21st Century Learning and the Standards of Practice

According to the OCT Advisory Committee on Social Media, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that teachers’ off-duty conduct, even when not directly related to students, is relevant to their suitability to teach. Members should maintain a sense of professionalism at all times – in their personal and professional lives. Many teachers model appropriate use of social media and technology for their students before they assign a task to be completed online. Our credibility would be questioned if we say and demonstrate certain behaviors in class and do the opposite outside of class.

Although we would like to believe that we are entitled to say and do whatever we would like on social media, we as teachers are held to a much higher moral standard by the public. Parents do care about what teachers are doing when they are not teaching. 

Being held accountable for our actions outside of school also makes us vulnerable to having our messages being misconstrued. Even an innocent joke, or a night out with friends could come into question or be manipulated toward a negative intention. One of the purposes of the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession is to promote public trust and confidence in the teaching profession. In addition, teachers are also expected to maintain a high degree of integrity by reflecting their commitments and responsibilities to their work.

Today it’s more important than ever to maintain and demonstrate the Ethical Standards and Standards of Practice for teachers. Anything with say or do can be easily misconstrued using videos and text to implicate negative intentions. However, it is also more important than ever to embrace and utilize technology and social media in our schools. With proper Care, Integrity, and Commitment to Students and Student Learning, the benefits of 21^st Learning definitely outweigh any risks.