One Click Away from Forever: Digital Citizenship, Digital Footprints, and Social Media Policies

Authors: Kayla Kubitza & Cheyenne Cook

Introduction:

Source: Matt B. Gomez’s Blog

If you have visited a public school in the past decade, you have noticed a change in the environment. The layout is similar, lockers and students making their way to and from classes, but a tiny difference lies in the student's hand. With the development of smartphones, Wi-Fi, and the progress of technology, a shift in learning has occurred before our eyes. Technology and social media are here and knocking at educators’ doors waiting to be invited into their classrooms.

According to William Ferriter (2011) sixty-one percent of educators are active on at least one social media platform. While the percentage provided by Ferriter seems relatively high, the activity is either personal or professional, not both. However, the presence and impact of social media is prevalent. District leaders may hesitate to allow the use of social media in fear of backlash from other stakeholders. There are ways to ease the minds of all stakeholders involved with the district. Teaching digital citizenship, digital footprints, and creating a social media policy can help to ease minds and begin embracing and implementing social media in education.

Digital Citizenship

Andrew Marcinek, Director of Technology and EducatorU.org Co-founder, and Amy Erin Borovoy, Senior Manager of Video Programming, Production, and Curation at Edutopia, agreed digital citizenship is a new term but is simple to understand.

Marcinek (2013) stated since the very first school, educators have been teaching their students how to carry themselves in a civil and appropriate manner. Teaching citizenship may have begun in the very first school, but the way in which we communicate and interact has changed dramatically (Marcinek, 2013). In our new digital world, we must teach “digital” citizenship. Borovoy (2014) stated digital citizenship is “an umbrella term that covers a whole host of important issues” (para. 1). Issues include, but are not limited to: netiquette, cyberbullying, technology access and the digital divide, online safety and privacy, copyright, plagiarism, and digital law (Borovoy, 2014).

Questions arise regarding who will teach digital citizenship, how we will teach it, and how it will be included in the schedule. Marcinek (2013) provided a solution to those questions. Beginning in elementary school, Marcinek (2013) stated students should understand “that there should be no difference between how they act online and how they act offline” (2013, para. 5). Marcinek (2013) and his tech team of colleagues at Burlington Public Schools and Groton-Dunstable Regional School District created the following ideas for integrating basic skill-sets at the elementary level through high school:

Source: Infographic created by Cheyenne Cook

Along with digital citizenship, students need to be taught that every keystroke and search conducted is forever creating their digital footprint.

Digital Footprints

The digital footprint is a term used to describe trails and traces people leave online. Trails created through online registration forms, email attachments, video and digital image uploads, website logins, and many other forms of online transmission. Educating students about safe sharing and online privacy can be a valuable lesson for students of all ages (Camacho, Menelli, & Grosseck, 2012). This video from Common Sense Education provides a brief overview of the digital footprint.

Source: Managing Your Digital Footprint (CD)

Social Media Policies

Source: http://cadence9.com/franchise-brand-management/creating-a-social-media-policy-for-franchise-business/

Along with teaching digital citizenship and the importance of digital footprints, a district needs a social media policy in effect. Administrators, teachers, and parents often cite online safety as their major concern. To address concerns, and in compliance with Children’s Internet Protection Act, school districts are amending their internet safety policies to include guidelines regarding social media usage between all district stakeholders (Johnston, 2014).

District policy makers take in many considerations when developing guidelines for a social media policy. Johnston (2014) suggested the inclusion of the following items:  

• Parent Permission and Privacy
• The district should provide specific guidelines about obtaining parent permission for and providing notification of the use of social media in the classroom.
• Teacher and Student Interaction
• Administrators should advise teachers to avoid interacting with students through any private, personal medium; however, issues can arise when educators connect with former students and/or parents. The district should provide specific guidelines with regard to the allowable contact between educators, parents, and students.
• Allowable Time on Social Media
• Districts should define an “appropriate” use social media during formal class time.
• Quality of Use
• The district should provide guidelines for lesson planning and structure when incorporating social media into the classroom. Two beneficial resources include the Technology Integration Planning (TIP) model and the SAMR model, which stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition (Johnston, 2014). The image below provides practical examples of the SAMR model’s use in the classroom.

Retrieved from: http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html

While districts implement the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), districts need of a policy that addresses the use of social media. According to whatis.techtarget.com, an AUP is a document that students and district employees sign before granted a network ID (Margaret Rouse, 2014, para. 2). The policy does not address the safety concerns of district employees’, students, and other stakeholders when using social media.

Edutopia contributor, Steven Anderson, with collaboration from Facebook, produced “How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School”. Anderson’s article provided questions for reflection, and resources and case studies for the following steps “that will help you determine the approach for your own community” (Anderson, n.d, pg. 1):

1.      Examine Your School Culture

a.       It is important to understand the beliefs about social media in your community

2.      Organize a Team

a.       Should include educators who use social media and those who do not.

b.      Should include an administrator

c.       Should include two student representatives

i.  May vary on district size

3.      Research Phase

a.       Evaluate current policies in place by the school or district

b.      Examine social media policies/guidelines from other institutions

c.       Involve school attorney in the draft process

4.      Draft Your Document and Incorporate Feedback

a.       Expect many drafts and revisions

5.      School Attorney and School Board View Draft

a.       School attorney will ensure no law violations

b.      School board may want to review, discuss, and vote on the policy

6.      Introduction to the School Community

7.      Review Periodically

a.       Social media changes constantly, district should complete an annual review.

Whether you are revising an existing policy or creating a new policy, each present a common goal, the online safety of the students in your district. To view a finalized social media policy view Pottsville Area School District Social Media Policy.

Conclusion:

Social media has created a massive shift in our society and is beginning to make its way into our schools. School districts must consider the effect of social media use for all stakeholders. Through the implementation of a strong social media policy, as well as educating students and educators about the importance of digital citizenship and the digital footprint, educators can harness the power of social media and take learning to a place never imagined!

References:

Anderson, S. (n.d.). How to create social media guidelines for your school. Retrieved from,            http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-anderson-social-media-guidelines.pdf

Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Digital footprint [Video file]. Retrieved from,   https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/digital-footprint#

Belicove, M. (2012, January 24). The 10 ds of creating a social media use policy. Retrieved 

from,  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222688

Borovoy, A. (2014, October 24). Five-minute film festival: Teaching digital citizenship. Retrieved

from, http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-digital-citizenship

Camacho, M., Minelli, J., & Grosseck, G. (2012). Self and identity: Raising undergraduate students’

awareness on their digital footprints. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 3176-3181.

doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.032

Evans, C. (2014). Twitter for teaching: Can social media be used to enhance the process of learning?

British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(5), 902-915.

Federal Communications Commission. (2014, December 31). Children's Internet Protection Act.

Retrieved from https://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act

Fuglei, M. (2014, October 1). Social media in education: Benefits, drawbacks and fireable offenses. Concordia Online . Retrieved from http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/news/educational-social-media-use/

Johnston, J. (2014). ‘Loose tweets sink fleets’ and other sage advice: Social media governance,

policies and guidelines. Journal of Public Affairs, 15(2), 175-187.

Marcinek, A. (2013, November 26). The path to digital citizenship. Retrieved from, http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-path-to-digital-citizenship-andrew-marcinek

Social media policy. (2011, August 17). Retrieved from,                                        http://www.pottsville.k12.pa.us/cms/lib07/PA01916599/Centricity/Domain/38/Social Media Policy - Students.pdf

Woodley, C., & Silvestri, M. (2014). The internet is forever: Student indiscretions reveal the need for effective social media policies in academia. American Journal of Distance Education, 28(2), 126-138. doi:10.1080/08923647.2014.896587

Socially Safe: Using Social Media Safely in the Classroom

Authors: Hannah Parsley, Jessica Torres, Carla Dalton, & Brittany Cole  

Social media has changed the way we communicate and share our ideas. Of the 7.2 billion people on Earth, 2.1 billion actively use some type of social media (Bullas, 2015). A person may estimate a large portion of these users are digital natives under the age of 18, sitting in classrooms across the world. The true challenge in preparing said students for standardized testing and the demands of the outside world is learning how to reach them, though many are constantly “plugged in” to their devices and social media accounts. One solution is to invite the devices and social media accounts into the classroom. In this post you will read about ways to safely integrate social media into your classroom without compromising identities or revealing too much personal information.

Dangers of Social Media in the Classroom

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry reported over 60% of 13 to 17 year old students currently have a profile on at least one social media network, and one in five teachers are using social media with their students (Tate, 2015). The natural tendency for parents and teachers is to protect the innocence of our children. Conversely, social media provides unprecedented access to content and activities society has deemed inappropriate for children. Furthermore, student actions that occur through the use of social media outside of school walls are impacting the learning environments administrators and teachers are tasked at keeping safe. There are a wide variety of potential hazards teachers and parents should be aware of as students become more prolific users of social media, and teachers begin integrating social media on a wider basis for learning.

Although every tool has some type of potential hazard, social media usage in the classroom centers around three specific pitfalls: teacher misconduct, teacher professionalism, and student confidentiality and privacy (Tate, 2015). These dangers must be brought to the forefront in order for parents and administrators to feel comfortable with social media usage in the classroom. Teachers must ensure that there are clear cut boundaries between themselves professionally and personally with students online.

A study completed in 2014 by the U.S. Department of Education found sexual misconduct between teachers and students had increased dramatically, and 35% of cases were found to have some attachment to social media (Rogers, 2015).  Extreme diligence must be taken to ensure parents know who is contacting their child via their social media accounts, including those created through school. Professional language and discretion should be used when creating social media posts that students and their parents have access to. Pappas (2013) suggested teachers maintain two different Facebook pages (one for personal use and another for professional or classroom use). However, this does not allow for one to disregard professionalism on their personal page. Teachers have been disciplined or even dismissed for posting derogatory comments, photos of alcoholic beverages, and comments in bad taste.

The final, and most legalistic, of the three dangers centers around student confidentiality and privacy.  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 is a federal law protecting students’ records in all schools that receive federal funding. Although we would all like to post photos of our students and brag about their academic accomplishments, these could be possible violations of their privacy dependent on parental consent or denial.

Although these pitfalls may seem dangerous, acknowledging and preparing for ways to avoid teacher misconduct, unprofessionalism, or violations of student privacy opens students’ access to global learning through social media.

Protecting Students from Potential Danger

In order to avoid the types of pitfalls mentioned above, it is helpful to produce an acceptable use policy (AUP) for your school and district. The first thing to consider is that the entire community of stakeholders need to be on board.  Consider creating an AUP where students, parents, and guardians sign at the beginning of the year. Visit Bud Hunt’s wiki for ideas and examples of AUP (Hicks, 2008, para.1).  Additionally, consider how students conduct themselves online.  Teachers need to talk with students and discourage them from sharing any personal identifiers online.  Determining policy for how students self-identify online, whether that be with first names only, pseudonyms, or something different needs to be addressed.  Additionally, it is critical students know how to report any issues they encounter online.  This includes content-related material, or anything that makes them feel uncomfortable (Brokamp, 2012, para. 11). Sanders (2015) provided the graphic below which contains examples of safety precautions to teach students as they navigate the Internet. These examples include stopping to think before clicking items or downloading and mixing characters to create stronger passwords.

The Role of the School District

When establishing district guidelines, school districts need to take into consideration a variety of issues when deciding on clear expectations for student safety and compliance with safety plans.  Some of these items include utilization of student’s name, student or school location, and any other personal information that could end up in the wrong hands.  Districts must also take into consideration and follow state and federal standards, of which some are incorporated in the Children’s Internet Protection Act.  The Children's Internet Protection Act requires school districts develop an Internet safety plan addressing the unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding minors (Willard, 2015).  

In order to protect student records within programs purchased by districts, attorney’s for the district must thoroughly review each contract to make sure it is in compliance with district, state, and federal student record laws.  Administration and teachers also have to be aware of what student information is posted on school websites.  Parents must approve any and all information provided on school sites, such as names, grade level, pictures, and classwork.  Teachers and students must be very careful not to disclose information regarding students. Staff communication and student internet policies should be established in order to address these concerns.  When students are given student accounts at school, they should be given a unique student identifier that disguises the student’s real name to anyone in the outside world.  Finally, student accounts should not be established unless there is a clear educational purpose and parents have been fully informed and approved the accounts (Willard, 2015).

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, as an educator in a world where students are sharing more personal information on social media than ever, special attention and care should be spent when planning to bring social media into the classroom. Of the students who actively use social media, 91% share photos of themselves, 71% share their school and/or hometown, 53% share or link email addresses, and even 20% disclose their cell phone number (Madden et al., 2013).

Most 21st Century classroom teachers have the resources and knowledge base to teach safety and caution when using social media to communicate and share information with others. Although students likely have already developed their sharing habits on their chosen platform, using the social media tool in the classroom under the guidance of an authority figure could result in using more discretion when revealing personal information. Classroom usage and acceptance of social media for educational purposes could serve as a catalyst for safer interactions in these public forums outside the classroom walls.

References:

Bullas, J. (2015). 33 social media facts and statistics you should know in 2015. Retrieved from http://www.jeffbullas.com/2015/04/08/33-social-media-facts-and-statistics-you-should-know-in-2015/

Brokamp, C., Corum, L., Isberg, J., Walsh, S., & Ward, E. (2012). Social media and the classroom. Retrieved from http://socialmediaandtheclassroom415.weebly.com/blogging.html

Hicks, T., & Hunt, B. (2008) Bud the teacher’s wiki. Retrieved from http://www.budtheteacher.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Madden, M., Lenhart, A., Cortesi, S., Gasser, U., Duggan, M., Smith, A., & Beaton, M. (2013, May 21). Teens, social media, and privacy. Retrieved from http://www.lateledipenelope.it/public/52dff2e35b812.pdf

McEwan, B. (2012). Managing boundaries in the Web 2.0 classroom. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2012(131), 15-28. doi:10.1002/tl.20024

Posting Pictures to a School Website: Issues to be Aware of. (2014, July 17). Retrieved July 24, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.webwise.ie/teachers/posting-pictures-to-your-schools-website-2/

Sanders, J. (2015, March 18). How to start safely using social media in the classroom. [Web blog]. Retrieved from http://dailygenius.com/social-media-in-the-classroom/

Tate, K. (2015, May 7). Social media hazards and tips for educators. Retrieved July 20, 2015, from http://edutrendsonline.com/social-media-hazards-and-tips-for-teachers/

Willard, N. (2015). Ensuring student privacy on the internet. Education World. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech120.shtml