Schools and Social Media
First published on Kieran Dhunna Halliwell’s ‘ThoughtSpace’ blog 02.12.17
There is a very real, developing safeguarding problem in the way teachers - and schools - use social media. I have seen a lot of school accounts over the years. Most began by tweeting words about what went on in classrooms, learning or school events. It was information sharing. I imagine, many are set-up to demonstrate to develop positive home-school links and community. Somewhere along the way, images and the use of children in images became the norm and now I reckon I’d struggle to find a school Twitter account that focuses on words only with no images. I know I may sound like a suspicious killjoy writing this and there is a counter-argument to say that the benefits of school social accounts outweigh the risks but I’m writing this because I don’t think schools are considering things in depth before opening these accounts. How many schools take on expert advice from people in content or media before opening these accounts? How many schools rely on the knowledge they have as users rather than the knowledge of developers or industry professionals?
Let me share some of what I can work out from school Twitters:
Photographs
Given that many schools mention the year groups/houses of pupils, I know pupils age.
When pupils interact with school accounts,. I can see theirs; does this provide a barrier to pupil engagement if (eg) a pupil was being bullied? Does it create an online community only for those who are confident or have permission or could it lead to a silent peer pressure for pupils to have accounts in order to 'be part of the online school community'?
Days clubs are on and who goes
On some school Twitters, the names of pupils are shared. Sometimes in full
Friendship groups and associations
Ironically, isn’t the above what we are trying to tell pupils to be wary of sharing? Don’t we try hard to extol the dangers of social media and over sharing of information beyond a trusted community to our pupils? The essence of a community is that it is an 'in group' yet online this 'in group' becomes a show for the world; it is a very outward facing display of what, traditionally, has been for and about those who are actively involved in those communities.
However, whilst marketisation has become embedded within the education sector, it has been pointed out to me that for some communities - perhaps those where children are boarders - this method of sharing is a great asset to positive relationships and the well-being of parents and pupils. My response to this is to consider whether a more enclosed platform would be more appropriate; if we would not let just anyone wander around the premises of your school, why do we do so online? Why do we invite a world we don't know in to our school communities?
The argument could be made that this is the world we live in and that pupils are sharing just as much on their own profiles within their own networks. I don’t think they are. I don’t think pupils do tweet or post about their daily school life to a great degree. They don’t stop mid-practice to Instagram themselves and which club they’re at or tweet out the times they’ll be leaving to ‘the world’ or where they're going - that is largely an adult trend. Children post selfies and things that will gain them bonds via cultural capital and engagement. They try to be funny.
Some points for reflection for schools with Twitter accounts:
1) Why do you have one? What value does it add to your school?
2) How many members of your school community are interacting with it?
3) Would a different platform be more suitable?
4) What’s the difference between what you share on socials and what you’re sharing via the website? If it’s just another channel to communicate, is it necessary (see 1)?
5) Is it healthy for a school and its staff to appear connected or reachable at all times?
6) Do you expect your teachers to hold profiles and interact, and how is this managed?
7) If you hold school social media accounts, what’s your long-term social media strategy and why?
8) When we are culturally bored of Twitter and Fazzbook, what next? What happens to your school account, all that data and that community?
9) Do you have different social media policies and processes for different channels?
The next post will be specifically about Teachers, Pupils and Social Media.
* I have a feeling this may be one of the most unpopular things I’ve ever written. Let me soften it with a reminder that I think there are benefits to social media; I am not necessarily saying teachers (or schools) shouldn’t use it; and I am writing from around a multitude of experiences as both an adult and a child. This, and the connected blog, are mainly focused on Twitter. Regardless of whether it’s comfortable or not: we need to talk about safeguarding.
** Caveat - we must also not distrust the world.