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

Prior to this task and the inputs on the online world, I was quite apprehensive about using social media in the professional workplace. My high school had various twitter accounts ranging from the library, sports clubs and additional science help, and generally speaking there were never any problems. I liked having that extra connection, and let’s be honest, it’s the platform that we all use nowadays, so it works well to get news out fast. But there is always that ‘what if?’ in the back of my mind in everything that I do.

I use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and I repeatedly flick through my newsfeed as part of my daily routine. However, they are all private and always have been. I don’t like the idea of not knowing who the audience reading about my day-to-day life are. That way, I can monitor who can and cannot view my posts, ensuring both my safety and privacy. I am considering making an additional twitter account for all things Education. Not because I don’t want any of my regular followers to read it, but in my opinion my personal life should not be combined with my professional life. That way, the balance is set and I do not have to worry. Reading through the GTCS Code, it is clear that we are in a very vulnerable industry and unfortunately one action can be misinterpreted and a have negative impact. It is absolutely vital that you always stop and think before you post – will it affect my profession? The GTCS code guidance is an essential document, highlighting the appropriate ethos you must maintain whilst in the professional environment.

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

Although the internet and social media has created a platform for us to broaden our learning and knowledge on anything and everything that we desire, it brings a lot of darkness too, and so it is essential that it is framed in a very safe and encouraging way. I find it hard to read and hear stories about explicit content being exposed on social media to children, swallowing up their innocence, like the one Derek shared about his daughter, purely because my childhood was not internet orientated. Why does something so great have to be so corrupt at the same time? As a teacher, I want to present the online world in a positive way however children must be made aware of the dangers, and the NSPCC have created a fun but very informative website I will definitely make use of. The resources are endless online, and GTCS have highlighted how fundamental the internet is in delivering the curriculum in an engaging and innovative way, in parallel to teaching our younger generation to make use of it in the most secure ways.