‘Teacher unions report an
ongoing increase in the number of teachers facing discipline based on what they
have posted online’
(Kuehn, 2012, p.84).
My research
into ethical considerations really resonated with me personally as I work in
education. I knew from personal experience that teachers were at high risk from
the staff training I have received, but for the profession to be highlighted
out of thousands of jobs demonstrates the enormity of the problem for teachers
across the globe.
When I began
working in education, I deleted my Facebook account. This may seem extreme to
some people, but as the Kuehn (2012) suggests teachers are, ‘warned about the
professional perils of their online personas’ (p.85). I know this limits the
opportunities I have to use Facebook as a platform for professional
development, but I prefer to not take any unnecessary risks. In a way, this
challenges me to find alternative spaces to express my professional skills and
views.
As a result, I
will limit and edit certain information I post on my BAPP blog to ensure that I
am not at risk of breaking and professional codes of conduct protecting both
myself and, most importantly, the students that I work with, whilst still using
it as a professional platform. This ‘netiquette’ will allow me to create a
professional persona in my blog that I am comfortable for the public and future
employers to see, acting as a type of portfolio. I am glad that this task was
early on in the course, as now I will make more informed decisions about what I
post and comment on both my own and other colleagues’ blogs.
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