Knowing that social media is a quickly changing landscape, PHM put together some suggestions for teachers related to best practices when it comes to posting information. We are sharing these with you in case you may find them helpful for your family/children.
These guidelines are intended to help support teachers in their use of social media.
In 2022, 81% of all adults in the United States used Social Media across popular platforms. Here are some things to consider when using social media as an educator today:
Know who can see your posts - Take some time to understand and configure your privacy settings for social media. Do not assume your messages, comments, likes, or shares are private.
Remember that the Internet is forever - Even if your privacy settings are locked tight, that doesn’t protect you from someone taking a screenshot of your post and sharing it with the world! People can still take a screenshot which could potentially last forever.
Consider separating professional and personal accounts - This is not a hard fast rule, but it is much easier to keep your feeds clean if your professional and personal feeds are on separate accounts.
Do not connect with students on social media! - It is never a good idea to “friend” students on social media. Stick to the rule of thumb which is “no student friends until after graduation.” If you are sharing student pictures on your professional social media account, do not share student information online, this includes pictures, until you have checked to make sure there is a “YES” Consent to Publish marked for the student in Skyward.
Don’t vent online - Don’t create angry posts that include stories about people, places and things that are identifiable. Even if they are shrouded in “hypotheticals” they always come back to haunt you some day. If you are using social media accounts for work, stay away from rants.
Scrutinize everything on the Internet - Make sure you know who you are speaking with online. Don’t assume the person is who they say they are. Always consider the source of what you are reading.
Reread your post before you hit send - This simple act saves many educators from a little embarrassment. Check spelling, syntax and grammar before you commit your words to the internet forever. Remember the “24 hour rule”- in other words, consider waiting 24 hours before posting.
What counts as “Social Media?”
Social Media is defined as “websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.” This involves any communication that you post online such as text, pictures, audio or video that is available to a wide audience.
Professional versus Personal:
Professional Social Media consists of any Social Media communications you create, share or comment on via a school email or account and/or concerning topics about your students, peers, class, school or district.
Personal Social Media consists of communications you create, share or comment on via separate personal accounts, concerning non-work related topics. While personal social media may include topics about education, it should not include specific experiences or examples that tie to your school or district.
Security Best Practices:
General information on Social Media and Security from Common Sense Media
Facebook Security Checkup
Twitter Security Settings for Teachers
References:
https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/school-social-media-policy-3-guidelines-follow1703.html
https://www.americanboard.org/blog/10-social-media-rules-for-teachers/
https://www.ohea.org/resources/professional-resources/social-media-guidelines-for-educators/
https://www.sb.school/about/departments/office_of_communications/social_media_guidelines
https://onmessage.nd.edu/policies-and-guidelines/social-media-policy/
https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/united-states-social-media-statistics/
