Shannon Magnacca Georgia Southern University Summer 2011: Internet in the Classroom Assignment #3: School issues in Social

Networks

Social networking guidelines. (2009). Retrieved May 25, 2011, from www.dtcc.edu/socialweb/docs/social_web_guide_aug09.doc

The social networking guidelines from Delaware Tech beings with an introduction to what the purpose of the guidelines are. The school also outlines the goals of using social networking and the benefits it will have on the college. The document continues to discuss the schools presence on Facebook and Twitter. It encourages participants to update the information regularly and to create groups to encourage the interaction of students. Faculty and staff are encouraged to keep postings simple and use correct grammar. At the conclusion of the documents it outlines general guidelines for faculty and staff of social networks. The guidelines main focus is Facebook and Twitter, but it is not limited to these sites. The five guidelines for faculty and staff are detailed and encourage them to remain ethical and contact Campus Marketing with any questions or concerns. The policy exhibits strengths when dealing with the guidelines to social networking. First it clearly outlines the purpose of using Facebook and Twitter, provides guidance to the faculty and staff, and identifies the philosophy and goals of using social networking. The goals are to use the social media for prospective students, communication and improve retention. A second strength is that the college has an official Facebook page and updates it regularly. The third strength is that the policy provides information on how to setup groups and link them to the official college Facebook page. A fourth strength is that the guideline also discusses the colleges presence on Twitter. It again outlines what should and should not be done and provides contact information when following Delaware Tech. And finally the fifth strength is the detail list of five guidelines the faculty and staff should follow when using Facebook and Twitter and also provides contact information to the Marketing and Public Relations group. After reviewing this policy and other polices I did not find many weaknesses in the guidelines when dealing with social media networks. One thing I did find as a weakness was there was no mention of how students should behave since they are either a current or alumni of the college. Also there was no mention of consequences when breaking any of the guidelines mentioned in the document.

St. Thomas episcopal school social media policy. (2008). Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://stthomasschoolsatx.com/socialmedia.pdf

This media policy is very detailed and discusses how employees, parents and students should conduct themselves when dealing with social networks. It states the purpose of using the Internet and social media to engage, learn, collaborate and share information. There is a general guideline that should be followed when using social media. Students and teachers should use good judgment, provide value, and accept responsibility. Teachers must remember they are representing the school and the content on their page should be content they would want to share with anyone. Then the policy discusses the faculty and staff guidelines when using blogs, wikis, Podcasts, digital images, videos and social networks. And it also states that faculty and staff members must have a disclaimer on their personal blogs and other media illustrating their views are not necessarily the views of the schools. There is also a detailed list of guidelines for the students parents to follow as well. From this policy, a strength is that it reminds teachers to gain permission from the Director before posting pictures or videos of students on any form of social media. Another strength I found was using the disclaimer on the faculty and staff social media outlets, protecting themselves and the schools. I found it also a strength for the school to include a list of parent guidelines too. The parents are asked to sign a release form so the student can participate in social media activities in the classroom. This is a strength because it allows the parents involvement in the students education. I feel a weakness of the policy is the list of guidelines the students must follow. Yes, the list is detailed, but it is not very specific when dealing with their behavior or interaction with faculty and staff members. Another weakness is that it does not say anything about teachers and students friending each other or following one another on Facebook or Twitter.

Social media guideline for faculty and staff. (2011). Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://www1.gcsnc.com/boe/2011/3_24/Social%20Media%20Guidelines.pdf

Guilford County schools have written a well-developed social media guidelines for their faculty and staff. The guidelines begin by stating the purpose of the social media guidelines and a definition of social media. Then it list seven personal responsibilities the faculty and staff should follow when using social media. After the seven very detailed responsibilities, the guidelines provide a list of six professional responsibilities. Finally the document goes through several topics dealing with overall guidelines that should be used both professionally and personally. They are specific in terms of how one should behave, but it does not mention how these topics relate to the jobs in the Guilford County schools. At the conclusion of the guidelines there is a topic concerning student-staff relations. It provides a list of references and resources as well as where the document was adapted from. I found there to be many strengths of the guidelines provided for Guilford County faculty and staff. First I like how it starts off by being direct and telling teachers and staff members that discipline will occur if these guidelines are not followed. Second strength is that the document provides a definition of social media. Third they are specific when dealing with private yet public information and encourage the faculty and staff to be cautious in their postings. Another strength was that it provides a statement when dealing with friending students. It tells teachers what to say and how to protect themselves. A fifth strength was that it encourages the sense of community and positively representing the school district. Finally it is a very stern about relationships with students when dealing with social media. In this very detailed social media guidelines I did find a few weaknesses. One is that there were not any guidelines provided for students or any mention of guidelines for students to follow. It also does not discuss if the school system has a Facebook or Twitter officially for the school. This could cause problems if a parent, student or teacher decides to make a page without the knowledge of the school or school system. Also there are not any direct consequences mentioned when and if a faculty or staff member violates these guidelines.

Social Media Guidelines for Polk School District

A guideline for Faculty, Staff, Parents, and Students P URPOSE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES :
Polk School District understands the importance of faculty, staff, students and teachers to engage, collaborate, learn, and share via the Internet and social media. Whether or not an employee chooses to participate in a blog, wiki, online social network or any other form of online publishing or discussion is his or her own decision. The first amendment, free speech, protects individuals when they participate in social media, but laws and courts have allowed school districts to punish employees if their speech, including personal online postings, disrupts school operations. Today students of the 21st century are learning in a digital environment and Polk School District has adopted the following guidelines to provide direction when using a social media device. These guidelines were created to provide an outline to what is appropriate and inappropriate when using social media. Remember it is important to create an atmosphere of trust and accountability. When using any blog, wiki, social media or Podcast for instructional applications all persons involved are agreeing to these guidelines. Please read these guidelines carefully and reflect upon them before using and participating in any social media.

W HAT IS S OCIAL M EDIA ?

Social media are a web-based tool and mobile technologies that one can use to interact with others and share their opinion, knowledge and information with each other. These tools include, but are not limited to: y y y y y Blogs (WordPress, bloggers, etc.) Wikis (Wikispaces, pbworks, etc.) Social Networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Ning, Twitter, etc.) Photo and Video Sharing Sites (Flickr, YouTube, Snapfish, Shutterfly, etc.) Podcasts and Vodcasts (iTunes, podometer, etc.)

F ACULTY AND STAFF G UIDELINES

y y Be mindful of what you publish. Once it is published, it is out of your control. Your online behavior should reflect both professional and personal standards. Make sure that your information is kept private. Make sure to limit the information students may see. Employees should never misrepresent themselves and must remember they are indirectly representing Polk School District. The line between public and private, personal and professional are blurred in the online world. By virtue of identifying yourself online as affiliated with Polk School District, you are not connected with colleagues, parents, students, and the community. You must remember your role as a teacher and state employee. Faculty and staff members should never friend, follow, or request a connection between any students. Use caution when friends, following, or requesting a connection between family members or faculty and staff members children. Use official school and work related Websites. o If you find yourself being asked to friend or follow a student here is a recommendation on how to respond: Students and parents, if you ask me to friend your or follow you on any social media site do not be offended when I ignore or deny your request. As an employee of Polk School District, the district

y y

y y

discourages such actions as friending students and parents on personal pages. I would encourage you to friend our schools, classroom, departments, PSD pages, etc. Student information should never be posted on any personal pages. This also includes pictures, videos, etc. When using a social media device for the classroom please make sure to seek parent s permissions for the child. When posting pictures and videos of students on any online site (Facebook, Flickr, blog, or any other media) notify the principal of your school and also seek out parent permission before posting information. You must inform the parent and principal of the intended use of the content, where you intend to post it, and the identity of the students and employee. Use your PSD web mail as your email address and contact information when setting up social media devices for work related usage. Do not use your email address as your username or email contact on personal pages. When creating a group or page for students and parents to follow and interact with the teacher, do not put personal information on the there. This is a great way for students and parents to interact with the teacher outside of school. Please see the social media site guidelines for more information. Use of student time for social media should have a defined instructional purpose. Remember that social media in the classroom is an extension of your physical classroom. What is inappropriate in your classroom should be deemed inappropriate online.

S TAFF -S TUDENT R ELATIONS

Employees are prohibited from establishing personal relationships with students that are unprofessional and thereby inappropriate. Examples of unprofessional relationships include, but are not limited to: employees fraternizing or communicating with students as if employees and students were peers such as writing personal letters or e-mails; personally texting or calling students, or allowing students to make personal calls to them unrelated to homework, class work, or other school-related business; sending inappropriate pictures to students; discussing or revealing to students personal matters about their private lives or inviting students to do the same (other than professional counseling by a school counselor); and engaging in sexualized dialogue, whether in person, by phone, via the Internet or in writing. Employees who post information on Facebook, MySpace or similar websites that include inappropriate personal information such as, but not limited to: provocative photographs, sexually explicit messages, abuse of alcohol, drugs or anything students are prohibited from doing must understand that if students, parents or other employees obtain access to such information and report this to the district, their report will be investigated by school and district officials.

D ISCLAIMER
Polk School District employees must include a disclaimer within their personal blogs, wikis, and other media in which the identify themselves as an employee of Polk School District and that their views are their own and not necessarily Polk School District.

S TUDENT G UIDELINES
y y y y y Be aware of what you post online and always be respectful. Do not post personal information. Please be safe when using social media. Make sure to notify your teacher if you or your peers come across inappropriate material or if the material is offensive in nature. Do not use videos, images, song, and audio clip that are protected under copyright laws. Gain permission before using the images, videos, songs or other clips. Students who do not abide by these rules will not be able to participate in projects and/or access the Internet.

P ARENT G UIDELINES
y y y Parents are encouraged to participate and read the social media projects. Parents will be asked to sign a release form when teachers set up social media activities for classroom use. Parents should not divulge any information on their own child or any other students participating in the project.

A DAPTED

FROM :

Guilford County Schools Social Media Guidelines for Faculty and Staff St. Thomas Episcopal School Social Media Policy

R EFERENCED

SITES AND

R ESOURCES

Social media guideline for faculty and staff. (2011). Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://www1.gcsnc.com/boe/2011/3_24/Social%20Media%20Guidelines.pdf

Social networking guidelines. (2009). Retrieved May 25, 2011, from www.dtcc.edu/socialweb/docs/social_web_guide_aug09.doc

St. Thomas episcopal school social media policy. (2008). Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://stthomasschoolsatx.com/socialmedia.pdf