers using social and educational networking sites //