With the growth of Social Media use by teenagers this has also pushed the use of Social Media by educators. Educators are now being asked to use Social Media as a tool for learning but many educators are also using Social Media themselves. Schools and school districts are also using Social Media to communicate to the wider community. Many schools have Twitter and Instagram accounts and school districts are also using these accounts. These accounts are used to communicate, promote and celebrate school accomplishments. As educators we are being asked and we constantly strive to engage students in learning and if students are using Social Media then this is where we are trying to engage with them.
The following resources are some short readings on how different school districts are trying to navigate how to use Social Media for learning. We hope that these readings and the following discussion questions will help you engage with this topic as it can be controversial. These examples are specific to British Columbia but we understand that these issues and discussions are not limited to this province. Once you have viewed the resources below please go to the DISCUSSION page to share your thoughts and opinions on the questions below.
Do educators have a moral and ethical responsibility to educate students about and with Social Media?
What guidelines should schools and or districts offer their employees around Social Media use if any?
Do schools have a responsibility to monitor and or act upon student use or misuse of Social Media outside of school hours?
Should teachers be expected to respond to parents or students outside of school hours through Social Media?