It’s not to stop teachers from doing the wrong thing with social media; It’s to give them confidence to use social media well, knowing there is no appearance of impropriety.
If there were no balustrade on the ‘Pinnacle’ lookout in the Grampians, very few people would venture to the edge to take in the arresting view. The barrier gives hikers confidence to go further than they would otherwise dare, because their safety is assured. The railing doesn’t restrict people; it liberates them to go further!
The railing doesn’t restrict people; it liberates them to go further!
Is it appropriate for a teacher to reply to a student’s electronic message at 9:00 pm? 11:00 pm? I don’t think there is a universal answer to that question, but I do think there should be a school policy about it. If a student sends a text at 9:45 pm, and the school policy says 10 pm, a teacher can confidently reply, leaning against the balustrade of that policy.
I meet a lot of teachers who are reluctant to use “this website” or “that web 2.0 service” with their students for fear that doing so might make them the star of a story on 7’s Today Tonight (and not in a good way). That fear can be soothed by creating well publicised, unambiguous and clearly defined policies.
Douchy's Blog 
Well said and great analogy. Too often policies come across as a list of “do not” rather than “how to.”
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