Teacher's and Social Networking

In this new world where almost everything is tied into technology and the use of the internet, a person has to and should be very careful about what they do and what they post on-line.  Doing a Google search on oneself is exciting as well as nerve racking.  I did just that during this assignment.  I typed in my name and did a search on Anthony Swerdlik and Tony Swerdlik.  The results were minimum, but I am used to that due to my uncommon last name.  When I typed in Anthony Swerdlik, it produced 8 results.  Tony Swerdlik produced 3 results.  Some of the websites that came up were classmates.com, oregonstate.edu, beavertonvalleytime/sports.com, and peoplesearch.mylife.com.  I am not embarrassed by anything that came up.  Basically what I found was there were few results involving my name and myself. The couple of sites that did produce results contained information about when I was a student in high school, and college.  The Valley Times article was a write up from last summer involving an alumni tournament I played in and was on the winning team.  On Pipl website search, there were 3 sites that came up that allowed background searches and checks.  I don’t necessarily like the sites that came up with my birth date, address, and home phone number.  It’s a little troubling to know whoever can look me up and know my personal information.

There isn’t anything incriminating that I found when I conducted a search of myself.  The change I would make is to have my information unlisted including my home address, phone number and email.  My number one priority is my family and keeping them safe.  When I become a teacher I don’t want students knowing my exact address and phone number where prank calls, tee peeing, egging, or worse could take place.  You never know if you are going to have a student who you have trouble with and they want nothing more than to do something personal.  I think more times than not it doesn’t go that far, but it has in the past.  I went to high school and know how some students can be. I am going to seriously look into having my personal information changed to private.

I think right or wrong, teachers should be held to community standards in regards to their personal lives.  We are in the business of teaching and nurturing young men and women.  Parents and the community alike want to know that their kids are in good hands, and not subjected to inappropriate behavior or actions by someone as close as their teacher.  In a sense, teachers or other professions should be able to do what they like in their private time, however teachers are held to a higher standard because of the nature of the relationship with the students and community.  Teachers need to think their actions and speech all the way through because someone is always watching or searching for a “dirty little secret.”  A teacher’s speech at times is held against them but that’s part of the relationship we have with the schools, community, and people.  You can still live your life, but a person has to be a little more cognisant of what they are doing, saying, and posting.

This assignment was very interesting.  While reading the article about teachers using social networks, a point presented that really stuck out in my mind was the quote, “with any powerful tool, using technology can have positive and negative outcomes.”  I think what this was trying to say is the Internet and world of technology can be used in so many ways to enrich teaching and learning.  But like anything, if it is abused or not respected, it can become negative as well as producing dangerous outcomes.  Teachers have access to many resources that can be used to positively impact a child’s learning including social networks.  The number one thought regarding the Internet that has to be determined is if whether or not the content being posted or viewed is appropriate and useful to the child.  If the answer is no, don’t post it or have privacy settings in place for only close friends or family to see.  It takes just one student or parent to see something that in two seconds many can see and ultimately get a teacher in trouble or fired.

In closing I am going to take steps to ensure that nothing inappropriate ever gets posted on any social networks that students or parents have or can gain access to.  I am not going to live my life in fear, but I am going to be aware of what I am doing and what kind information is out there for the community to see.  I think as teachers we need to carry ourselves in a manner that is respected and compliant to the community.  We are in a position of great value and trust, and that needs to be upheld.  Nobody is perfect, but the key is to keep certain things private when it comes to life outside of school.