Protecting Yourself in the Electronic Age
Email, the Internet, cell phones, YouTube, social networking sites—information technology has rewritten the rules for interacting with students and parents. Educators are increasingly asking for guidelines about using information technology, and they are also increasingly becoming the victims of cyber bullying. The next few Viewpoints will contain a series of articles focusing on different aspects of information technology and how to protect yourself as an educator.
Social Networking Sites
Social networking sites, like MySpace and Facebook, allow members to create online, public profiles. These sites provide users with various ways of interacting with other users, but using a social networking site is not without risks for educators. Educators who use these websites do not have a free pass to do or say whatever they please without putting their job in jeopardy. The following suggestions from WEA policy will help you use these sites in a way that minimizes risk.
- The best way to guarantee that you won’t inadvertently put yourself in a risky situation is DO NOT have a social networking profile. Words or pictures that you may deem as appropriate may not be interpreted in the same manner by parents or students. Also, without a MySpace or Facebook account you can’t post on another member’s page. If you are an educator, this option simply makes the most sense.
- If you choose to have a social networking profile, change your privacy settings to limit who can view your page. If you have a MySpace account, change who can view your profile to “my friends only.” By doing this, you prevent others who are not on your friends list from viewing the content on your page. If you have a Facebook account, your profile is only accessible to users you have added as a friend and users in your network. While your friends can always view your profile, you should change your privacy settings to not allow members in your network to view your profile. Also, to ensure privacy, do not post your home address, phone number, personal email address, or other private contact information on your profile!
- Do not add students as friends! It’s also a good idea to change your privacy settings to prevent persons under 18 from contacting you.
- Do not post offensive or questionable pictures or comments. Pictures often tell a thousand words, even if the words are unintentional. Use discretion when posting pictures of yourself on your profile, or when friends post pictures with you in it on their profiles. Pictures including alcohol, minimal clothing, or questionable poses may be interpreted as promoting this behavior for students. Even if your students don’t have access to your page because you have changed your privacy settings, comments you post on other people’s pages might be accessible to your students if those pages are not restricted. Additionally, comments left on other pages can be found by using Google or other creative search techniques. If what you want to say could get you in trouble, it is best not to say it at all!
- Be aware of offensive “friends”! Make sure you know who you are adding as a friend to your profile. Many profiles on MySpace and Facebook are fake, and they may be students posing as others or may link to adult websites. If a profile on your friends list contains inappropriate material, you may be considered an endorser of the material.
Lastly, all educators should get in the habit of “googling” their name periodically. Students have been known to set up fake profiles under the names of teachers to stir up trouble, and they have also posted inappropriate comments about educators on profiles. If any of this is happening to you, you want to be able to put a stop to it sooner rather than later!
Other Technologies
Technology has changed the nature of our jobs—there’s no doubt about it. While most of these changes have helped us work more efficiently and effectively, there are some uses of technology that potentially put educators at risk. Below are some common uses of technology of which educators should be wary:
Posting pictures of students on the Internet
Pictures of students can liven up a classroom website and are a great way to show parents and the community your classroom activities. Just make sure that before you post pictures of students on the Internet that you have a signed permission form from a parent—not all parents are comfortable having their children’s pictures used in that manner. Edmonds School District has a general parent permission form for interviews/pictures/videos that can be obtained from Debbie Jakala at the ESC.
Text Messaging
Many coaches and advisors use text messaging as a convenient way to contact their teams or groups—it’s often the best way to guarantee that a teen will get a message! However, text messages should be confined to information about changes in time or place of an activity. For example, messages like “School closed—no practice today” or “Practice moved to 4:15” are the only ones we can back as an Association. Text messages should not deal with personal matters, questions, or contain any kind of friendly bantering that could be misconstrued. There have been several instances where these sorts of text message records have been used against educators.
Blogging
Blogging is an increasingly popular way for people to express their thoughts and opinions. However, it is especially important for educators to understand the nature of liability for online postings. The following tips are taken from the WEA Policy for Responsible Blogging.
- You are personally responsible for your posts. Remember that what you write online will be available to anyone with Internet access, including parents and students. Be mindful to protect yourself and others. If what you want to say could get you in trouble or may be deemed inappropriate, it’s best not to say it at all!
- Don’t insult people. You may feel inclined to rant about a co-worker, principal, or supervisor. However, personal attacks against a person’s professional competence or character may amount to defamation and result in a lawsuit against you personally.
- Use good judgment. You may feel inclined to make off-color remarks, but be aware that this may result in a disciplinary action if it affects your working relationship with others.
- Respect copyrighted material. If it’s not yours, cite it. Better yet, cite it and link to the original material. Being sued for copyright infringement is not fun and can be costly.
- Try to provide valuable information and perspective. The purpose of blogging is to enhance community interaction. Use accurate information, correct your own mistakes, and don’t alter previous posts unless you indicate that you’ve done so.
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