Many students enrolled with the School of Education at UTAS take part in social networking for study purposes as well as in their personal lives. These professional and personal social networks offer some great advantages and some potential risks. As a digital citizen, there are many things for you to consider.
If you take part in social networking you are a digital citizen of the world. Through your digital citizenship, you demonstrate your professional practice, for your potential employers and for all stakeholders involved in your chosen profession.
Remember that “what you put online” may “stay with your forever” (See, Protecting your Digital Footprint http://www.schooltube.com/video/d4e1ce965f05c53f961a/Protecting-Your-Digital-Footprint )
Be mindful of the links you may have to other social networking sites – are they helpful for your reputation online? Remember that social networking is evolving. Privacy settings may be changed without notice.
As a digital citizen, you need to check for any updates and make sure that you continue to update your privacy settings regularly.
As a digital citizen you have ethical responsibilities. Remember to be careful about the tone of any information you post online.
If you name people online in a derogatory and negative way, you run the risk of being accused of defamation. You may personally be legally liable for such material.
Any information online establishes your professional reputation.
As many of you are pre-service teachers you are modelling your professional practice for potential future students and education communities.
Here are some more references about social networking:
James, C. (with Davis, K., Flores, A., Francis, J.M., Pettingill, L., Rundle, M., & Gardner, H.). (2008, February 22). Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media: A Synthesis from the Good Play Project (GoodWork Project Report Series, Number 54). Boston: Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/eBookstore/PDFs/GoodWork54.pdf
State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training. (2010). Digital citizenship. Retrieved from http://www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/
Please follow these recommendations from the Faculty of Education. Be sure to protect your ‘digital footprint’ and maintain a professional identity online as well as in other forms of communication.