Legality and Ethics with Social Media

Week 29: Legal and Ethical Context

Legality and Ethics with Social Media

Ethics, according to the Oxford dictionary (n.d.) are the ‘moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity.’  They are a set of beliefs and principals that guide our decision and actions.

Five years ago, I allowed my teenage children to join Facebook as this was the latest social trend.  With such easy access to this network using their cell phones, personal posts and photos could easily and quickly be shared among anyone.  I also joined Facebook so I could communicate with my family and friends, and some of my close friend’s children.  Although there are many positive aspects to this social media website, I soon discovered some disadvantages.  An ethical dilemma I faced was being bombarded with ‘friend requests’ from my teenager’s contacts.  It soon became apparent that many of these were from current students that I taught even though the minimum age to sign up was 13 years.  

The Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards set out by the Education Council (2017) states many ethical and legal obligation to abide by.  Within this document it clearly outlines my responsibility and expectations as a teacher to behave professionally and with integrity.  It states, as a teacher, I have a responsibility and commitment to not only my learners but to their families and whanau, to society and, to the teaching profession.  The ethical issues I faced was mostly due to my students and their families invading my personal life so I declined all student requests.  I was very uncomfortable sharing my personal life with my students, or ex-students, as I had no control over other people posting photos of myself while I was out socialising.  I felt that this may have a negative impact on my professional image and how others would judge or view me; including current or future students, parents/whanau, and employers or colleagues.  I then discovered that my privacy settings, along with my children’s, were not as private as I had thought so whatever I posted was seen by anyone.  I soon rectified this problem.  Facebook and other social media networks are prohibited and blocked on my school server as the internet is used for learning purpose. 

Henderson, M., Auld, G., & Johnson, N. F. (2014) states that social media sites can cause teachers ethical dilemmas which could conflict with their codes of conduct.  He identifies four ethical issues which for teachers to be aware of: Consent, Confidentiality, Boundaries, and Recognizing and responding to illicit activity.  Recently I posted photos of my students on a ski trip and I now realise that this is not ethical as I didn’t have my student’s or parent’s permission to post these.  According to Henderson, M., Auld, G., & Johnson, N. F. (2014), using Facebook highlights the risk for teacher’s boundaries between private and public domains and identifies 2 concerns when using online sites which I related to;

1.      Teachers sharing and interacting with students in their private practises.

2.      When students seek contact with their teachers on social networks.

Neither of these actions promote high standards for ethical behaviour expected from teachers and would be a major cause for concern for any parent or school.  We have all seen bad publicity in the media when the teaching profession have had inappropriate contact and relationships with their students.

The Code of Professional Standards for Teaching reinforces my stance not to interact with students on Facebook and restrict my personal activity due to my teaching moral and ethical obligations.  This is further highlighted with the Values outlined in the Education Council (n.d) and underpin Our Code Our Standards which “define, guide and inspire us as teachers” (p.2);

Pono “showing integrity by acting in ways that are fair, honest, ethical and just” (p2).

Whanaungatanga “engaging in positive and collaborative relationships with our learners, their families and whanau, our colleagues and the wider community” (p.2)

Teaching is a profession that is built on Care, Respect, Trust and Integrity.  I believe it is important to maintain a high level of ethical beliefs and behaviours, in our teaching practice, as this directly impacts of the quality reputation in our profession.

References:

·         Education Council. (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-et...

·         Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers

·         Henderson, M., Auld, G., & Johnson, N. F. (2014). Ethics of Teaching with Social Media. Paper presented at the Australian Computers in Education Conference 2014, Adelaide, SA. Retrieved from http://acec2014.acce.edu.au/sites/2014/files/attachments/HendersonAuldJohnson_EthicalDilemmas_ACEC_2014_0.pdf

·         Ministry of Education. (2015). Digital technology - Safe and responsible use in schools. Retrieved from http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/School/Managing-and-supporting-students/DigitalTechnologySafeAndResponsibleUseInSchs.pdf

·         Oxford dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ethics