In This Article
Subscribe to National Updates
Teachers Struggle to Separate Private and Professional Lives Online
May 21, 2008 07:00 AM
Teachers are finding that private online profiles are not so private after all, and can have far-reaching consequences.
30-Second Summary
Professional educators from across the country have been warned to monitor the personal information they place on social networking sites, after a series of cases have led to teacher suspensions and even firings.
Warnings range from subtle suggestions from administrators, to strict advisories from state educational associations, but offer a clear message—anything posted to a personal profile is potentially visible to students and their parents, and subject to review.
While a number of school systems have embraced social networking systems for use in the classroom setting, many teachers maintain personal profiles outside of the school environment.
Personal profiles on services such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube have been cited in cases where students or parents stumble across photos or text offering wildly different perspectives on teachers than what’s presented in class.
Blurring the line between a teacher’s personal and professional lives, these cases suggest that, as one parent observed, the Internet is a new public space and that inappropriate behavior there should not be tolerated any more than in a restaurant or mall.
However, some counter that a generation of Internet-savvy professionals now entering the workforce should not be expected to abandon the social networks they grew up with.
Warnings range from subtle suggestions from administrators, to strict advisories from state educational associations, but offer a clear message—anything posted to a personal profile is potentially visible to students and their parents, and subject to review.
While a number of school systems have embraced social networking systems for use in the classroom setting, many teachers maintain personal profiles outside of the school environment.
Personal profiles on services such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube have been cited in cases where students or parents stumble across photos or text offering wildly different perspectives on teachers than what’s presented in class.
Blurring the line between a teacher’s personal and professional lives, these cases suggest that, as one parent observed, the Internet is a new public space and that inappropriate behavior there should not be tolerated any more than in a restaurant or mall.
However, some counter that a generation of Internet-savvy professionals now entering the workforce should not be expected to abandon the social networks they grew up with.
Headline Links: ‘When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web’
Seemingly unaware that their personal profiles could end up being viewed by their own students or by their students’ parents, teachers across the country have faced punishment or suspension for offering questionable information online.
Source: The Washington Post
The debate surrounding the posting of possibly controversial personal information has not only resulted in punishment for teachers, but wrongful termination lawsuits as well, with educators questioning the line between professional and private life.
Source: The National Education Association
Reactions: Warnings and terminations
Late last year, the Ohio Education Association (OEA) was moved to explicitly warn teachers not to have a personal profile in social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, and urged those who did to closely monitor any information posted there. Offering a stark warning, the OEA argued that the wrong information found online could result in the loss of their teaching licenses.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
Last year also saw the expulsion of an art teacher in a case related to instructional videos he had posted on YouTube. Disguised to hide his identity, the teacher produced short films showing the creation of art by applying paint to exposed body parts and then laying on canvas. The school countered that students should have the right to attend classes in an environment where teachers can be looked to as role models.
Source: MSNBC
Opinion & Analysis: Social networking and the classroom
Though far from fully tested as an educational tool, some see services such as Facebook as a way to connect with students, providing a common ground that the classroom does not.
Source: HiLite Online
Gene Policinski of the First Amendment Center explores the consequences of social networking sites and posting personal information online, and how they can affect the job security of public officials such as teachers and administrators.
Source: The Shreveport Times
Following the Ohio Educational Association announcement, Regina Lynn of Wired magazine countered that teaches should actually be expected and encouraged to use social networks. Arguing that a generation raised on the Internet is now graduating into the work force, Lynn wrote that it should be expected that they will continue to use the social networks they grew up with, no matter what their line of work.
Source: Wired
Related Topics: Harassment of teachers
Sparking a debate about equal treatment for students and teachers with respect to what they post online, schools have found a number of cases illustrating the use of social networking sites to openly criticize or harass teachers and school staff members.
Source: New York Magazine
Although several cases have resulted in the expulsion and censuring of students for posting disparaging comments and photos of teachers, some have resulted in lawsuits against not only the guilty students, but their parents as well.
Source: Ars Technica
Reference: Protecting your online persona
Regardless of your profession, it’s worth remembering that whatever you post online is likely to stay there, and will be accessible to a potential employer or client who feels compelled to look. This doesn’t mean you should avoid the Web at all costs, but does suggest taking certain precautions.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
