Page 4 - Professsional Advisory: Maintaining Professionalism - Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media

Innovative Opportunities for
Teaching and Learning
Electronic communication and social media tools provide exciting opportunities to learn, teach and communicate with students, parents and your colleagues. They serve a range of purposes from helping students and parents access assignments and resources to connecting with communities all over the world.
Members also use the Internet and social networking sites as instructional tools,
seeking resources to develop lesson plans and information to enhance their teaching practice. These tools provide powerful new ways for members to collaborate and dialogue with others, expand their professional network and continue their professional learning. Used thoughtfully and appropriately, new technol- ogies offer opportunities for members to model digital citizenship for students and deliver the curriculum in innovative and engaging ways.
However, some of the most popular social media platforms were not created specifically for educational purposes and their use can expose members to risk when it comes to main- taining professionalism. While members should be cautious when communicating electronically and online, this does not mean
it must be avoided altogether. Keep interactions professional, as you would in the classroom,
and build a positive online presence. Know and respect proper professional boundaries with students, even when students initiate
electronic interaction.
Private vs. Professional
There is a distinction between the professional and private life of a teacher. Ontario Certified Teachers are individuals with private lives; however, off-duty conduct matters and sound judgment and due care must be exercised.
Teaching is a public profession. Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that teachers’ off-duty conduct, even when not directly related to students, is relevant to their suitability to teach.2 Members must maintain a sense of professionalism at all times – in their personal and professional lives.
Professional Vulnerability
Ontario Certified Teachers can be vulnerable to unintended misuses of electronic communication and social media. Even the most innocent actions can be easily misconstrued or manipulated.
The immediacy and simplicity of a text message, for example, may lead to longer, informal conversations that become personal. Social media encourages more casual dialogue. Rules may relax and informal salutations may replace time-respected forms of professional address.
Electronic messages are not anonymous. They can be tracked, misdirected, manipulated and live forever on the Internet. Social media sites create and archive copies of every piece of content posted, even when deleted from online profiles. Once information is digitized, the author relinquishes all control.
The use of the Internet and social media, despite best intentions, may cause OCTs to forget their professional responsibilities and the unique position of trust and authority given to them
by society. The dynamic between a teacher
2 R. v. Audet, [1996] 2 S.C.R. 171; Ross v. New Brunswick School District No. 15, [1996] 1 S.C.R. 825 and ; Toronto (City) Board of Education v. OSSTF, [1997] 1 S.C.R. 487.
2 PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY: USE OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA