The popularity of social networking sites is remarkable. However, teachers need to be aware these are public spaces and published content can be seen by a worldwide audience, by both adults and young people. The TES reports the following:
“Teachers are facing disciplinary action for posting compromising pictures of themselves on social networking websites …. Even teachers without accounts on social networking sites are at risk if they appear in photographs posted by other people.
In many cases pictures are first discovered by pupils on social websites like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo or YouTube.
Andy Peart, deputy head of legal services for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said that when heads found such pictures, punishments for teachers could range from a warning to dismissal.
Mr Peart has dealt with several such cases, where teachers did not realise that the comments they made and pictures they posted became, in effect, public documents.
Lewd stag or hen night pictures were typical examples, he said.”
For the full story see http://www.tes.co.uk/search/story/?story_id=2605871