I am reflecting on two very similar incidents that occured in my school, involving digital access. Both involved cellphones and their use; one also involved facebook.
The first incident started for me when a student in a workshop being led by outside providers in the library suddenly leapt out of her seat, screamed and ran out of the room. Within minutes others were checking their phones and leaving the room in various states of distress. One of their classmates/whanau had just died.
The second incident was a little more subdued at first, but again involved a student getting a cellphone message and showing distress. This student huddled with some friends before they all left the room in tears. The whole school was soon outside - one of their classmates, whanau to many of them, had just committed suicide. This was recorded on facebook, and many of the students saw it before it was removed.
In both situations the school management team soon stepped in, and called a whole school assembly - te hohou rongo , ki te whakipiki ora, whakapiki wairua - to inform, settle and help students to move on.
Where I have trouble with this ethically is not the management of either crisis, but in the use of the cell-phones. The students are not supposed to use cellphones in class unless asked to by a teacher. We actually have about the same chance of achieving this as King Canute did in stopping the tide. In both cases the message originated from outside the school, but were received in class time.
We have also had students’ organising, filming and publishing fights between students - off school property..
We can argue that out of school is not our responsibility However the code of professional responsibility states teachers “will work in the best interest of learners by...protecting them from harm” and will “engage in reciprocal, collaborative learning focused relationships with learners, family and whanau” Students will also be encouraged to be actively involved in “issues important to the wellbeing of society” (Our Code, our standards
We regularly remind our students that cyber-bullying is unacceptable - what it is, what to do about it, who to report it to,where they can go for help. What we don’t do is talk about responsible and considerate use of cellphones. We haven’t discussed how appropriate it may or may not be to pass on information about a birth or death or some other event - when we do not have the permission of the people closely involved. Some teachers may discuss plagiarism in relation to writing, or copyright in relation to using images from the web, but the next step to talking about publishing what we have the right to publish doesn’t happen.
We also don’t discuss the accuracy of what is being passed along - fake news and misunderstandings, or misrepresentation can be dangerous personally as well as globally.We don’t discuss how the person receiving the news may be affected - if they have or will need a support system.
We can suggest to whanau that they contact tamariki during break times - but can’t enforce this. We can remind students and whanau about the age limit for facebook accounts - but can’t ensure these are followed.
Ethically I think it is the responsibility of the school and staff to have discussions with students around these issues.
References
Our code, Our Standards https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf
The first incident started for me when a student in a workshop being led by outside providers in the library suddenly leapt out of her seat, screamed and ran out of the room. Within minutes others were checking their phones and leaving the room in various states of distress. One of their classmates/whanau had just died.
The second incident was a little more subdued at first, but again involved a student getting a cellphone message and showing distress. This student huddled with some friends before they all left the room in tears. The whole school was soon outside - one of their classmates, whanau to many of them, had just committed suicide. This was recorded on facebook, and many of the students saw it before it was removed.
In both situations the school management team soon stepped in, and called a whole school assembly - te hohou rongo , ki te whakipiki ora, whakapiki wairua - to inform, settle and help students to move on.
Where I have trouble with this ethically is not the management of either crisis, but in the use of the cell-phones. The students are not supposed to use cellphones in class unless asked to by a teacher. We actually have about the same chance of achieving this as King Canute did in stopping the tide. In both cases the message originated from outside the school, but were received in class time.
We have also had students’ organising, filming and publishing fights between students - off school property..
We can argue that out of school is not our responsibility However the code of professional responsibility states teachers “will work in the best interest of learners by...protecting them from harm” and will “engage in reciprocal, collaborative learning focused relationships with learners, family and whanau” Students will also be encouraged to be actively involved in “issues important to the wellbeing of society” (Our Code, our standards
We regularly remind our students that cyber-bullying is unacceptable - what it is, what to do about it, who to report it to,where they can go for help. What we don’t do is talk about responsible and considerate use of cellphones. We haven’t discussed how appropriate it may or may not be to pass on information about a birth or death or some other event - when we do not have the permission of the people closely involved. Some teachers may discuss plagiarism in relation to writing, or copyright in relation to using images from the web, but the next step to talking about publishing what we have the right to publish doesn’t happen.
We also don’t discuss the accuracy of what is being passed along - fake news and misunderstandings, or misrepresentation can be dangerous personally as well as globally.We don’t discuss how the person receiving the news may be affected - if they have or will need a support system.
We can suggest to whanau that they contact tamariki during break times - but can’t enforce this. We can remind students and whanau about the age limit for facebook accounts - but can’t ensure these are followed.
Ethically I think it is the responsibility of the school and staff to have discussions with students around these issues.
References
Our code, Our Standards https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf
Hi Clare, I too have fallen behind with some of the mindlab work. Good to see your in this forum! The issue of Social Media and student access is one that concerns me too. At our school we have had considerable problem through cyber bullying. I am hopeful that the skills taught when we become active in Maniakalani will assist with this. I agrree that the implications of Social Media are not understood or considered important enough. Children are bring asked to develop a profile, that meay be at odds with their life and desires in the future. This is an ethical debate that we must have!
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