Safety in Social Media: Do's and Don't's

Technology is all around us - and the most prevalent use of digital technology currently is social media. It is important, as educators, that we not only keep our students safe from the dangers of social media, but that we understand how to effectively and intelligently use social media in the classroom.

The following is what can be considered a good list of 'do's' and 'don't's' for teachers who want to use social media in the classroom.

DO:

1) Have separate accounts: This is the easiest way to keep your personal and private lives separate. This will create a boundary between school and your personal life and that will create less stress both in the classroom and in your private life.

2) Control your privacy settings: You want to ensure that you can control what friends and strangers can see on your profile. Generally, teachers it would be smart to limit access to updates, media, status and account information from anyone who is not on your friend list. 

3) Keep student data confidential: This is pretty obvious Any confidential information, including contact information, marks, etc. should stay secure within the school, and not available on some random social media site.

4) Choose what works best for you: Educators should pick a social media tool that works best for them and maintain its use. You should have your own preferred choice of social media, because it should be a good fit for you.

5) Model for students and colleagues: Once educators can be comfortable using social media, then they can show students and peers the value of the use of social media in the classroom. It is important to both be wary of consequences, but also be aware of the benefits of social media. 

DON'T:

1) Chats: Avoid private chats with students - it can affect the teacher-student dynamic. Your students know where and when to find you after school, and can contact you there if necessary.

2) Tone: Don't say anything on social media that you wouldn't acceptably say in class. Be aware that anything you say online can make it's way back into the classroom in one way or another.

3) Be ambiguous: The things you post are often shared more widely than your intended audience. If your posts are ambiguous, they can be misinterpreted, potentially in a bad way.

The guideline for social media is, once it's online, it's online. In other words, if it's out there in the web, it is out there forever. Following the above list of do's and don't's are a good way to make sure that what's out there is appropriate, clear, and beneficial to the classroom environment.t