With the evolution of social media over the last few years, the Rainbow District School Board is now looking at how the technology can be used in the classroom.

Bruce Bourget, the board's superintendent of schools, said most of the board's schools now offer free wireless Internet. Many students have their own smart phones or laptops, and even if they don't, they're able to use school-issued devices.

Given the ever-increasing access to technology, the school board wants to encourage teachers to be “progressive,” and make use of social media in the classroom, when appropriate, he said.

But at the same time, Bourget said he also wants to make sure students are safe as they browse the web during lessons.

That's the idea behind the school board's new social media policy, governing how social media can be used in the classroom. The policy was approved by the board's trustees at their Jan. 31 meeting.

Students sitting on the board's student senate, along with teachers, were given the chance to comment on the policy's final draft, Bourget said. “They did have suggestions and input, and it was very much appreciated,” he said.

Bourget said social media presents many “options for enhancing education.”

“Social media is a very broad term,” he said. "It could be anything from using websites and tapping into blogs to looking at electronically-maintained communities on certain topics.

“There are online math academies with interactive lessons that take students through very focused topics that relate to the math curriculum. The possibilities are almost endless in terms of what has been created and what will be created.”

The board's social media policy, in part, ensures that students' privacy is protected as they access these websites, Bourget said.

“As students access certain pieces of social media, some are just read only, and you gather information from them,” he said.
“But some would solicit memberships and things like that. There are guidelines to make sure that student data and student privacy is maintained, which is very important to us.”

Another important part of the new policy governs when social media can be used in the classroom, he said.

“The use of any electronic communication and social media has to have a direct relationship to achieving a learning goal as part of the curriculum that the student is enjoying in that school,” Bourget said.

“It's not a frivolous type of use. It is something that enhances and extends our learning, and does so in a progressive way. We are very much in favour of being progressive and creative. But we're also making sure that it's related to what we're teaching and learning at the time.”

Although it's not “first and foremost” in the document, the policy does touch on what happens when students engage in bullying on social media sites.

“We have a different policy that addresses that in a more specific way, in terms of having safe working and learning environments,” Bourget said.

“There is some small reference to that in terms of saying inappropriate use of networking results in the loss of privileges and discipline. But it's not first and foremost in the policy because it is addressed in other policies.”

In terms of teachers, the policy doesn't really discuss how they should use social media in their personal lives, although it does state how they should use board-issued e-mail accounts, Bourget said.

Last spring, the Ontario College of Teachers issued a professional advisory, telling teachers to be wary of interacting with students through social media.

“(The advisory) provides a context for professional, responsible use of social media by any members of the college of teachers, which includes our staff,” Bourget said. “It told them to make sure there are professional boundaries related to all forms of communication.”

The board's social media policy will always remain a work in progress. Bourget said a committee of teachers, administrators and curriculum co-ordinators will review it every year to make sure it's up-to-date.

“Technology is expanding and evolving at a pretty furious rate,” he said. "We want to ensure that a policy like this doesn't become stale quite quickly. Some policies stand a test of a very long period of time. This is a policy that has to keep moving.”
 

Posted by Laurel Myers