boundaries between student and teacher. It is also often perceived with suspicion by parents and
administrators. ETFO recommends against individual e-mail communications with students. E-mails
to an entire class, in relation to specific scholastic projects may be appropriate in certain situations;
however, teachers should use their professional e-mail address exclusively and always maintain a
professional tone and structure throughout the communication.
For communications with parents, ETFO recommends face-to-face meetings or telephone conversations
with parents to discuss any issues that students may be facing. If e-mail is used, teachers should only use
their school email accounts during regular business hours. Sending e-mails late at night can give rise to
unrealistic expectations on the part of parents who may get the impression that teachers are available
at any time of day.
Social media sites clearly have the potential to provide a number of exciting and innovative ways for
teachers to interact with their classes and the wider school community. They can be used to encourage
group discussions, to facilitate collaborative projects, and provide peer-to- peer support. Social media
sites also provide opportunities for teachers to communicate with groups of parents and students in an
effective and efficient manner.
In contrast, communicating with individuals through social networking sites tends to promote an even
more casual style than e-mail and does not meet the standards of professionalism expected of teachers.
ETFO recommends that a teacher who wants to use a social network for a school related project should
ensure that any communication that occurs over the site is accessible to all those who have access to the
page – including school administration and parents. Transparency will go a long way towards ensuring
that professional standards are maintained and inappropriate conduct is minimized.
While ETFO supports the use of social networking sites as a teaching tool, ETFO cautions that it is rife
with serious consequences if used inappropriately. ETFO strongly recommends that teachers who want
to use social media, in the classroom consult with their school administrator before doing so, create an
account to be used exclusively for pedagogical purposes and ensure that the account is unconnected to
their personal information.
Careless or inappropriate personal use of social networking sites
In addition to the problems that may be caused by communicating through social networking sites,
teachers can get into trouble if they are careless in how they use these sites personally. While ETFO
strongly promotes the protection of a teacher’s private life, teachers must nonetheless be very cautious
both in respect to what they post and what is posted about them.
Teachers should manage their privacy settings so that only those whom they personally approve have
access to their page. Teachers should similarly request that their friends not post photos or other material
that could reflect badly on them.
Teachers should also be alert to students posting material about them online. ETFO strongly recommends
that teachers carry out Google searches on themselves on a regular basis to ensure that there is no
harmful material being posted about them. There has been an increase in incidents of teachers having
unfounded allegations against them posted online. In one instance, a student set up a Facebook account
in a teacher’s name and posted offensive comments using that account. Should such material be found,
it should immediately be reported to both the teacher’s principal and ETFO.
Teachers should never invite students or parents to be their friends on their personal Facebook page, or
similar sites and never accept an offer of friendship from a student or a parent on Facebook. Doing so
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