Professional Safety Online
This fall I had the opportunity to sit on a meeting detailing the importance of using digital technologies appropriately as an education professional.
While the presentation was very well-intended, it seemed that a number of my teacher colleagues left with sense that there is no safe way to professionally use technology and that doing so will most certainly cause you to find yourself in trouble and unemployed.
In hopes of bringing a little clarity, I’ve gathered the input of a number of folks with insight into the topic to compile responses to some of concerns I’m aware of and the resulting misunderstandings.
1. “Do not use school email from home.”
You may use your school email from home, but remember that the exact same rules/policies apply to use of this email system whether from home or from school. The same is largely true for other online district resources.
2. “Do not use school email for personal use.”
Many district policies allow for “incidental use” of school email for personal use, so long as it is not occurring when you should otherwise be working (check your district’s policy).
A clear distinction must be made, however, for content that is obscene or is otherwise inappropriate, as well as use of school email for side-business purposes. These are definitely prohibited.
It is, however, a good practice to have a second email account for personal use. Public records laws could cause an otherwise personal message to be made public and your employer is well within his/her rights, legally and ethically, to read the contents of your school email. Your employer does not have the same rights to your personal email account without a court order.
The best rule of thumb I’ve heard for using any email system, employer’s or your own, is to never write anything in an email that you wouldn’t write on a postcard.
3. “Computer records will be used to prove your guilt.”
This is absolutely true. However, computer records, just like any other good documentation, could be used to prove your innocence. The same could be said of phone records and other electronic communications.
Always use your school email for communication with parents and students and retain copies of that communication.
4. “Using your school email at home allows the authorities to take your home computer.”
If you are investigated for serious misconduct, there’s a reasonably good chance your computer would be taken whether or not you accessed school resources from home.
5. “A social network profile will prevent you from getting hired, or will cost you your job.”
It is true that some employers review Facebook, MySpace and similar sites for information about current and future employees.
It is best to think of this as an addendum to your resume. Your content and contacts provide the employer with a unique insight into your character. Always try to give anything you publish online a second reading, considering how an employer might see you based on the content.
The public has a very different expectation of teachers than others. It’s best to be conservative in whatever you publish. For example, though you may be legally permitted to consume alcohol, a photo of drinking on your site (or even a friend’s) could cause you grief.
6. “Having a social network profile opens you up to impostor pages.”
This can occur whether or not you have your own page. It could be argued that having your own page would make it easier for someone to determine that one profile is real and that the other is the work of someone with poor intentions. On the otherhand, a parody of your actual site would then be possible and may be legally protected.
7. “Social networking causes inappropriate relationships with students.”
This is a slippery slope kind of thing. It’s generally a bad idea to “hang out” socially with your students outside a professional context in the real world or the virtual world.
The approach that mental health professionals use may be a good guide here. It’s good to have healthy, trusting relationships with clients, but clear boundaries must be established and adhered to. You can look at some of the examples of misconduct referenced by the Associated Press in recent articles and see that often before inappropriate actions took place, other normal boundaries for teacher/student relationships had first been crossed. Set boundaries and stick to them.
8. “Blogging is an inherently bad idea.”
[BTW, chances are you're reading this via a blog post.] In my opinion, there are two important things to factor in here: first, remember the public expectation of you as a teacher, and second, don’t bite the hand that feeds you (i.e., if you talk negatively about your employer, you’re putting yourself in jeopardy). Don’t try to hide behind an anonymous blog, it will only work long enough to give you a false sense of anonymity before you’re outed.
Speaker and author, Doug Johnson of Blue Skunk Blog is states it well:
How do you decide what to publish on your blog: praise locally; complain globally. Complain all you want about educational issues, but do it in a global sense. Don’t complain about your boss or school on your blog. Your employer can discipline you for it in some cases. Keep your comments about what’s going on in your school positive and highlight the good stuff.
It is important that teachers feel informed and comfortable enough to explore the technologies that are making a big impact on our society and our students. I hope this provides you with a greater sense of clarity as you explore and use these valuable technological tools.
January 7th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Thanks Chad for taking the time to address some of the sticky issues related to digital ethics. I like your comparison of email and a post card – most people don’t think that email is public because 99 times out of 100 it won’t be made public. the only time anyone wants to read someelse’s email is when they said something they proabably shouldn’t have.
#6 was an interesting point – maybe you develop this in more detail sometime.