Page 8 - Professsional Advisory: Maintaining Professionalism - Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media

Act professionally
• Operate in all circumstances online as a professional – as you would in
the community.
• If you are using a web page or social media site professionally with students, treat the space like a classroom. Apply the same rigorous professional standards.
• Consider whether any content may reflect poorly on you, your school or the teaching profession before you post it.
• Be transparent and authentic. Use your true, professional identity at all times. Even if you create a false identity, courts can compel disclosure of your true identity.
• Avoid online criticism about students, colleagues, your employer or others within the school community.
• Avoid impulsive, inappropriate or heated comments.
• Ensure that your comments do not incite others to make discriminatory or other professionally unacceptable comments.
• Use your professional email and social media accounts for professional elec- tronic communications; avoid using your personal accounts.
• Be aware of your employer’s applicable policies and programs regarding the
use of social media/e-communications and the appropriate use of electronic equipment. Even if your employer has no applicable policy, it is your responsibility to exercise good judgment.
Pause and ask yourself important questions
• When interacting with students, am I using electronic communication and social media to enhance their learning or for personal reasons?
• What are my reasons for sharing this information with a student? Are they professional or are they personal?
• Is this picture or comment something I would be comfortable with my students, their parents, my supervisor, my family or the media seeing?
• Would my peers or supervisors consider what I have posted as reasonable and professional?
• Would I write this/post this knowing it can never be truly erased and may remain in the public domain indefinitely?
• Would I communicate this way in my community?
• Are the photos, videos or audio recordings I am posting susceptible to misrepresentation or manipulation?
• Am I keeping current in my awareness and knowledge of social media tech- nology developments to protect myself from misuse?
• How does my online presence – that which I control and that which is posted by others – reflect my professionalism? How does it reflect on the teaching profession?
Apply your professional judgment. If you are unsure whether an action is appropriate, wait and seek further advice from your colleagues, your employer, and your federation or member association.
6 PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY: USE OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA