Share Paper: Teacher-student relationship in the SNS-era: Ethical issues

  1. Alona Forkosh Baruch, Levinsky College of Education, Israel
  2. Arnon Hershkovitz, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Tuesday, June 24 11:15 AM-12:15 PM B1096

Abstract: Public debate on social networking sites (SNS) usage in teacher-student interactions has been vigorous and controversial in nature, emphasizing drawbacks rather than mutual benefits; disadvantages may include blurring of school vs. home settings, self-exposure and loss of control. In many cases, regulations regarding student-teacher SNS-mediated communication (which often ban such communication) reflect a decision-making process which is not evidence-based. In this study, we explored ethical dilemmas of teachers regarding SNS-mediated communication with students (N=180). Findings highlight a few categories of ethical dilemmas, including definition of role boundaries, privacy issues, dangers of exploitation via SNS, and lack of ICT literacies. In ...