In 2015 I completed the Teachers as Professionals paper at Waikato University as part of my study to upgrade to a Bachelor of Teaching. This provided an opportunity for me to look closer at legal and ethical issues and the possible impact on key stakeholders. The schools that I have worked in have all had clearly defined policy and protocol for students and staff alike so any situations I have been involved with have had a clear process to follow. As a result of exploring the Code of Ethics (Education Council, 2017), myself and another teacher have facilitated staff meetings where different scenarios were presented to promote discussion and raise awareness in our ever-changing learning environments. A particular focus was placed on device use, online accessibility and social media (staff and students).
Hall (2001) discusses how the changing face of New Zealand (ethnic diversity and moral pluralism) and the blurring of the role of whanau with the school curriculum has impacted on the teaching profession. This has impacted on my teaching in a BYOD learning environment as I have found the use of digital devices, online access and who is ultimately responsible for what happens is becoming increasingly tricky. School policy and protocols need to be constantly reviewed and updated, using resources such as Digital Technology, Safe and responsible use in schools (2015) and Digital technology guide for schools (2017).
Ethical Dilemma
The increasing access and use of personal digital phones by younger and younger students brings it’s own ethical dilemma as the phone is a personal item that may or may not be used for learning.
The increasing access and use of personal digital phones by younger and younger students brings it’s own ethical dilemma as the phone is a personal item that may or may not be used for learning.
Student A lives with her mother, visiting her father on the weekend. There is animosity between the parents and communication is strained. Mum was reluctant about her daughter having the latest mobile phone communicating this to the father, however, he went ahead and purchased the phone. Unknown to the mother, Student A took the phone to school. Student B got hold of the phone, entering the contact details into his phone. Outside of school hours Student B began to text Student A making a variety of lewd suggestions. Student A became upset and showed the messages to her mother. At this point, the mother contacted the school who were not aware that Student A had taken the mobile phone to school.
Stakeholders
- Students involved
- Teacher
- Team leader
- Person in charge of ICT
- Principal
- Parents.
Restrictions on actions
The phone was brought to school, parents/whānau/school were unaware. The incident took place outside of school hours.
Due to a custody dispute taking place (Student A) there is a concern that the incident could be used as evidence against the mother - not providing a safe environment.
The school has an extensive Cybersafety agreement that parents/whānau/students sign. This includes breaches that occur outside of school hours. Breaches are clearly outlined with an example, action and consequence. However if this agreement has not been signed off, what course of action is available?
Normal Course of Action.
- Staff will investigate immediately by interviewing the student/s involved;
- All relevant evidence will be saved
- A brief report will be written.
- Parents will be notified of the breach. A meeting may be requested;
- In the event of serious breach, incident will be reported to appropriate agent: CYF, NZ Police, etc
Because the breach occurred out of school hours, the school would not set direct consequences. The school would discuss and follow up any consequences with the parents if mutually agreed.
Course of Action
I have found this a tricky situation as neither student signed a Cybersafety agreement, parents and school were unaware of the phone contact until after the incident. I have decided on this course of action: after a thorough investigation, there would be a meeting with the parents where the incident would be discussed, the Cybersafety agreement revisited and consequences for both students agreed upon. Communication throughout the process is imperative. This could be a loss of phone privileges at home and close monitoring of online activity on devices at school.
Comments would be greatly appreciated.
References
Education Council. (2017). Our code, Our standards. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf
Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers
Hi Tracy. I agree that the increasing availability of digital technology for younger and younger students is a cause for concern with school. We have policies and rules around students having phones at school. These need to be kept in the office during the school day. However, unless we undertake bag searches (which is not allowed without student permission) we cannot effectively police this. There have been several cases where students have taken photos of other students during the school day, and once we are aware that the students have their phones then the school deals with this on a case by case basis. However there are many students who have their phones that we are unaware of. Social media bullying is increasing with more and more parents turning to the school for support even though this usually occurs outside of school. We have also had cases where students have set up pages specifically to target other students. In dealing with this I found netsafe very helpful in removing the offending social media page, however, we rely on other students warning us about the existence of these pages. Technology use in school is the future of teaching and learning, but monitoring the appropriate use of this technology is becoming harder and harder as students learn new ways to avoid detection.
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