SCHOOL SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

Rationale

Recognizing the value of the Internet including social media applications and web 2.0 tools, the
school supports teachers and students being engaged in an online environment that allows them
to discuss, collaborate, communicate, create, and share in a safe, ethical, and responsible manner.

As educators it important to ensure that we balance access to these technologies with our duties
to our school, the community, our legal responsibilities and our reputation. It is important to
remember that as educators we serve in loco parentis and therefore, our use of social networking
applications has implications for the pastoral care we provided daily to our students. The policy
requirements in this document aim to provide this balance to support innovation whilst providing
a framework of good practice. They apply to all employees, students and parents.

The purpose of the policy is to:

Protect the school from legal risks

Ensure that the reputation of the school, its employees and governors is protected
Safeguard all children
Ensure that any users are able clearly to distinguish where information provided via social media
is legitimately representative of the school

Philosophy:

Erdiston Secondary Schools mission is to facilitate learners for the 21st century and beyond by
providing multiple avenues by which students can contribute to the global knowledge base. In
addition, we pride ourselves on creating a nurturing, safe environment for students to be
globally-aware critical thinkers, lifelong learners and productive global citizens. Our teaching
philosophy is rooted in the constructivist pedagogy underpinned by allowing students the right to
explore but being cognisant of the responsibilities attendant with such rights. As such we have
devised a social media policy which is consistent with our mission and teaching philosophy.

Key Terms and Definitions

Social Media: Social media refers to computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation
and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual
communities and networks. These technologies include, but are not limited to: blogs,
microblogging applications, online discussion forums, online collaborative spaces, media
sharing services, and online gaming environments. Examples of social media include Twitter,
Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, YouTube, Flickr, Xbox Live, Blogger, Tumblr, Last.fm,
and comment streams on public websites such as newspaper sites all of which can incorporate
one or more of the following:

Blog: (truncation of the word weblog) refers to a discussion or informational website or

application available on the Internet consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text
entries which are commonly referred to as posts. An author of a blog can post textual,
audio, or video content, and in many cases replies from commenters to a post.

Microblog: is a blog that allows users to exchange small elements of content such as
short sentences, individual images, or video links. Examples of microblogs include
Twitter, Tumblr, and FriendFeed. Some social media applications such as Facebook,
MySpace, LinkedIn contain microblog features.

Online Discussion Forum: is an online discussion application that allows people to have
conversations in the form of posted messages.

Media Sharing: refers to the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally

stored information, such as text, audio, video, documents and electronic books.Examples
include YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, and Google Video.

Wikis are resources or documents edited collaboratively by a community of users with

varying levels of editorial control by the website publisher. Wikipedia is an example.

Web 2.0 Tools - Technologies that permit users to do diverse things. They can be utilized
to show educational content, store information, make or alter video, alter photographs,
collaborate and more.

Social networks: are websites and apps where users can create customized profiles
and form connections with other users based on shared characteristics and interests.
Websites such as Facebook, MySpace or Instagram tend to foster personal social contact
among friends, while websites such as LinkedIn are oriented toward professional
networking. Some School Districts and businesses are also establishing a presence on
social networks.

BYOD: (acronym for - Bring Your Own Device) refers to the policy of permitting employees
and students to bring personally owned devices (laptops, tablets, and smart phones) to the school,
 and to use those devices to access the schools resources such as networks and applications for -
this programme allows the use of personal devices in the classroom for educational purposes.

URL: (abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator) is a reference to a web resource that
specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it.

Guidelines for Students

To ensure the respectful and lawful use of the internet and social media in school, the following
student guidelines have been established.

1. Be aware of what you post online. Social media venues are very public. What you contribute
leaves a digital footprint for all to see. Do not post anything you wouldnt want friends, parents,
teachers, or future employers to see.
2. Follow the schools code of conduct when writing online. It is acceptable to disagree with
someone elses opinions, however, do so in a respectful way. Make sure that criticism is
constructive and not hurtful. What is inappropriate in the classroom is inappropriate online.
3. Be safe online. Never give out personal information, including, but not limited to, last names,
phone numbers, addresses, exact birthdates, and pictures. Do not share your password with
anyone except your teachers and parents.
4. Linking to other websites to support your thoughts and ideas is recommended. However, be sure
to read the entire article prior to linking to ensure that all information is appropriate for a school
setting.
5. Do your own work! Do not use another persons intellectual property without their permission.
It is a violation of copyright law to copy and paste another persons work without giving
them due credit. When paraphrasing the work of another person, be sure to cite your source
with the URL. It is good practice to hyperlink to your source of information.
6. Be aware that audio-visual content such as images, audio and video may also be protected under
copyright laws. Ensure you have permission to use any audio-visual content or that the content
is licensed under Creative Commons attribution.
7. If you feel that the filtering software is blocking access to an appropriate site, report this to your
school librarian, Information Technology Coordinator (ITC) or teacher.
8. Bypassing the schools Internet filters by using proxy sites or other technologies is a violation of
the schools AUP. Students will not seek to bypass the filtering software by using a proxy site or
some other technology.
9. How you represent yourself online is an extension of yourself. Do not misrepresent yourself by
using someone elses identity.
10. Blog and wiki posts should be well written. Follow writing conventions including proper
grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. If you edit another persons work be sure it is in the
spirit of improving the writing.
11. If you run across inappropriate material that makes you feel uncomfortable, or is not respectful,
tell your teacher right away.
12. Students who take their own computing devices to school are fully and solely responsible for
securing them throughout the day. It is required that they be clearly marked and that students
make every effort to keep them safe by keeping them with their person at all times.
13. Electronic devices should be fully charged at home, however, in the event that a device needs to
be recharged at school this can only be done at one of the designated charging stations. Charging
time must be used with discretion. The maximum time allowed per student at a charging station
is 30 minutes. Students are not to leave any device unattended at a charging station. Students are
expected to fully charge at home, any electronic devices they intend to take to school. In the
event that a device needs to be recharged at school this can only be done at one of the designated
charging stations. Charging time must be used with discretion. The maximum time allowed per
student at a charging station is 30 minutes. Students are not to leave any device unattended at a
charging station.
14. Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part
in class projects and/or access to future use of online tools.

Guidelines for Employees

Although the school acknowledges the separation of personal and professional use of social
media, it is important for all employees to represent themselves respectfully and lawfully
online or in any interactions with school stakeholders. It is recommended that these guidelines
be followed both personally and professionally to maintain a professional association with the
school. Any intentionally public representation of an employee online or otherwise can have
 implications on his/her professional relationship with the school, and employees will be held
liable. The following employee guidelines have been established to maintain legal and
professional use of the internet and social media in school.

1. Employees should not invite, accept or engage in communications with students from the school
community in any personal social media.
2. Employees should not have any contact with the family members of students through personal
social media if that contact is likely to constitute a conflict of interest or call into question their
objectivity.
3. Always maintain a formal, courteous and professional tone in communicating with students and
ensure that professional boundaries are maintained.
4. Do not exchange private text messages, phone numbers, personal email addresses or photos of a
personal nature with students.
5. Refrain from discussing students, colleagues, parents or criticising your employer or others in the
school community.
6. Be respectful of student privacy and confidentiality at all times.
7. Teachers will not seek to bypass the filtering software by using a proxy site or some other
technology. If you feel that the filtering software is blocking access to an appropriate site, report
this to your school ITC.
8. Employees are personally responsible for the content they publish online. Be mindful that what
you publish will be public for a long time therefore it is advisable that you protect your privacy.
9. Employees are advised to include disclaimers within any public form of online communication
indicating that their views may not reflect the views of the school. For example, The views
expressed here do not reflect the views of my employer.
10. Social media for teaching and learning is an extension of your classroom. What is inappropriate
in your classroom should be deemed inappropriate online.
11. If publishing photographs, videos or any other types of image of students or colleagues use your
school-issued account. Seek permission before publishing such media.
12. School email addresses and other official contact details should only be used for setting up work
social media accounts or to communicate through such media.
13. Respect copyright and fair use guidelines.
14. When uploading digital images or avatars that represent yourself make sure you select a school
appropriate image.
15. Do not use the school logo or other school-owned images on personal social media sites.
16. Do not use schools name to promote a product, cause, political party or candidate.
 FOR THE PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN

INTRODUCTION
Technology resources are available to students at Erdiston Secondary School. Technology
resources include, but are not limited to, hardware, software, data, electronic textbooks and
materials, communication devices, printers, servers, filtered Internet access, and local and wide
area networks. This Agreement contains rules and guidelines for the acceptable use of
technology resources as well as mobile technologies. All activities conducted using Erdiston
Secondary Schools technology resources are governed by this Agreement and include, but are
not limited to email, Internet, blogging, podcasts, interactive websites such as social
networking and Web 2.0 sites, chat rooms, video conferencing, etc.

PURPOSE
Erdiston Secondary School provides technology resources for student use: 1) to promote
educational excellence by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication; and 2)
to prepare for success in life and work by providing students with knowledge and skills
regarding the safe and appropriate use of technology resources.
 PRIVILEGE
The use of technology resources is a privilege, not a right. Inappropriate use of these resources
may result in disciplinary action (including the possibility of suspension or expulsion), and/or
referral to legal authorities. The principal, teacher/supervisor or systems administrator may
limit, suspend or revoke access to technology resources at any time, but more particularly as a
result of a breach of the various policies.

FILTERING AND MONITORING

Content filtering and monitoring technology is used to restrict access to unacceptable materials
on all Internet access provided by Erdiston Secondary School. However, no web filtering
technology is 100% safe. Students who intentionally access, publish, or attempt to access or
publish inappropriate or illegal material or Internet sites, will be subject to discipline; which
may include the possibility of suspension or expulsion. In addition, Erdiston Secondary School
has the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review and store any and all usage of the schools
technology resources including transmitted and received information at any time and without
prior notice.

The use of technology resources is an integral part of todays learning environment. To qualify
for use of the schools technology resources, students must abide by the rules of acceptable use.
Please work with us in helping your child/ward understand and abide by these simple but
important rules of appropriate use.

FOR THE STUDENT

Erdiston Secondary School provides computers, the Internet, and other technology resources
for educational use. I am also allowed to bring to school mobile phones and other mobile
technologies. As a student, I must act appropriately online and follow these rules:

1. I will only use technology resources with the teachers permission and for the purpose the
teacher requests.
2. I will respect copyright laws and will make sure to show where I found information and will not
copy it without permission.
3. I will be polite and show respect and never cyber-bully others. I will never post or send messages
or pictures that hurt, threaten, or embarrass other people and if someone cyber-bullies me or
sends me inappropriate pictures or messages, I will tell my parents or teacher right away.
4. I will stay safe on the Internet. When I am on social networking sites, in chat rooms, or on other
sites that ask for information about me, I will not share personal information about myself or
others like: home address, phone numbers, passwords, personal photos, or National Registration
Numbers. If anyone on the Internet tries to meet with me, I will refuse, and tell my parents or
teachers immediately.
5. I will tell my teacher immediately if I or someone else accidentally opens an inappropriate web
site or page; or if I see someone breaking any of the rules about using technology resources.
6. I will respect the technology resources and take good care of the equipment I use.
7. I will only use my own passwords that have been given to me by the teacher.
8. I will not put any disks or portable drives into the computer unless they are approved by the
teacher.
9. I will not buy or sell anything using the schools computers or technology resources.
10. I will abide by the rules of Erdiston Secondary School Social Media Policy.
AGREEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY
Each student and his/her parent or guardian must acknowledge receipt of the information
contained in this policy by means of a traditional hard-copy signature. The combined signatures
indicate the student and parent/guardian have carefully read, understand, and agree to follow the
social media policy terms and conditions of appropriate use.

STUDENT:
My parent or guardian has reviewed the Social Media Policy with me. I understand the
importance of being polite, respectful, honest, and the need to obey the rules for the use of the
computer, Internet, and other technology resources. If I break these rules, my principal may take
away my privilege to use the schools technology tools, and I may have other disciplinary or
legal action taken. I promise to follow the rules.

Student Name (please print):__________________________ Class:__________________

Student Signature:__________________________________ Date: __________________

PARENT OR GUARDIAN:
As the parent or guardian of the above named student, I have read this Social Media Policy and
understand the terms and conditions of use, which my child must follow. I also understand that
Internet services provided by the Erdiston Secondary School are filtered and that the use of
Erdiston Secondary School technology resources may be monitored. I understand my child may
be disciplined for inappropriate or unacceptable use of the Erdiston Secondary Schools
technology resources.

Parent/Legal Guardian (please print): _________________________________

Signature:__________________________________ Date:________________

PLEASE READ AND SIGN THIS AGREEMENT AND RETURN SIGNATURE PAGE