Reflection 5: Law and Ethics

Reflection 5: Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice
Social media is impacting teachers, students, whanau and communities in a world where technology is an integral part of anyone’s life (Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program, 2012). Information that is shared on a social media is no longer completely private, instead, most information is public.
Snapchat is concerning social platform and one in which I have already seen ethical issues arise from (not in my own personal school context).  I have no issue with a person, who is a teacher, sharing photos or videos of their life events on Snapchat in relation to the outside world and their own personal adventures that they wish to share with others. I have an issue, though, with teachers sharing photos and videos of the students that they teach in their classroom, as well as those around them.
Every school environment and the atmosphere of each context is different. However, what is the same is that every teacher upholds a responsibility and ownership of upholding our, ‘Code of Ethics’ (reference), and we are obliged to confidentially agreements.
When it comes to Snapchat material and the repercussions for what could potentially happen, not only is that specific teacher affected, but families, community members, staff and leadership teams are also involved. A five-second video could then effect so much more.
Our Code of Ethics explicitly states that we are to “protect the confidentiality of information about learners obtained in the course of professional service, consistent with legal requirements” (Code of Ethics, 2016). Our classroom environments are raw contexts for our learners to be learners. There is an incredible amount of openness when it comes to a classroom environment. Our job as educators is to guide and nurture these learners so that they are learning in a positive, inclusive, supportive and trusted environment. However, if this has been breached, then our classroom atmosphere is altered in a potentially damaging way for our learners.
By putting photos and materials on a public platform like Snapchat, confidentiality is breached and the information is not in line with legal requirements that we expected to uphold. Parents, families and community members all have a right to be aware of what exactly is being shared of their child, and whether or not they wish for it be put there or not.
The individual who put photos or videos onto Snapchat could have Teachers Registration viewed in the form of a Board of Trustees meeting, or potentially further depending on the seriousness of the action.

Family and community members could uphold quite high judgements a teacher's respect could be lost. A teacher may also lose their reputation and therefore, there may be serious disadvantages if a teacher was to seek future employment opportunities (Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program, 2012).

Schools need to have clear boundaries as to how exactly social media tools should be used in an educational context. Staff meetings should be held around how to use technology in a professional manner and the implications of some specific decisions that they choose to make.

Professional development opportunities should be created and scenarios should be designed where teachers can engage in appropriate contexts where they can openly discuss the implications of specific actions. Clear meetings should be held so that all teachers are aware of the Code of the Ethics and what exactly each one of them means.

References:

Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program. (2012) Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educator: Facilitator’s Guide. Retrieved from http://www.ctteam.org/df/resources/Module5_Manual.pdf
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


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