e-reputation of teachers: not helpless

In the past, what happened in the classroom stayed in the classroom, and what happened at school was dealt with at school. This could lead to abuse, but more often than not enabled everyone to adjust their behavior to the environment.

With today's media porosity, there's not much left to keep out of sight. Being able to use the media to denounce abuse encourages everyone to hold back their negative behavior. Good for us.

Delicate

Except that this same power can be used to slander, libel, defame, spread falsehoods and damage the reputation of individuals and institutions alike. In civil society, there are remedies for defending one's reputation, but when dealing with children and teenagers, the same remedies are trickier to use.

On the one hand, young people are unaware of the power of nuisance, and underestimate the damage their actions in the media can cause; they know little about legal practices and potential consequences. We're not talking here about giving a teacher a bad mark on Rate My Teacher.

On the other hand, access to media broadcasting tools is new for young people, and neither schools nor parents have yet developed the educational and supervisory practices needed to prevent slippage. And both parents and schools can be held responsible.

Responses

Most schools have established codes of acceptable behavior and limits that must not be crossed or there will be consequences. When the limits are crossed, the only thing left to do is to manage the crisis.

While there are "reputation insurance" policies specifically designed for the world of education, the fact remains that prevention and education are far better responses and correspond to the educational mission of the school. It's not a question of ignoring the phenomenon, but of equipping young people to evolve in a hyper-connected world.

In this respect, the document "Les médias sociaux - Des outils aussi utiles que redoutables" published by the CSQ (Centrale des syndicats du Québec) and aimed at teachers is without doubt the most complete awareness-raising document to date.

The Guide de rédaction d'une Politique d'utilisation des médias sociaux (Guide to drafting a Social Media Use Policy ) can also be of great help, as it is often the case that victims themselves provide the material that will be used against them.

Finally, several media information sites provide excellent resources for media awareness programs in schools. We are not helpless when it comes to protecting our reputation; it's worth defending.

References

Habilo Medias
http://habilomedias.ca/francais/index.cfm

e-media.ch
http://www.e-media.ch/

Media education - Clemi
http://www.clemi.org/fr/centre-de-documentation/l-education-aux-medias/

Média Éducation.fr
http://mediaeducation.fr/

Conseil Supérieur de l'Education aux médias
http://www.educationauxmedias.eu/

Les médias sociaux - Des outils aussi utiles que redoutables - Centrale des syndicats du Québec - 2011 - ISBN 987-2-89061-111-5
https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3748345

Guide to drafting a Social Media Use Policy
Conseil québécois des ressources humaines
https://ordrecrha.org/ressources/TBD/Archives/Vigie-RT/politique-sur-l-utilisation-des-medias-sociaux-guide-de-redaction

Defamation of teachers: parents beware - Julie Pomerleau - Soquij - Legal Intelligence - 2012
http://blogue.soquij.qc.ca/2012/03/29/diffamation-envers-des-enseignants-les-parents-nont-qua-bien-se-tenir/

Protecting the teaching profession - Argus de l'assurance
http://www.argusdelassurance.com/acteurs/produits-protection-juridique-proteger-l-e-reputation-des-enseignants.64164

Rate My Teacher
http://www.ratemyteachers.com/

Illustration: Tomacco - ShutterStock