Secure-A-Class: Keeping Students Safe and Secure while Integrating Social Media

Authors: Ed Dittfurth, Paul Sowell, Casie Hansen, & Julie Miller

http://misskayscomputer.com/internet-safety/safety-terms/

As a strong advocate for children, adolescents, and families, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in a clinical report authored by O’Keefe, Clarke-Pearson and Council on Communication and Media (2011) offered several benefits for pre-adolescent and adolescent use of social media. The benefits included increased socialization and communication, enhanced learning opportunities, and accessible health information. The AAP report indicated tweens and teens are at some risk when navigating social media websites as a result of this age group demonstrating a “limited capacity for self-regulation and susceptibility to peer pressure (O’Keefe, Clarke-Pearson, & Council on Communication and Media, 2011, p. 800).  Furthermore, O’Keefe et al. (2011) identified emerging social media problems as cyberbullying and online harassment, Facebook depression, sexting, privacy issues and digital footprints, internet addiction, and sleep deprivation. While these issues encompass home and school settings, campus stakeholders can focus on preadolescent and adolescent safety issues as it relates to student and campus stakeholder social media usage.

The London School of Economics and Political Science identified three categories of online safety issues related to students in online environments including: a) content, b) usage and conduct, along with, c) interaction and communication. Online content might include inappropriate subject matter such as pornography, or potentially dangerous and illegal content. Safety issues regarding usage and conduct includes student behavior when using the internet. For example, students not demonstrating appropriate digital citizenship and participating in cyberbullying and sexting. The final category, interaction and communication arise when potential problems develop as students interact with others, including educators, in online environments (London School of Economics and Political Science).  These categories help school stakeholders focus efforts in securing student access to accessible content, teaching appropriate usage and conduct in online environments, and monitoring acceptable interaction and communication.

Securing Student Content

Today children of all ages use technology and social networking.  Some websites may enable children using the internet to communicate in a safe way and promote good digital citizenship and social behavior.  On these sites, children have the opportunity to enjoy interactive and social features on the web. Many websites built for children include some degree of "social networking" features. Parental involvement should be required to enable certain features of the websites, which allow for posting profiles online. Websites may do a service to our children by creating an extremely safe environment, which is adult monitored, or has strict controls set up to prevent any misuse (Norris, n.d).  

There are downsides to some children’s websites as well.  Some of the downsides are branding, advertising, and the materialistic nature of the content which is pervasive. Parents may need to counter the downsides with discussions about commercialism on the web (Norris, n.d.).  In May 2008, Consumer Reports WebWatch and the Mediatech Foundation illustrated how young children respond to advertising and marketing tactics online in a study called, "Like Taking Candy from a Baby: How Young Children Interact with Online Environments,", which focused on young children, ages 2½ to 8 and used ethnographic methods.  Study indications showed some disturbing trends regarding some websites created for the very young.  Some indications included:

Adapted from http://www.techforteachers.net/internet-safety.html

Some recommendations on how to keep children safe included:

Adapted from http://www.techforteachers.net/internet-safety.html

As technology develops and the use of the internet expands, concerns over safety and privacy do as well. Safety and privacy are valid concerns for an educator who is implementing or expanding the use of social media during lesson planning, with intentions for innovative learning experiences. Since the goal of any social network site is to connect people through using personal information, educators must take care in choosing appropriate sites for education purposes.

For privacy purposes, educators should choose kid-safe networks developed with elementary students in mind. These sites limit the amount of data collected and made public or searchable (Poore, 2013). The data collection concern increases when contemplating sites geared toward middle school or high school students. Instructors should take note of the website company’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to determine if the intended site allows the sale of private data for marketing purposes. Teachers need to know what information is eligible for sharing so they can better instruct their students on maintaining safety online.

            Teenagers believe they have complete control over what they share on social networking sites which is cause for concern in the classroom (Madden, Lenhart, Cortesi, Gasser, Duggan, Smith, & Beaton, 2013).  Students believe they are able to manage their profiles through privacy settings so they can decide how people see their information (Madden et al., 2013). "The problem with this belief is that website companies can, and do, change their privacy notices and data collection practices" (Poore, 2013, p. 87). With students believing their profiles are safe, they are more likely to engage in activities that might compromise their profiles. Teachers need to stay up to date on privacy updates within the social media sites they use to keep their students information safe.

            While students are not overly concerned about the information they share, their parents show concern about the amount and type of information needed to engage in online learning. Madden et al. (2013) upheld teenage students have less concern about information shared with a third party. However, parents show concern about the amount, and type, of information used to engage in online learning. Interestingly, younger students and pre-teens are more likely to be concerned about sharing their information than their older counterparts. To combat concerns, teachers should make both students and parents aware of what information will be used to access any social networking site they use in the classroom to foster a safe online environment. 

Student security in online environments is an important concern. Not only is there a need for protecting children and their exposure to online predators and inappropriate content, but also securing their privacy.  A recent attack on Wall Street exposed the vulnerability of a system that many thought was impenetrable.  Tim McElwee (as cited in Jackson, 2015) suggested internet access inherently raises the risk of attack and suggests that every device is another IP address that is a potential target. In addition to systems being under attack by malicious computer programs, personal records and information is also a highly sought after commodity. 

http://ritaerkina.blogspot.com/2014/09/virtual-identity-deleted-pros-and-cons.html

Privacy of users, especially when they are minors, must remain an utmost consideration of educational institutions. Predators lurk on the internet looking to take advantage of others.  Information of users is readily available to those who are savvy enough to hack into systems.  Recently Google announced the hiring of their new Chief Financial Officer, Ruth Porat.  Her portfolio includes growing investors’ confidence by sharing financial details while strategically keeping the amount of data mining Google conducts out of the public eye (Guynn, 2015). Institutions must assume the use of technology is paired with inherent risks.  Even the government’s most secure data of personnel with security clearances was breached.  This act of cyberdeviance was the cause of the release of over 21 million people's personal information (Davis, 2015).  If a secure branch of government with all of its resources and safeguards can lose data on 21 million people, then educational centers must find and create strategies to reduce their liability in the event of a cyber attack.

Securing Student Usage and Conduct

When talking about social media in a K-12 classroom, two issues emerge: safety and integration.  Internet safety is one of the main focuses in classrooms. Part of safety is making sure we are not only being good digital citizens, but teaching our students to be as well.  Digital citizenship relates to the concept that people who reside in a digital world share in rights and responsibilities as members of the community (Norris, n.d.).  A good citizen uses their best efforts to benefit the group, classroom, or community, which helps parents, guardians, and educators understand how students should use technology correctly.  When children and adults abuse and misuse technology, it might be because they do not know what is considered appropriate technology usage (Norris, n.d.).  Educators must provide support and direct instruction when teaching students the principles of Digital Citizenship. Norris (n.d., para. 2) upheld these principles of Digital Citizenship to include:

 Adapted from http://www.techforteachers.net/internet-safety.html

Another component of internet safety is ensuring student safety from cyberbullying.  Cyberbullying is the use of any electronic medium to harass, threaten, intimidate, or harm someone (Norris, n.d.).  Cyberbullying can include instant messaging, chat rooms, email, social media networks, or cell phones. Cyberbullying is done by both children and adults; therefore, it is important to act on and take any type of cyberbullying seriously. Cyberbullying is worse than face to face bullying because the bully can remain anonymous and the victims seemingly cannot escape from the harassment (Norris, n.d.).  

Cyberbullying is a definite area of concern for educators considering introducing social media in the classroom.  While cyberbullying can take place on an educational site, educators can minimize the possibility of cyberbullying by forming a social networking group rather than allowing use of sites that center on individuals (Poore, 2013, 85).  Cyberbullying is more likely to occur when an individual makes their likes and dislikes known. Educators should form social media groups focused on a curriculum area, or a topic, so students are engaged in discussing the topic instead of commenting about individual preferences.  For important information and tips to Cyberbullying, see the information below:

Adapted from http://www.techforteachers.net/internet-safety.html

There are numerous resources to inform students and parents about cyberbullying, safe use of internet resources, and the use of sites like MySpace, FaceBook, Hi5, and Instagram.  Some of these resources include:

·         Parent's Guide to Cyberbullying

·         Internet Super Heroes

·         NetSmartz.org

·         Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use

·         SafeKids.com

·         Cyber-Savvy Teens

·         MySpace cheat sheet for parents

·         NS Teens - Making Safer Online Choices

·         Teen Guide to Safe Blogging

·         SafeTeens.com, and 

·         NetLingo

Internet safety, cyberbullying, and responsible use of the internet are concerns by parents and educators alike.  By making sure all parties are aware of the dangers and resources to help prevent these issues, stakeholders are ensuring technology and social networking safety for students when utilizing the internet. However, less than 20% of teachers currently use social media in their classrooms because they are unsure of how to integrate it successfully (Sanders, 2015). Educators understand students have different learning styles; and therefore, must utilize different outlets for teaching.  Sanders (2015) stated, “bringing social networking into the classroom gives quiet students a chance to shine; sharing their voice online is often easier than speaking out in class” (para. 3). Building teacher knowledge and confidence on securing accessible content, and teaching digital citizenship, may increase the use of social media in classrooms.

 http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/don-t-be-mean-pop-chart-9780545530996

For additional educator resources involving Cyberbullying visit the following link:

Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educators

Securing Student Interactions & Communications

Notwithstanding the evidence, which supports a mutually beneficial teacher-student relationship, there are growing concerns regarding unethical teacher-student relationships facilitated by online environments. Lytle (2011) highlights these concerns in a US News and World Report article. Additional ethical dilemmas resulting from teacher-student relationships in online environments are noted by Chen & McGeehan (2012) in a New York Times article.

Each campus stakeholder subscribes to ethical behaviors developed and disseminated by respective governing bodies including the Educational Leadership Policy Standards 2008, Code of Ethics for Educators, and Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Certain codes of conduct clearly identify the need for campus stakeholders to keep students safe and secure. With that end in mind, this section will focus on campus stakeholders acting in purposeful ways to ensure student safety in online environments including social media.

Mullen, Griffith, Greene, & Lambie (2014) offered school counselors assistance in avoiding ethical dilemmas in social media environments by identifying three areas of student safety and security concerns including (1) relationships and boundaries, (2) student confidentiality and privacy, and (3) professionalism. Although intended for school counselors, these professional concerns have campus-wide stakeholder implications.

One area of student safety and security concerns in social media environments deals with stakeholder-student relationships and the necessity of ethical boundaries. While functioning in campus roles, campus stakeholders including administrators, educators, and counselors, develop personal and academic relationships with students, which facilitate the student’s personal, academic, and social development. Mullen et al., (2014) stated multiple relationships occur when campus stakeholders enter into more than one role with a student.  Bodenhorn (2006) found school counselors who develop dual relationships with students face difficult ethical dilemmas. Dual relationships with students can develop in a social media environment (Mullen et al., 2014). To prevent the development of dual relationships with students on social media sites, campus communication with students should be ethical and professional. Communication of a personal nature should not be introduced or explored. When circumstances require communication of a personal nature, an alternate method should be agreed upon including email, telephone, or face-to-face communication (Mullen et al., 2014). For additional resources involving teachers and electronic communication with students visit the following link: Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educators

Acceptable Use Policies

In an effort to manage the three safety and security categories which campus stakeholders must confront, school districts are developing Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Part of internet safety when allowing social media into the classroom is having an Acceptable Use Policy.  An AUP is a document outlining the expected behavior to use district resources (Bumgardener and Knestis, 2011).  This set of rules gives precise details about the district’s views on social media, profanity, and objectionable activities when accessing and utilizing the district’s internet. In an effort to keep students safe, most districts have firewalls which make using social media as a learning tool difficult.  When an AUP bans certain social media sites, collaboration between students in different locales is virtually impossible and deters students’ educational opportunities. 

Teachers need to be aware of their responsibilities listed in the AUP so they can enable the use of social media inside their district’s guidelines. According to technology specialist Julie Ward (2015), “as a former Instructional Technology Coordinator at a K12 school district, we had a policy and steps for teachers to follow to unblock a website.  They had to give us the name of the website, reasons for wanting it unblocked and how it would align to the vision of the school and state standards if necessary.  We looked at each request individually and had a committee who would make a decision.  Often, if the teacher had good reason and could back it up with valid information, we would unblock.”

            The three ways to combat the issues of safety are: a) set distinct boundaries, b) focus on privacy for the students and educator, and c) get permission from parents before allowing a student to use social media.  Educators are on track to integrate social media once they learn how to use social media tools and protect the safety of their classrooms.  This starts with choosing a lesson that can benefit from social aspects, then figure out what tools you will use (Twitter, Google+, blogs), and finally and most important be flexible.  If an educator feels overwhelmed, start small and work your way up. Even the most basic tools can get students excited and more engaged (Sanders, 2015).

References

Bodenhorn, N. (2006). Exploratory study of common and challenging ethical dilemmas experienced by professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 10(2), 195-202.

Bumgardner, S., & Knestis, K. (2011). Social networking as a tool for student and teacher learning. District Administration, 47(5), 85.

Chen, D. W., & McGeehan, P. (2012, May 1). Social media rules limit New York student teacher contact. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/nyregion/social-media-rules-for-nyc-school-staff-limits-contact-with-students.html?_r=0

Davis, J. (2015, July 10). Hacking exposed 21 million in U.S., government says. New York Times, p. A1

Fleisher, L. (2012, May 1). City lays out digital rules for teachers. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303916904577376541510305510

Guynn, J. (2015, July 9). Google’s new CFO Porat to face Wall Street that knows her well. USA Today.

Jackson, D., Jones, C., Shell, A., & Jansen, B. (2015, July 9). Internet of things: Not all that? USA Today.

London School of Economics and Political Science (2014). Children’s safety on the internet: a guide to stakeholders. Retrieved from http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/mediapolicyproject/2015/03/31/childrens-safety-on-the-internet-a-guide-to-stakeholders/

Lytle, R. (2011, August 10). Student-teacher social media restrictions get mixed reactions. U. S. News and World Report. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2011/08/10/student-teacher-social-media-restrictions-get-mixed-reactions

Madden, M., Lenhart, A., Cortesi, S., Gasser, U., Duggan, M., Smith, A., & Beaton, M. (2013). Teens, social media, and privacy. The Berkeley center for internet and safety of Harvard University. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2013/05/PIP_TeensSocialMediaandPrivacy_PDF.pdf

Mullen, P. R., Griffith, C., Greene, J. H., Lambie, G. W. (2014). Social media and professional school counselors: Ethical and legal considerations. Journal of School Counseling, 12(8), 1-38. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1034737.pdf

Norris, N. (n.d.). Internet safety, cyberbullying, and responsible use of the internet. Technology Integration for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.techforteachers.net/internet-safety.html

O’Keeffe, G. S., Clarke-Pearson, K., & Council on Communications and Media (2011). The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 127(4), 800-804. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.full.pdf+html

Poore, Megan 2013. Using social media in the classroom: A best practice guide. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=vXY5k6LsPOUC

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