Online media has certainly changed the way I teach, collaborate and interact online with other professionals or students' within our school. Being connected is just how it is now - no longer restricted by the four walls of our classrooms. It is to the web I go to find new resources or through my professional social media connections.
Understanding Professional Ethics:
Our profession is bound by a code of ethics. According to the Education Council NZ, there are four fundamental principles. These are:-
- Autonomy to treat people with rights that are to be honoured and defended (Commitment to Learners)
- Justice to share power and prevent the abuse of power (Commitment to parents/guardians & family/whānau
- Responsible care to do good and minimise harm to others (Commitment to society)
- Truth to be honest with others and self. (Commitment to the profession)
As teachers, we are all 'aware' that there is code of ethics that we abide by but (and there is always a 'but') how many of us (either individually or as a school) have sat down and looked at the code of ethics in relation to our own school contexts? Probably not many, including myself, until something goes wrong. This is especially true in the digital world, as we are only too familiar with (see below Ethical Dilemma).
We are a 1:1 device school from Years 5 - 8. As part of the introduction in 2015, we ran a digital citizenship unit to show our students' how to be good digital citizens. This was also taught across the rest of the school. This forms an important start to each year. However, interacting appropriately online is always sitting in behind everything we do - using online content for research, commenting online, emailing or using or posting images. These are just a few. Students' and parents were required to sign a cybersafety use agreement upholding what being a good digital citizen means or looks like.
Ethical Dilemma:
The one thing you learn very quickly as a teacher today is what a big part social media or online interaction plays in the lives of students' today. I teach a Year 5/6 class and many of these students' have their own private google accounts and yet you have to be 13 years or older to have an account outside GAFE. I have raised this issue with parents before and many have been unaware of this 'additional' account.
One area that many students struggle with, especially those new to using 1:1 devices, is understanding that their device is for educational use only during school hours - that is currently part of our digital agreement. Also a hard one to keep track of short of checking all students' online interaction everyday! We had an incident where a student emailed a parent during the day to say a student was bullying them (they weren't). The parent responded inappropriately about the other student. One thing led to another and it came to the teacher's attention. It was resolved by speaking to the parent reminding them that we are trying to encourage our students to be responsible digital citizens as per our cybersafety agreement. A restorative meeting was held with the students involved. It takes time for young online users to understand the effects of written words when it goes beyond the people it is intended for - rightly or wrongly. It is a collective responsibility for our community, teachers and parents, to ensure our students interact appropriately online.
Education Council. (nd). Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0
Education Council. (2016). The Education Council - Teachers and Social Media. Retrieved from: http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/what-social-mediaEducation Council. (2016).
The Education Council, Guidelines on ethical use of social media. Retrieved from: http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/guidelines-ethical-use-social-media
New Zealand Catholic Education Office. (2014) Code of Ethics for Staff and Boards of New Zealand Catholic Schools. retrieved from http://www.nzceo.catholic.org.nz/media/resources/publications/NZCE-Code-Of-Ethics-2014.PDF
http://ola.schooldocs.co.nz/ Retrieved 3rd July 2016
Vicki the ethical dilemma's are a large part of the online presence of students. I agree with you that "It is a collective responsibility for our community, teachers and parents, to ensure our students interact appropriately online." Our challenge how to most effectively keep parents informed and educated about how we are working with their students in this space.
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