Week 4

This week we talked about safety concerns regarding students, however it was also clear that we must be concerned for our own safety as teachers.

We cannot afford to be oblivious because we function as legal guardians while students are under our watch.  Even when they aren't directly under our watch, we have the responsibility to communicate with parents and try to keep the learning environment safe.  Most of this discussion was focused on the online world.  It is easy to restrict use of the internet, but then you sacrifice some of its benefits as well.  "Work-arounds" are sometimes possible, but often clumsy.  "Safe" educational resources are typically more limited.  Potential risk factors are numerous and even something as seemingly benign as Facebook has the potential to cause problems, whether directly or through misinterpretation of information.  Perhaps compromises can be found in the future, but we are forced to err on the side of caution for now, both for our students safety and our own legal liability.