Our society is making major changes every day, and social media is dictating some of these changes and influencing how our society works. As a result, whatever changes we see in society will have a definite impact on what happens in our schools. To function effectively, schools cannot ignore these social changes. That is why our students and staff need to develop positive experiences using social media in our schools. Schools and school districts that choose to embrace social media are using new technologies to inform, educate, and prepare students and staff for the 21st century.
Each school year the following question will need to be answered: What if a student or staff member is using their personal social media account off school property in a negative, inappropriate, or confrontational way that impacts staff or the students? Also, does this use affect the student’s ability to learn in school or affect the educational day? If he does, then the school should have the right to investigate and issue the appropriate consequences. This is a major problem that has affected schools all over the world. It is vital that our schools address this issue in their student code or face the potential for school disruption by students, staff members, or both.
In an effort to be proactive, schools and school districts have decided to prevent problems from occurring by teaching students the proper way to use social media. Schools are now showing their students how social media can be used to collaborate on school projects, find summer jobs, participate in online chats, discuss books read in class, share and receive positive information on the school’s Facebook page , keep up with what’s happening around. the world, research, share educational success stories, secure classroom information, etc. Teachers can use Twitter accounts to send assignments to students, provide classroom information for students, and have classroom discussions. By embracing social media, schools are empowering their students to communicate more with their classmates, which will build a stronger student community.
School employees should have procedures in place for how they use social media in an effort to monitor how educators use their personal and school accounts to interact with students. Schools should consider employees who use their personal accounts to communicate with students to be inappropriate and grounds for termination. While this may sound harsh, sometimes staff using their personal accounts with students can give the appearance of an inappropriate relationship. In particular, staff members should never post photos of a student on their Facebook. These concerns must be addressed at the first staff meeting of the school year, and staff members must sign an agreement that the school’s social media account is used for educational purposes only and not to communicate with students.
In general, schools know that there is a lot of abuse related to the use of social media, but research has shown that schools that take the time to educate their staff and students on proper use are developing a learning community that will be productive in the 21st century
