I was surprised that I had a flixter web page (http://www.flixter.com/user/Disney21Nemo). I was also surprised that people could pay to get my background summary without my permission (http://www.intelius.com/background.php?ReportType=88&searchform=background). I was surprised how everything I have entered can be traced back to my name. It made me stop and think about what could be out there that might be problematic for my teaching career.
I spent a large part of the class un-tagging pictures from facebook and some time deleting my old myspace page. There were some pictures that were questionable that I decided to take off. I am glad that I have not spent that much time online because who knows how long it will take to make sure everything I have signed up for is free incriminating information.
I don’t think that teachers should be held to a community standard during their personal lives. If a teacher brings their facebook into the classroom then that changes things. If another student tracks down the information on their own time then that seems ridiculous. It is one more thing that we as teachers have to be aware of on a moral ground. That should not however affect out teaching license and job security. The teacher could be sited and made to address the issue but that is it.
I was disgusted with the teacher who lost her job because of some artistic photos of her or her husband naked. It seemed to me that someone found those photos inadvertently. While yes they should be removed from access to students, I don’t think that it should be a zero tolerance issue. There are too many good teachers that might be lost during this new issue of accountability outside the classroom
I already deleted my myspace page that was old and plan on deleting any sites once I stop using them. I am going be checking up every 6 months or so on my profiles but that means that if I get tagged and someone sees it before I do that I am accountable. It is not the job of a teacher to be computer savvy and being illiterate is not grounds for dismissal. Unless schools take an active role to help teachers keep up with their internet trail then it should not be an issue. Take a supporting role or leave it alone period.
For the most part I agree with your post on the privacy issue. I do, however, still think that teachers are role models and should be held to community standards. Unfortunately, for many kids we are the strongest role models they have. Its not fun to untag ourselves from photos, but it is still necessary to an extent. We can be genuine and express our views but we need to exercise good judgment always.
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ReplyDeleteGood thing you were able to find out what information was available on you now instead of later. It is too bad that so much can be grounds for disciplinary action, even what might seem harmless at the time. I agree that we need to keep a close watch on what information is public, especially because our jobs are on the line.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to start using Disney21Nemo as my username. Thanks Luke!
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