Examine the application of guidelines on social media policies within your organisation.
At school we do not have a social media policy. We are aware that the world around our students is very much online and is a area we need to grow in. Our children are growing up on devices and sharing their lives with the world. We need to protect their innocence online but also their awareness of the global platform the internet is on.
“The deregulated and complex environment produced by the Internet means that we can no longer effectively “protect” young people from online challenges. Instead we now know we need to focus on preparing young people to face these challenges well. We also need to ensure that they have the knowledge and capacity to achieve and participate in this environment ethically.” (Netsafe, n.d, para. 4)
Below are what we have in place at school that relate to students being online.
1-Cyber Safety Agreement,
In our cyber-safety at Rowandale Primary School Agreement we have a introduction that explains the our cyber safe policy lines with our school values and debifits teaching and learning programmes at school. It explains our current network and restricts some sites and monitors all on-line action.
We outline the rules for the children, from basic - I will ask my teacher if I can use ICT, to giving out personal information on sites and chatting.
We get both parents and student to sign the agreement and discuss consequences if rules are broken. Teachers are made aware of these rules on induction day.
2- both sign permission to publish
We also have a Permission to Publish form where parents and students sign, allowing work, names and visuals (photos, videos) can be published online for learning purposes.
It is important that both parents and students agree to this as it allows students to have voice of their digital footprint.
3- digital citizanship in class
We actively teach digital citizanship. From login on to a app or game with year 1 to having a google account at year 5, it is important that children understand the large online world. They need to understand what wheat they post online is still going to be there 10 years later when they apply for jobs etc. Being a citizen of the online world can be life long and damaging. At a early age they need to stop and think about what is appropriate and not. It is one of the biggest skills we need to teach.
4- phones in classroom and facebook on teacher laptops.
A part of our schools agreement policy for teachers is the use of cell phones and social media sites accessed at school. There are schools that are strict in teachers only using their school laptops for school use. No facebook or pinterest allowed on the schools computers. Others have a more lenient policy. Some schools allow teachers to have their phones in their pockets and other they need to be locked away till 3. We have a very lenient culture at Rowandale where phones are used as cameras and the principal is friends with staff and parents on facebook. It is a blurred line that needs to be revisited asap.
As the world changes schools need to stay connected and policy up to date. We need to remember our reason for doing what we do and provide a rich learning environment while still protecting our kids. We as professionals need to model safe use of social media and expose students in a controlled setting. We need to teach values and expose them to the positive and negative aspects of the world wide web.
“Social media can be an effective tool for engaging with learners and communicating with parents, whānau and communities. Teachers who model good social media use will grow learners who apply positive, respectful values in their interactions on social media platforms.”
(New Zealand Teachers Council, 2015, para. 1)
References:
Netsafe. (n.d.). The Netsafe Kit for Schools. Retrieved from http://www.netsafe.org.nz/the-netsafe-kit-for-schools/
Netsafe. (n.d.). The Netsafe Kit for Schools: Why a kit? Retrieved from http://www.netsafe.org.nz/the-kit/why-a-kit/
New Zealand Teachers Council. (2015). Teachers and Social Media. Retrieved from http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/
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