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A teacher on vacation posts a picture on Facebook depicting her frolicking on the beach in a swimming suit. Is she risking her professional reputation and putting herself in danger of discipline?
That’s one interpretation of a guideline on personal social media use handed out to some teachers in Ottawa’s public school board last week.
The guideline warns against posting pictures involving drugs, alcohol or “scantily clad photos on the beach.”
It does not elaborate on what constitutes “scantily clad” — either of photos or, presumably, of teachers.
Teachers are held to a higher standard of behaviour than some other professions. The Supreme Court has ruled that how they act outside the classroom is relevant to their ability to do their job. And The Ontario College of Teachers warns teachers to be very cautious in their use of social media.
But is a ban on beach photos going too far? That’s debatable, as is the wording of the guideline.
The phrase “scantily clad” could be seen as pejorative, and it’s usually used to describe women. The definition offered by the Urban Dictionary is a chick wearing short orange shorts at a Hooters restaurant, while the Free Dictionary entry is illustrated with a picture of a foxy female in a pink miniskirt.
Men at the beach could be “scantily clad” too, but the phrase could be interpreted as targeted toward women.
It’s good that employers and regulatory bodies recognize that many teachers are on social networks, and provide guidelines to help them, said Matthew Johnson, director of education at MediaSmarts, a Canadian non-profit centre for digital and media literacy.
However, the beach example seems to reflect a sexual double standard that is common in media and society, he said. “The attitudes we bring to the digital world don’t come out of nowhere.”
The world of social media tends to be “heavily gendered,” says Johnson, citing one study that found women in their teens and early 20s reported facing both pressure to post idealized photos of themselves and judgment if the images were deemed too sexual. “It’s interesting that (beach photos) is a particular concern. As is often the case, there seems to be more concern and surveillance of women than of men online.”
The guideline given to some public board teachers wasn’t a formal board document. It was an excerpt from a presentation given to school principals on the subject, says Michele Giroux, a spokeswoman for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Some principals may have shared the advice with teachers to “create an opportunity for discussion about how we manage the boundaries of our personal and professional lives in a social media context,” said Giroux.
The wording may be awkward, but the advice in the guideline is sound, says Janet Fraser, the president of the union representing elementary teachers.
“Teachers are always teachers, whether they are on their own time or whether they are in the classroom.
“It’s always been that way, that’s nothing new. Teachers have been told that since I’ve been in the profession: your private and personal life also needs to be somewhat above reproach … that is certainly what our union would tell teachers, and it’s what the board would tell them.”
The guideline is probably meant to protect teachers, she says. “I’d be telling them, as a union representative, that, for your own personal protection, we would agree with that. Whether it’s reasonable or not, I don’t know. Could (beach photos) come back to become a problem for them? Yes, it could.
“If one of my teachers asked me, ‘Is it a good idea to post picture of me in a bikini on a beach?’ I’d probably say no. I’d probably say, ‘Err on the side of caution.’ ”
Curious students and their parents search social media to find out about teachers, she said. Employers may also check Facebook accounts. “If the only thing on your Facebook account is pictures of you partying and drinking alcohol … ”
The Ontario College of Teachers warns its members to be very cautious when using social media in both their professional and personal lives.
“Teaching is a public profession,” the professional advisory on social media states. “Practitioners are individuals with private lives, however off-duty conduct matters. Sound judgment and due care should be exercised.”
Teachers should communicate with students using educational platforms such as class websites, and only at appropriate times of the day, the advisory says. No communicating with students using personal Facebook or other social media platforms, for example, and no using private cellphones or email addresses to call, text or exchange “personal photos”.
Teachers should decline “friend” requests from students and not initiate them, advice that is echoed in the Ottawa public board’s informal guidelines, which say teachers should not follow students on Facebook and Twitter or comment on their social media posts.
The college also says teachers should adjust privacy settings on their personal social media accounts to make sure students cannot view them or make posts.
Presumably that rules out the use of social media platforms such as Twitter. It’s a delicate balance.
Teachers entering the profession in their 20s have grown up using social media, says Johnson. “Many of them probably have social networking accounts and are unwilling to abandon them. It’s an important part of their lives.”
Photos posted on sites such as Facebook can be copied by others, says Brian Jamieson, a spokesman for the college. “Once you post something and put it out there publicly, it can be used against you with another caption or cutline or whatever.”
Earlier this year, for example, some high school teachers in Markham were criticized by parents after a group photo surfaced of them celebrating after an axe-throwing contest by raising their middle fingers. A teacher had posted the photo on a personal, but publicly accessible Facebook account, and a student copied and reposted it.
The college advisory says teachers should ask themselves a few questions: “Is this picture or comment something I would be comfortable with my students, their parents/guardians, my supervisor, my family or the media seeing? Would my peers or supervisors consider what I have posted as reasonable and professional?”
A guideline on social media from the union representing elementary school teachers is even more restrictive. It recommends teachers be cautious not only with social media, but also with email. Email is not a good way to converse with either individual students or their parents, it says. Emailing students can promote a casual conversation style that blurs professional boundaries, says the guideline. “It is also often perceived with suspicion by parents and administrators.”
The guideline also suggests teachers regularly conduct Google searches on themselves to make sure no harmful information is being posted about them online.
In one instance, a student set up a fake Facebook account in a teacher’s name and posted offensive comments, the union said.
jmiller@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/JacquieAMiller
查看原文...
That’s one interpretation of a guideline on personal social media use handed out to some teachers in Ottawa’s public school board last week.
The guideline warns against posting pictures involving drugs, alcohol or “scantily clad photos on the beach.”
It does not elaborate on what constitutes “scantily clad” — either of photos or, presumably, of teachers.
Teachers are held to a higher standard of behaviour than some other professions. The Supreme Court has ruled that how they act outside the classroom is relevant to their ability to do their job. And The Ontario College of Teachers warns teachers to be very cautious in their use of social media.
But is a ban on beach photos going too far? That’s debatable, as is the wording of the guideline.
The phrase “scantily clad” could be seen as pejorative, and it’s usually used to describe women. The definition offered by the Urban Dictionary is a chick wearing short orange shorts at a Hooters restaurant, while the Free Dictionary entry is illustrated with a picture of a foxy female in a pink miniskirt.
Men at the beach could be “scantily clad” too, but the phrase could be interpreted as targeted toward women.
It’s good that employers and regulatory bodies recognize that many teachers are on social networks, and provide guidelines to help them, said Matthew Johnson, director of education at MediaSmarts, a Canadian non-profit centre for digital and media literacy.
However, the beach example seems to reflect a sexual double standard that is common in media and society, he said. “The attitudes we bring to the digital world don’t come out of nowhere.”
The world of social media tends to be “heavily gendered,” says Johnson, citing one study that found women in their teens and early 20s reported facing both pressure to post idealized photos of themselves and judgment if the images were deemed too sexual. “It’s interesting that (beach photos) is a particular concern. As is often the case, there seems to be more concern and surveillance of women than of men online.”
The guideline given to some public board teachers wasn’t a formal board document. It was an excerpt from a presentation given to school principals on the subject, says Michele Giroux, a spokeswoman for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Some principals may have shared the advice with teachers to “create an opportunity for discussion about how we manage the boundaries of our personal and professional lives in a social media context,” said Giroux.
The wording may be awkward, but the advice in the guideline is sound, says Janet Fraser, the president of the union representing elementary teachers.
“Teachers are always teachers, whether they are on their own time or whether they are in the classroom.
“It’s always been that way, that’s nothing new. Teachers have been told that since I’ve been in the profession: your private and personal life also needs to be somewhat above reproach … that is certainly what our union would tell teachers, and it’s what the board would tell them.”
The guideline is probably meant to protect teachers, she says. “I’d be telling them, as a union representative, that, for your own personal protection, we would agree with that. Whether it’s reasonable or not, I don’t know. Could (beach photos) come back to become a problem for them? Yes, it could.
“If one of my teachers asked me, ‘Is it a good idea to post picture of me in a bikini on a beach?’ I’d probably say no. I’d probably say, ‘Err on the side of caution.’ ”
Curious students and their parents search social media to find out about teachers, she said. Employers may also check Facebook accounts. “If the only thing on your Facebook account is pictures of you partying and drinking alcohol … ”
The Ontario College of Teachers warns its members to be very cautious when using social media in both their professional and personal lives.
“Teaching is a public profession,” the professional advisory on social media states. “Practitioners are individuals with private lives, however off-duty conduct matters. Sound judgment and due care should be exercised.”
Teachers should communicate with students using educational platforms such as class websites, and only at appropriate times of the day, the advisory says. No communicating with students using personal Facebook or other social media platforms, for example, and no using private cellphones or email addresses to call, text or exchange “personal photos”.
Teachers should decline “friend” requests from students and not initiate them, advice that is echoed in the Ottawa public board’s informal guidelines, which say teachers should not follow students on Facebook and Twitter or comment on their social media posts.
The college also says teachers should adjust privacy settings on their personal social media accounts to make sure students cannot view them or make posts.
Presumably that rules out the use of social media platforms such as Twitter. It’s a delicate balance.
Teachers entering the profession in their 20s have grown up using social media, says Johnson. “Many of them probably have social networking accounts and are unwilling to abandon them. It’s an important part of their lives.”
Photos posted on sites such as Facebook can be copied by others, says Brian Jamieson, a spokesman for the college. “Once you post something and put it out there publicly, it can be used against you with another caption or cutline or whatever.”
Earlier this year, for example, some high school teachers in Markham were criticized by parents after a group photo surfaced of them celebrating after an axe-throwing contest by raising their middle fingers. A teacher had posted the photo on a personal, but publicly accessible Facebook account, and a student copied and reposted it.
The college advisory says teachers should ask themselves a few questions: “Is this picture or comment something I would be comfortable with my students, their parents/guardians, my supervisor, my family or the media seeing? Would my peers or supervisors consider what I have posted as reasonable and professional?”
A guideline on social media from the union representing elementary school teachers is even more restrictive. It recommends teachers be cautious not only with social media, but also with email. Email is not a good way to converse with either individual students or their parents, it says. Emailing students can promote a casual conversation style that blurs professional boundaries, says the guideline. “It is also often perceived with suspicion by parents and administrators.”
The guideline also suggests teachers regularly conduct Google searches on themselves to make sure no harmful information is being posted about them online.
In one instance, a student set up a fake Facebook account in a teacher’s name and posted offensive comments, the union said.
jmiller@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/JacquieAMiller
查看原文...
