Know the Policies when Using Technology!

There are many positive aspects of Technology in the Classroom, around the world, in the work place, to help network, to learn/educate ourselves using google 24-7, to get the hottest trends, to see what your sister is doing on the couch next to you through her thoughts shared on social media posts, traveling the world by following beautiful trips on Instagram, knowing what the political scoop is via tweets, or checking your little baby in daycare using the downloaded app from the school’s webcam service. These all sound so wonderful yet when you take a step back and think about how Easy and how Fast damage can be done with just one click, one upload, one wrong move, or post the benefits leave your mind and negativity fills up that space. Your career could be jeopardized forever. The career that took about ten years and twenty days to get, on top of juggling multiple jobs and you still have not paid your student loans off after you have already graduated and landed your ideal, dream job. All of those issues I am sure we can dive into another time but for now the downsides of technology and how technology can ruin YOUR career are the reasons for this second blog.

This is a blog to help prevent those negative things from happening, this is not a blog to scare you to never do the amazing work you have already accomplished. Although, I read some pretty intense stories and did get a little worried. If you and I can follow the right steps, and follow the policies in place to PROTECT the staff, the students, and the parents ( the entire community and school), we will be just fine.

In order to start my second blog I had to do a little bit of research on the current and up to date policies. Many times these are tweaked and modified depending on the State. Your district/ school atmosphere do reflect those changes that need to be met. You can look here below at the image provided. I uploaded this link to make it easier to access the information straight from the State of New Jersey’s Department of Education website. You can skim through and find more information in regards to your state by searching your state’s department of education too.

Electronic communications that are inappropriate and therefore prohibited include but are not limited to:

-Items with sexual content;
-Items exhibiting or advocating use of drugs, alcohol or other illegal activities;
-Items that pertain to students, including confidential information;
-Any content that significantly affects the employee’s ability to perform his/her job or disrupts the educational environment;
-Any content that would violate district policies and procedures;

Critical Policy Reference Manual: Electronic Communication by School Staff
Click the link below for the policy listed above and more.
https://www.njsba.org/services/policy/critical-policy-reference-manual/
or use the document below and read through the lists of rules.

https://www.njsba.org/news-publications/press-releases/n-j-school-boards-association-issues-model-social-networking-policy/

Inside of the link above is a WORD DOCUMENT which I do site most of my Policy Warnings from this way you know the exact rules on what to do or Not to do.

Did you know these rules were in place to Protect YOU the employee?Yes. These rules are in place in order to create a safe, nurturing, non disruptive, and more equipped environment for the children, teens, and adults. The community will fall apart if these guidelines do not stay up to date and meet the needs of the newest technological break through. We all need to work together to make sure that safety and respect are at all times the main priority of the institution’s values along with the personnel working there. With one wrong comment our career will be jeopardized because of one remark towards color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, physical or mental ability, and more. This is just one way you could get fired from using technology as a teacher.

THINK before you POST!!!

After keeping in mind what you can or cannot post on social media make sure you also remember that with teaching with technology can have fine lines between respecting the others on screen, yourself, and the administration.

Online Education
An online classroom is still a classroom. Though courses and/or assigned programs of home instruction may be online, appropriate classroom behavior is still mandatory.  Respect for the participants is essential for learning and student achievement.
 
Staff communications with students during online education will be limited to legitimate school business as set forth under cell phones, text messages and electronic communication, above.  Professional standards and etiquette shall be observed at all times.   

This Policy is again found on the WORD DOCUMENT on NEW JERSEY’S SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION website pertaining to the Social Networking Policies.

As I have been in more schools technology usage went to the all time highs. I went from just learning to type and playing games such as Math Blaster,Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and for some reason I will never forget the Oregon Trail to NOW using computers for every subject, every skill, at ANY age. We, the educators, need to remember that we must respect the human contact we do have with one another. Just because the screen may be blocking us, we cannot forget that Professional standards and guidelines are always met. If we cannot meet these needs the student will lack even more social interaction or social skills, or worse think that it is acceptable behavior elsewhere for not following certain rules. A teacher can get fired if he or she cannot handle the communication properly. A teacher can also be terminated if for at all reason during the video, lesson, web interaction, audio clip, email, etc. the respect and classroom behavior is not up to par to the school’s standards. The school has the right to give you a leave of absence.

How else could a teacher be forced to leave or terminated?

School employees may not list current students as “friends” on networking sites without written approval of the school principal;

Found on the NJSBA website on their WORD DOCUMENT that listed the policies for teaching regarding technology. I have posted the link again to look at the document download again because as a teacher these policies are very important.
https://www.njsba.org/news-publications/press-releases/n-j-school-boards-association-issues-model-social-networking-policy/

This may not be the smartest move in the workplace. Befriending a student can cause a bit of a roar in the news, school board meetings, and parental functions. Parents need to know their child, especially regarding a child if he or she is under the age of 18, is safe. At times (we would of course and I) would hope to think the educator would do this in order to further assist a child in extra work or practice because of not understanding the material in class. Unfortunately, in this moment and time we live in, this can cause a domino effect and most times it leads to a negative outcome. Communication needs to be used in a Professional matter and must also be used to and from the School’s account for proof of standards and ethics requirements. What do I mean? I mean that using a school account from teacher to parent, from student to teacher, from parent to administrator, or whatever the case may be should strictly be used to keep track of past conversations for organizational purposes and for liability purposes. The school, the staff and the child should all have a way to protect themselves in case of foul play. This is also the case so that material can all be gathered to keep track of assignments, or conversations in regards to the records of the child or just communications back and forth in general. This eliminates the “He Said… She Said…”

Be smart and remember the code of conduct in your work place. As a teacher you are a ROLE MODEL for the younger children, the middle kids, the teens, and some adults. We all play a large part in a students life and MOST are positive impacts. Do not let these warnings or rules hold you back from becoming an amazing teacher. You need to become AWARE of the rules and educate yourself so that you are prepared and use the correct tools while in the classroom or online. The World Wide Web is an enormous space that holds amazing amounts of information. Be sure you are Representing yourself in the way you want others to remember you, or some people have said in other articles “Would you want your Grandma to see or read those posts?” You represent your workplace but most importantly YOURSELF. Protect yourself, your school, and your children your are teaching.

I hope these few policies were helpful to look at and that you continue to update yourself with the new standards and laws. This is crucial for the safety of the children, staff, community, and YOURSELF.

I wanted to show you the NJSBA logo this way you can make sure you are in the correct place to find the policies and be better equipped/ up to date on the new rules.Remember this is New Jersey’s State requirements and policy- be sure to check you local district’s policies too!

After directing my attention to mostly teachers I wanted to point out lastly, that teachers play such an important role in society, but so do others. Other businesses hold the same policies as well, but sometimes we examine someone in a different role such as leadership or mentoring to require more filters. This is a stigma that holds with these types of employment positions.

An author named Brandon O’Connor wrote about some Key Factors to keep in mind for assessing the determination of terminating someone from their position. I thought this could reflect a general guide for many people using technology in the work place and this could show the side of someone’s thoughts that go behind their reasoning for letting another go due to misuse of technology.

#justcausetermination

O’Connor’s article about: Social Media Posts & Dismissal from Employment

-Damage to the business (including reputational damage)

-Damage to the operation of the workplace

-Whether the posts constituted threats

-Frequency and duration of inappropriate posts

-Uncooperativeness or defiance when confronted

-Honesty or remorse

Just a few of Brandin O’Connor’s reasoning for Justified termination

http://www.somlaw.ca/blog/blog-post/blog/2015/02/27/justcausetermination-social-media-posts-and-dismissal-from-employment

Click above to read his Article for further information and guidelines your Employer could use to determine your dismissal from your position. 

Take into consideration all of the online tips that many have on the internet that could help you make the RIGHT decision before, during, and after posting something online. Also, remember what type of position you are in. Are you a leader, role model to younger ones, a parent, a person with authority such as an officer? All of those different career paths have their own way of implementing procedures or policies for the use of technology. It is so important for your image to show the positive sides of you that reflect all of your hard work, ALL of the time. It only takes one mistake for someone to have the reasoning behind your termination. Don’t be that person that didn’t read the policy and not know the proper ways of protecting yourself.

Best of luck to all and especially to the educators out there doing their best and creating a safe classroom setting online, in person, and in the community. Communication is key and with all of the wonderful benefits of technology our children can really learn in so many amazing ways. Make sure you remember those positive aspects BUT do not forget about the Policies behind them!