I admit it, at the risk of cyber-ostricisation…
(yes, I think I just coined a new term, and it could go viral…), I do not like Facebook, and I avoid twitter like the plague.
It’s true. I have in the past used Facebook to keep
in touch with one of my daughters while she was overseas, and friends in the South
Island, but I have become increasingly disillusioned with their changing
privacy settings and insatiable need to connect me to everybody that anybody
has ever heard of. On top of that do I really need to know what x’s friend’s
cousin y, is having for dinner on Tuesday?
Seriously, the level of invasiveness goes beyond
connectedness. Call me a private person, or even archaic, but I find Facebook
quite unnecessarily aggressive and disturbingly voyeuristic. On top of that,
one of my friends got hacked and the hacker sent out invites which innocents
accepted and well…I rest my case. A complete and utter stranger now has
information and images that were intended for friends. Add to this, the way
that comments can be misinterpreted and taken out of context and result in a
barrage of insults by people who hide behind digital devices and have opinions
they feel required to share…also sometimes complete strangers. It doesn’t pay
to make any kind of statement on Facebook, unless it is a popular one.
Sadly, many students lack this understanding of the
nature of social media and only see the fun aspects. Even with cyber safety
being taught explicitly now, students are vulnerable to those with ill intent
or who hide behind a digital signature that may not be authentic. I guess that
is why there are restrictions on the age of users.
Another reason I prefer to avoid Facebook, is the
position I am put in if I get friend requests from students under 13 years of
age,,, if this is illegal, then am I endorsing illegal activity by simply
knowing they have an account? Am I required to report it to parents in case
they don’t realise? This is a minefield, and I’m busy enough as it is. Schools
however, do have to traverse this minefield… they have an ethical obligation to
set policies and procedures in place, as social media is all but unavoidable as
students share their knowledge with those less experienced and perhaps unaware
of the potential for error. Knowledge forces decision-making…
Colleste (2012) states, “We engage in
ethics when we start to reflect on our moral judgements and actions” and we
make decisions based on our moral judgements, then, “when we reflect on this
type of decision making, we engage in applied ethics. Hence, applied ethics is
concerned with crucial aspects of human life and social development.”
So…? So, I am required to make moral judgements about the use of social
media by my students, merely because I end up in a position of knowledge about
it. Where do I draw the line? Why does it come down to me policing something
largely outside of my control? Apparently, I am required to do this… Henderson,
M., Auld, G., & Johnson, N. F. (2014), outline four ethical dilemmas that
come into play around consent, confidentiality and traceability, boundaries, and recognising
and responding to illicit activity. Couple this with the Education Council of New Zealand’s
‘Code of Ethics,’ a set of fundamental principles,
which determine the basis for appropriate professional interactions of teachers.
These four principles are intended to guide ethical decisions while “recognising questions of ethics may not always have straightforward
answers.” (New Zealand Teachers
Council, n.d.).
These principles are:
“Autonomy to treat people
with rights that are to be honoured and defended
Justice to share power
and prevent the abuse of power
Responsible care to do good and
minimise harm to others
Truth to be honest with others and
self.
Application of the Code of Ethics shall take account of the
requirements of the law as well as the obligation of teachers to honour the
Treaty of Waitangi by paying particular attention to the rights and aspirations
of Māori as tangata whenua.”
Like it or not, I have responsibilities and this is not an easy fix. As
we are moving to more online use through Google Classrooms, I will have more
discussions with my students, and maybe they will avoid ‘friending’ me so I am
not put in an awkward position, and again maybe not and I will have to apply
the code of ethics to sort out what to do, or at the very least, locate and
attempt to adhere to the latest policy on social media and my responsibilities –
at least that might make the decision for me! Yes, like it or not, it is an issue that I have to face, and one that is likely to snowball.
And twitter? Well, let’s just say I am bombarded
with enough interruptions that I find it hard enough to filter, without
constant tweets in the mix. I know Twitter can keep you up to date in an
instant, but to my already very active brain, it is information overload.
References:
Collste, G. (2012). Applied and
professional ethics. Kemanusiaan, 19(1), 17–33.
Henderson, M., Auld, G., & Johnson, N. F. (2014). Ethics of Teaching with Social Media. Paper presented at the Australian
Computers in Education Conference 2014, Adelaide, SA. Retrieved from http://acec2014.acce.edu.au/sites/2014/files/attachments/HendersonAuldJohnson_EthicalDilemmas_ACEC_2014_0.pdf:
New Zealand Teachers Council, (n.d.). The New Zealand Teachers Council Code of Ethics for Certificated
Teachers. Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0
No comments:
Post a Comment