WILSON, CARLA.

OLTD506 2013 BOUNDARIES PAPER

1 OF 6
Teachers and Social Media in a BC Context
Social media is the social interaction among people in which they create, share or exchange
information and ideas in virtual communities and networks (Wikipedia 2014). Use of social media is so
widespread that we often forget how recent a phenomena it is. One of the drawbacks to its quick
explosion in use is that we have not had a chance to think through all the implications of putting our
lives online, nor have we had a chance to guide and scaffold its use by children and youth. Although
social media and the use of technology can enhance and benefit learning, there are inherent risks.
Further, in British Columbia, there is legislation which addresses how public bodies must deal with
privacy issues involving the Internet. Teachers, therefore, have a special obligation to educate
themselves on the issues surrounding the use of Social Media in the classroom and provide proper
guidance and education to students on responsible use. The four areas in particular that need to be
addressed are digital professionalism and digital footprints; privacy; social justice issues; and safety. In
each of these areas, the use of social media both personally and in the classroom comes at a cost,
but it is worth it.
The professionalism of public school teachers in BC, whether they are online or offline is
addressed by the Standards for Educators in BC and the British Columbia Teachers Federations Code of
Ethics. Teachers need to further be mindful of the Shewan case in which the court found that teachers
must maintain a higher standard of behavior than most other citizens due to the public nature of their
responsibilities. If confidence or respect of teachers is lost, it will impair the system. They therefore must
lead by example (1987). As Wallin (2014) so aptly notes, this court ruling suggests that a teachers
lifestyle may be cause for sanction if, according to community standards, it impairs the teachers ability
to teach effectively.
Some might wonder how these standards for behavior translate into the use of social media.
One thing many people fail to realize about social media is that there are no take backs. Even if one has
this awareness, but, in a lapse of judgment, puts something online and then quickly removes it, he has
no control over how that information was shared before its removal. Social media platforms such as
Twitter and Facebook enable swift and multiple shares in a matter of seconds. This means that once
something is out on the Internet, it is essentially there forever. A few days ago, I saw a post in a user
group on Facebook which is a case in point. It read, Wanted! My cool that I lost yesterday. The
confrontational tone in the comment I posted in a thread on Vancity Buzz is quite different than what I
hold as my standard. This user, although he failed to do so, understands the need to reflect before
posting online.

WILSON, CARLA. OLTD506 2013 BOUNDARIES PAPER

2 0F 6

The permanent nature of the Internet has ramifications for our students as well. There have
been numerous reports of students losing scholarships, having university admissions rescinded or being
overlooked for a job, due to inappropriate online behavior. In a report conducted by Cross-Tab (2010),
70% of recruiters and HR professionals surveyed stated that they have rejected candidates based on
information found online. A further 85% say that positive online reputation influences their hiring
decisions at least to some extent. Yet many of our youth, as Hengstler(2010) points out, lack both good
judgment and adult modeling which could negatively affect their digital footprints in ways rarely
experienced by those of us who are older. In Fleas in a Bottle?:Will Social Networking Stymie Personal
Development of our Youth, Hengstler (2010) asks whether the tweens, teens and twenty-somethings of
our time will be able to move beyond their youthful indiscretions and into productive adulthood.
Todays educators should seriously reflect on this question, but more importantly, ask themselves what
they can do about it.
Another issue to which educators must pay attention is online privacy. The Office for the Privacy
Commissioner for British Columbia says that Public bodies are held accountable for their information
practices FIPPA (the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act) requires that they take
reasonable steps to protect the privacy of personal information they hold. Article 30.1 of FIPPA further
requires that schools (or other public bodies) obtain informed consent from a person before his
information can be stored outside of Canadian soil. In the case of K-12 educators, because we are
dealing with minors, the informed consent would need to come from the students legal guardian.
As the servers of most social media sites reside outside of Canada, it is important for BC
teachers to understand the legislative requirements of FIPPA before using social media in the classroom.
Failure to properly address this legislation could result in fines between $2000 to $5000 for individual
teachers and as high as $50,000 for schools (Hengstler, 2013). As it is somewhat involved to fully
understand and address all the FIPPA requirements, I would suggest that educators, schools and school
districts work together to implement policies and ensure all employees understand their obligations. I
found the K-12 Primer for British Columbia Teachers Posting Students Work Online to be particularly
useful in helping me identify the steps I need to take to protect the information of my students and
understand the risks involved with using online technology.
Given the inherent risks and hassles to using social media in the classroom, one might ask if it is
even worth it. One of the strongest arguments for its use, is its ability to help overcome the digital
divide. Digital divide describes an economic and social inequality between those who have ready access
to information and communication technology and the skills to make use of those same technologies

WILSON, CARLA. OLTD506 2013 BOUNDARIES PAPER

3 0F 6

within a geographic area, society or community (Wikipedia 2014). Most educators only have to look
within their own classrooms to see some students who own two or three devices and others who have
none; to know that some students have better access to technology at home than they do at school and
others have no access. This puts teachers in a unique position to play an active role in addressing this
specific social justice issue by giving our students the tools that will help them achieve future success. As
Hicks, Hawley & Turner (2013) point out, teachers need to work hard to ensure that students are given
comparable and equitable opportunity to engage digitally. If not, our students risk falling on the wrong
side of the digital divide.
Within Canada, many Aboriginal groups fall on the wrong side of the digital divide. According to
Taylor (2011) main barriers to social media use by Aboriginal peoples are slow connectivity and lack of
broadband with other contributing factors being poverty and low levels of education. However, those
who do use social media are using it to preserve Aboriginal culture, language and identity. For me, a
particularly uplifting story was that of how Dustin Rivers is using technology to help save the Squamish
language. It is a prime example of how effectively using technology can narrow the digital divide in at
risk communities and be used as a force for positive change.
Finally, just as teachers would be in the classroom, they must be concerned about their
students safety online by managing the risks and benefits. When addressing these issues in the
classroom, teachers need to address the positive reasons for safe use of technology rather than focus
exclusively on dangers. I particularly like Willards (2012) approach of providing strong peer norming to
establish safe environments and manage cyberbullying risks. It is important to recognize that although
there are safety concerns, the press often operates from a place of fear causing more alarm than need
be. However, it is still important that schools discuss online safety issues and have policies in place to
address issues such as cyberbullying, sexting revenge porn and predation and grooming should such
situations arise.
In conclusion, teachers are in a unique position to help this generation of students excel and
overcome social and economic inequalities by providing careful instruction on responsible use of social
media. Social media, as Tarte (2013) suggests, can help move students from simply consuming
information to creating and then sharing their work with the world. As we saw with the example of
Dustin Rivers, it can help underprivileged or at risk groups overcome the digital divide which could
otherwise prevent them from achieving success. With this opportunity, comes responsibility. Teachers
must address privacy and safety concerns and demonstrate that they themselves are responsible users
of technology.

WILSON, CARLA. OLTD506 2013 BOUNDARIES PAPER

4 0F 6

References
Arcand, J. T. (2011). Language Warrior - PRM 2011. Retrieved from
http://www2.langara.bc.ca/prm/2011/articles/warrior.html
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2014). Standards for Educators in BC. Retrieved from
http://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/standards/StandardsOverview.aspx
British Columbia Teachers' Federation. (2006). BCTF > BCTF Code of Ethics. Retrieved from
http://www.bctf.ca/ProfessionalResponsibility.aspx?id=4292
Cross-Tab. (2010, January). Online reputation in a connected world. Retrieved from
http://www.job-hunt.org/guides/DPD_Online-Reputation-Research_overview.pdf
Globe24h CaseLaw. (1987, December 21). Shewan v. Board of School Trustees of School
District #34 (Abbotsford), 1987 159 (BC CA). Retrieved from
http://caselaw.canada.globe24h.com/0/0/british-columbia/court-ofappeal/1987/12/21/shewan-v-board-of-school-trustees-of-school-district-34-abbotsford1987-159-bc-ca.shtml
Goodman, J. (2013, August 18). The digital divide is still leaving Americans behind. Retrieved
from http://mashable.com/2013/08/18/digital-divide/
Harris, M. (2013, March 21). Digital divide persists in Canada, both in access and Internet
fluency | Financial Post. Retrieved from
http://business.financialpost.com/2013/03/21/digital-divide-persists-in-canada-both-inaccess-and-internet-fluency/?__lsa=bb2f-fcb6
Hengstler, J. (2010, October 28). Fleas in a bottle?: Will social networking stymie personal
development of youth? Retrieved from http://jhengstler.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/fleasin-a-bottle-will-social-networking-stymie-personal-development-of-youth/

WILSON, CARLA. OLTD506 2013 BOUNDARIES PAPER

5 0F 6

Hengstler, J. (2013). A K-12 primer for British Columbia teachers posting students work
online. Retrieved from http://jhengstler.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/a-k-12-primer-forbritish-columbia-teachers-posting-students-work-online/
Hicks, T., & Turner, K. H. (2013). No longer a luxury: Digital literacy can't wait. the National
Council of Teachers of English, 58-65. Retrieved from
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/EJ/1026jul2013/EJ1026Longer.pdf
Kuehn, L. (2010). Manage your digital footprint. Teacher Newsmagazine, 23(3). Retrieved from
http://bctf.ca/publications/TeacherNewsmag.aspx
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. (n.d.). Legislation Office of the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner. Retrieved from
https://www.oipc.bc.ca/about/legislation.aspx
Queen's Printer. (2014). Freedom of information and protection of privacy act.
Retrieved September 20, 2014, from
http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/ID/freeside/96165_00
Tarte, J. (2013, July 30). Life of an Educator: 10 reasons we need social media in education.
Retrieved from http://www.justintarte.com/2013/07/10-reasons-we-need-social-mediain.html
Taylor, A. (2011, February 23). Social media as a tool for inclusion. Retrieved from
http://www.homelesshub.ca/ResourceFiles/Taylor_Social%20Media_feb2011%20(1)_1_2.
pdf
Wallin, D. C. (2014, March 26). Understanding Canadian Schools. Retrieved from
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wallind/chapternine.html

WILSON, CARLA. OLTD506 2013 BOUNDARIES PAPER

Wikipedia. (2014, September). Social media - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Retrieved September 21, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media
Wikipedia. (2014, September 8). Digital divide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

6 0F 6