Legal And Ethical Contexts In My Digital Practice

Legal And Ethical Contexts In My Digital Practice

In the  Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the New Zealand Teaching Profession, it states that as teachers, we respect our trusted position in society and recognise the influence we have on learners, their understanding of the world and the future wellbeing of our society. But when does this relationship with our learners stop and can we ever treat them as general members of the public once they are young adults?

The use of social media has brought about many changes in society.  A new generation is growing up with social networks as an integral way of life. As cited in the Facilitators Guide, personal information that was once considered private is increasingly  being shared on line and can be transformed into public data. The line between professional and personal life has been blurred.

Before digital technology it was more clear cut. Any contact with a past pupil was generally face to face and a brief encounter and the teacher was still considered to be in a “teacher role’.  With the introduction of facebook, I  at times get ‘friend requests’ from past pupils. These have been deliberate acts on their part to make contact and be part of my facebook life. Once you press ‘accept’, your lives become connected on a new level. Both parties have access to each others pages, communicating via messaging, and  sharing information which can be passed on to third parties. Where once it was a teacher/pupil relationship, it has changed to one based on a common ground. Each stakeholder is on an equal footing and consideration needs to be given to both.

I question myself. What is the purpose for maintaining  contact on facebook , especially as it is generally for a substantial length of time. As a professional and still a part of the professional community, I still need to adhere to the code of ethics that state that teachers will  show a commitment to the teaching profession by demonstrating a high standard of professional behaviour and integrity. This contact is for present students as well as those in the past.

Fortunately I am not a frequent or avid facebook user, but it does make me feel a little sad that there are past pupils who genuinely want to make contact. I decline. In the past, I would not have shared my personal life, so why now. One strategy cited in Henderson et al,. is for teachers to create a social networking profile specifically for their professional work. This would involve a lot of extra work managing and for what purpose.

Perhaps the school policy has made my decision to ‘decline requests’ easier.

“Using social media in your personal life: Teachers' personal use of social media must also be governed by confidentiality and professional standards. Maintain a professional boundary, and consider whether it is appropriate to extend or accept friend or connection requests with parents, students, or others involved with the school.”

I take this as past and present.