What challenges/opportunities may you be faced with when marrying the personal vs professional presence on social media?

There are many factors which may be seen as challenges when trying to find an appropriate balance between personal and professional life with regards to social media. One of the most important challenges for professionals I feel is making sure that everything you post on social media sites is done so in a professional manner and that none of the information or comments that are posted are seen as inappropriate.

In my opinion; I feel that either using a name in which isn’t yours or using a completely different account to keep your personal and professional life separate is the best conclusion when dealing with social media online. This way you can make sure that either pupils or parents cannot have access to any of your personal details. This way you can also make sure that you are still able to engage with issues that can relate to your professional life in an appropriate manner.

Currently, all of my social media settings are turned to private. This means that only friends that I allow on my social media sites can see what I post, comment on and also what I may be tagged in. I feel that this has been the most appropriate choice for me up until now however, I am now thinking that I may open separate accounts to separate my professional life.

As well as the numerous challenges presented by social media, there is also an array of opportunities. It allows children to have experiences on different uses of technology that they may not have the opportunity to do so outside of school. Different forms of social media can have many different effects within the classroom. For some, it could be very effective in tying home and school together as social media will most likely be something that the majority of pupils use actively in their life outside the classroom.

As social media grows, it becomes a much more important tool to implement within classrooms. Due to this, the GTCS have very specific guidelines. These guidelines allow us as teachers to know the correct and appropriate way to use these sites in order to present ourselves as professionals and also to stay safe whilst online.

How are the challenges/opportunities afforded by social media framed? How will you frame things – positive of deficit viewpoint?

I most definitely have a very positive view point of technology and social media. Because of this, I will frame social media in a positive way when I am a teacher. I personally think that people feel that children are growing without a proper childhood and are using technology and social media instead of playing outside like we used to. However, with this ever changing society, we have to come to the conclusion that this route that our culture is taking and we should embrace this positively. I feel that we should use social media as a great advantage to help with education and embracing the children that we teach.