Dos and Don’ts of Social Media Guidelines for Educators Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

3 Ps of the Internet Permanent. The Internet is permanent. Internet service providers and social networks may be able to retrieve information long after it has been deleted. Perfect. The Internet has a perfect memory. Items posted can be retrieved and you can read or see exactly what was posted. Public. The Internet is public.

You give up control Information you put into Social Media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare are on pubilc database. Some things aren’t deleted right away. You don’t have access to their backup files

When you get started Stick to one medium when you interact with students If using Facebook, set up a different account for personal use and privatize it much as possible Twitter has a privacy feature but it may be better to keep it public

Facebook Privacy Feature Look for privacy settings under Home drop down menu

Facebook Privacy Feature Choose Friends or Custom settings Custom settings lets you create individual lists Remove yourself from public search by choosing Apps, Games and Websites

Twitter Privacy settings found under the user tab Generally not used, twitter is more for sharing links and real-time events

When Using Social Media Find out your school’s social media policy and follow it. Stick to a plan and follow it. Don’t be choosey when friending/followng students. Wise to have a separate account Assume someone is watching. Don’t vent about your students even on a personal account Do embrace the human element

When Using Social Media Decide if you really want to spy on your students. Would you be biased if someone missed a homework assignment because of partying Recognize there is a time commitment and you will have to respond to students questions.

Creating Interaction Encourage your students to ask questions to each other to promote dialogue The best way to create interaction is: photographs, videos and tagged people

Facebook Examples