You ask a loaded question, but I will begin with a simple answer. We have
nothing specific in our Faculty Handbook under Professional Standards that
refers to social networking sites. However, it would be hard to uphold the
standards, and then practice unprofessional behavior on a social networking
site. Your question, between the lines, implies that there is a concern at
Hamden Hall that has prompted an administrative response that might be
codified. IMHO, I would advise against such a practice.
I have used social networking for thirty-two years (fifteen prior to being
in education) as a means of giving and receiving information from people I
trust. Most of these years, I lacked the power of the internet to make the
process easier. Still, I attribute my professional relationships, both clos=
e
and casual, established over the years, as most important to any
professional success I have experienced. In cyberspace, I belong to at leas=
t
ten social networking sites with varying levels of participation, but all
are important at certain moments. If these sites didn=B9t exist, I would spen=
d
more time on the phone or writing letters, but I wouldn=B9t abandon the notio=
n
that people, at their best, are collegial and help other people. For that
reason, I would be very circumspect about defining adult usage of social
networking sites where you could potentially inhibit collegiality and
professional development. Our professional standards are very clear about
the nature of faculty relationships with students; it is a more than
adequate guide for dealing with students on social networking sites as well=
.
Joel
--=20
Joel Backon
Director of Academic Technology / History
Choate Rosemary Hall
333 Christian St.
Wallingford, CT 06492
203-697-2514
On 7/20/08 9:35 PM, "Lorri Carroll" <lcarroll@hamdenhall.org> wrote:
> Hi All-
> Does anyone have any verbage they could share from their Faculty Handbook
> concerning social networking sites? We are thinking of adding something
> to our "Professionalism" area.
>=20
> Lorri Carroll
> Director of Technology
> Hamden Hall Country Day School
> 1108 Whitney Avenue
> Hamden, CT 06517
> lcarroll@hamdenhall.org
> work (203) 752-2606
> cell (203) 215-9833
>=20
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