Hunter,

Karen. OLTD506 2014 Boundaries Paper

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Boundaries That Shape & Guide

A boundary shows us where one area ends and another area begins. It brings shape, gives
guidance, and shows us where there is safety. As educators we need to understand the boundaries
surrounding our use of social media in order to bring safety and guidance to our students. We need to
understand the importance of our digital footprint and professionalism, and the boundaries surrounding
privacy, social justice and safety when using social media with students.
"Social media" is a term we toss out quite frequently, but what does it really mean? One helpful
definition (Nations, 2014) breaks it down, "Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper
or a radio, so social media would be a social instrument of communication." It is the channel for
communication (Hartshorn, 2010). On the other hand, social networking is the act of engaging with
others and is two-way: people gather to join others who are like-minded and through conversation,
relationships are developed (Hartshorn, 2010). Social media looks slightly different with each website or
platform you use, but the common link is that you are able to interact with the website and interact
with other visitors (Nations, 2014). We live in a generation that loves and relies on social
media. According to an article on marketing by Sarah Brown (2013), in BC 64% of the under-30
population would agree they would feel out of touch if they didnt use social networking sites or apps
regularly. I am personally in the over-30 population and I would also agree with that
statement. Facebook is the clear leader in our social media habits with 67% of BC adults using it weekly,
and 50% daily (Brown, 2013). Social media is a channel that allows us to continue online what we value
offline: staying connected, sharing ideas, and building relationships.
With its undisputed popularity, how can social media be used further in education? I fully agree
with Hengstler in her blogpost: What Parents Should Know Part 1: Basic Understanding of Social Media &
Digital Communications (2013) when she cautions that we have limited control over social media. As she
suggests, we may be able to tame it, but we are merely lion tamers one day the lion can turn on its
keeper. With this in mind, how can we safely harness social media to benefit the young minds we are
reaching and teaching every day? There are risks and there are benefits to using social media with
students. The risks include cyberbullying, depression, and privacy issues to name a few. The benefits
include opportunities for group engagement, enhanced creativity, peer mentoring, and the open
exchange of ideas. In my DL teaching I hope to find the right balance, so that my students can be
successful in using social media to collaborate, exchange ideas, and encourage each other.
The first boundary of social media I want to consider is that of professionalism and our digital
footprint. Facebook is my favorite social media tool for personal use, however, I prefer Twitter for

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professional use. Maybe it's because my own children can always see my posts or maybe it's just my
inner need to avoid conflict, but regardless, I am extremely careful of what I say. The same could be said
for my more professional presence on Twitter. As Hengstler (2011, p. 97), so aptly puts it, there are no
"take backs". Even though I have been mindful of what others see on Facebook, I assumed this was my
personal world, not my professional world, and that there was a nice safe wall between them, but this
wall does not exist. After reading the cautionary tales told by Hengstler (2011), I now understand more
fully that while I feel that Facebook is my private personal world, it can - and likely will - cross over into
my professional world. I need to have a professional presence online at all times, as nothing is ever
actually 'private'.
Our on-going digital footprint affects our lives significantly professionally and
personally. Hengstler (2012, p. 2) explains that our digitial footprint refers to "the aggregation of all your
digital activities in all the digital environments you navigate." Further, there are 3 parts to our digital
footprint: passive, active, and second-hand (Hengstler, 2012). I had not given much thought to my
second-hand footprint, which is information others publish about me, with or without my knowledge or
consent (Hengstler, 2012). Our digital footprint is permanent, and that is a rather sobering thought. As
Hengstler reminds us, as educators we are in a position of trust in our community (2011, p. 92). We are
held to a higher standard by virtue of the career we have chosen. As such, we need to be pro-active in
how we present and conduct ourselves online and how our digital footprint is formed. We need to
model this to our students and teach them that their future jobs or even university applications could be
affected by the choices they make online now (OKeeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011).
A second very important boundary in regards to social media is privacy. I would wholeheartedly
agree with Hengstler's assertion that "the inescapable reality is that many teachers and schools are using
Web 2.0 and social media tools right now and may be in total ignorance of the new legislative
requirements" (2013, p. 4). We have two pieces of legislation in place in BC: the Freedom of Information
and Protection Privacy Act (FIPPA) (1996), and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) (2003). As
a new employee in an independent Distributed Learning school, my teaching falls under the PIPA
umbrella. My own knowledge of either FIPPA or PIPA until now has been quite limited. Fifteen years
ago when I was teaching kindergarten I was not very concerned about social media and privacy
laws. However, a lot has changed since then! We now have a responsibility as teachers to be very aware
of the kind of student content we post and where and how we post it. A very helpful guide can be found
within Hengstler's K-12 Primer for British Columbia Teachers Posting Students' Work Online (2013). Here
you will find 6 specific considerations to remember when using social media with students in BC

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(Hengstler, 2013). Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is being sure that the parents have been
sufficiently informed and can therefore give proper - written - informed consent. One of my goals as a
new DL instructor is to become more informed about PIPA and to comply as fully as possible with the
legislation in place in BC. I believe that while I currently fall in the category of Ignorance, my school
would fall in the 'Establishing Compliance' part of the Compliance Continuum described by Hengstler
(2014). If we want to use social media and cloud computing with our students, we have a responsibility
to comply with BC laws and regulations.
A third and difficult boundary regarding social media pertains to social justice. Is technology
equally available to all students? According to Wikipedia (2014), the term digital divide refers to the
inequality in people's access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication
technologies. CIRA, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, (Cira.ca, 2014), informs us that the
digital divide persists in Canada with 95% of Canadians in the highest income quartile being connected to
the Internet, while only 62 per cent in the lowest income quartile have access. Broadband is available to
100% of Canadians in urban areas but only 85% in rural areas (Cira.ca, 2014). The project, Pathways to
Technology (Pathwaystotechnology.ca, 2014), "recognizes connectivity as foundational to closing the
socio-economic gap between First Nations and other British Columbians". Research by Ottawa-based
consultant Anne Taylor suggests that aboriginal peoples are embracing social media in surprising
numbers (Infotel.ca, 2012). How can we as educators use social media to showcase aboriginal culture
and foster support? An interesting term Hui (2009) discusses is that some aboriginal people in Canada
face a "second digital divide". This term refers to the difference between users themselves based on
whether or not they use the Internet frequently, are confident and effective in their use of technology,
or even view these skills as important (Hui, 2009). The concept of a digital divide needs to challenge and
motivate us to ensure that all students have the opportunity to get exposure to and practice with the
Web and its tools.
These statistics only become real to us when we stop to think of the students in our own schools
and communities. In my DL school, there are students who live in remote, rural areas, and their Internet
access is limited. I agree with Hicks and Turner that there seem to be two main problems: one, the
technology is plentiful and Internet access is reliable, but the technology is not being used in critical,
creative ways; or two, technology and access are not readily available and teachers need to work
extremely hard to provide opportunities to develop digital literacy (2013, p. 59). Given the diversity
among my students, I will have to work with each of these main problems and find a way to provide
quality access to digital literacy.

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The last boundary I would like to discuss concerns safety for minors using social media. There is
much to consider within this boundary: cyberbullying, sexting, and sexual predators. Cyberbullying
refers to deliberately using digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information
about someone else (OKeeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). This is considered to be one of the most
common online risks for students. Cyberbullying is an unfortunate reality, can happen to anyone online,
and can have profound outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and, tragically, suicide
(as cited in OKeeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). All aggression between students must be taken seriously.
A suicide prevention and intervention component is critical and should be implemented as part of
bullying response programs implemented in our schools (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010). Sexting is the act of
sending, receiving or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images via cell phone,
computer, or other digital devices (as cited in OKeeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011). Sexting is truly playing
with fire. It may stay private and not cause any distress, but it could so easily become a public issue with
humiliating results. The last safety issue concerns online sexual predators. As Collier points out, the
very reason kids and teens spend time in social-networking sites is to find friends (Collier, n.d.).
Sometimes the people who are befriending them are predators with bad intentions. They use the
anonymity of the Internet to their advantage to become someone appealing to their target
(Familysafecomputers.org, n.d.). Research consistently shows that approximately 20% of kids receive
unwanted sexual solicitations online (as cited in Collier, n.d.). These predators are master manipulators
who prey on the naivety of children. They look for those who are vulnerable and more tech savvy than
their parents (Familysafecomputers.org, n.d.). They will then groom or manipulate these children by
building friendships online. Through this process they attempt to convince children to meet with them
offline, the simple goal being sex (Collier, n.d.). They will use flattery, sympathy, gifts, intimidation and
anything else they can think of to achieve their goal. As teachers and parents we need to be very aware
of these tactics and teach our students and children how to be critical thinkers and recognize the
warning signs.
In conclusion, as teachers we have a great responsibility to understand these boundaries in order
to keep our students safe while providing learning opportunities through the use of social media. The
more we educate ourselves on the importance of professionalism and our digital footprint, the more we
can model best practice to our students. As well, the more we understand the boundaries surrounding
privacy, social justice and safety in social media the more we can provide safety and guidance to our
students in these areas.

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References
Brown, S. (2013). British Columbia's Social Media Statistics | 6S Marketing. 6S Marketing. Retrieved from
http://www.6smarketing.com/blog/bc-social-media-stats/
Cira.ca,. (2014). CIRA | Canadian Internet Registration Authority - FACTBOOK 2014 | The Canadian
Internet. Retrieved from http://cira.ca/factbook/2014/the-canadian-internet.html
Collier, A. (n.d). How to Recognize Grooming SafeKids.com. SafeKids.com. Retrieved from
http://www.safekids.com/how-to-recognize-grooming-2/
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Hicks, T., & Turner, K. (2013). No longer a luxury: Digital literacy cant wait. English Journal, 6, 58--65.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. (2010). Bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide. Archives Of Suicide Research, 14(3),
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Hui, S. (2009). Off-reserve aboriginal people in Canada face "second" digital divide. The Georgia Straight
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