Colorado Springs School District 11
Board of Education Policy
EHC-R-1, Social Media Guidelines
Revised May 8, 2012
Social Media (Facebook) Guidelines for Colorado Springs School District 11
Introduction
Colorado Springs School District Eleven’s (the District) purpose in providing educational technology
resources to students and staff is to facilitate 21st century instructional practices, strategies, and
activities, and to provide excellent, distinctive educational experiences that equip students for success
today and in the future. The goal of this guideline is to provide direction when using social media
applications both inside and outside the classroom.
The District realizes that part of 21st century learning is adapting to the changing methods of
communication and that it is important for teachers, students, and parents engaging, collaborating,
learning, and sharing in digital environments. To this aim, the District has developed the following
guideline to provide direction for instructional employees, students, and the school district community
when participating in online social media activities. Whether or not an employee chooses to participate
in a blog, wiki, online social network, or any other form of online publishing or discussion is his or her
own decision. Free speech protects educators who want to participate in social media, but the laws and
courts have ruled that schools can discipline teachers if their speech, including online postings, disrupts
school operations. In fact, the District’s social media guidelines encourage employees to participate in
online social activities. It is important to create an atmosphere of trust and individual responsibility and
accountability, keeping in mind that information produced by District teachers and students is a
reflection on the entire district and is subject to the District's Educational Technology Resources
Policy. By accessing, creating or contributing to any blogs, wikis, or other social media for classroom or
district use, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Please read them carefully before posting or
commenting on any blog or creating any classroom blog, wiki and/or podcast.
Glossary of Terms
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Blog: The term is short for "web-log." A website where individuals make posts and allow
others to contribute using comments that appear in a sequential manner.
Digital Footprint: A record of online activity that is taken from interaction on websites.
Instant Messaging: Type of chat that can be used to communicate.
Micro-blogging: Platform where one can blog with a limit of 140 characters (e.g. Twitter). The
character limit is conveniently similar to SMS for utilization via the texting service on a cell
phone.
Ning: Internet site to create your own Social Network.
Open source – Open source promotes free redistribution and access to a product. For example,
District 11 uses Open Office as a word processing program.
Podcasting: An audio or video file uploaded to the internet for public viewing. Many podcasts
can be subscribed to using an RSS feed.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed: A family of web feed formats used to publish frequently
updated works such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video in a standardized format.
It includes full or summarized text, plus data such as publishing dates and authorship. Web
feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers
who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from
many sites into one place.
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Colorado Springs School District 11
Board of Education Policy
EHC-R-1, Social Media Guidelines
Revised May 8, 2012
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Social Bookmarking: Bookmarks that are hosted on an online service which can be accessed on
any computer. These bookmarks are shared and can be visible to anyone.
Social Media: User created content designed in a collaborative environment where users share
opinions, knowledge, and information with each other.
Web 2.0 - Web 2.0 refers to web software applications that include, but are not limited to, social
networking sites, blogs, wikis, some presentation tools, video sharing or conferencing tools and
community tools that offer ways of creating, collaborating, editing and sharing user-generated
content online.
Wiki: A document that can be edited by users and then turned into a webpage. Allows for
hyperlnking and document hosting.
Social Media Guidelines for Faculty & Staff
Personal Responsibility
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District employees are personally responsible for the content they publish online. Be mindful
that what you publish will be public for a long time through digital footprints. Make sure to
protect your privacy.
Your online behavior should reflect the same standards of honesty, respect, and consideration
that you use face-to-face.
When posting to your blog be sure you say that the information is representative of your views
and opinions and not necessarily the views and opinions of the District.
Remember that any social media sites including but not limited to blogs, wikis, nings, instant
messaging, and podcasts are an extension of your classroom. What is inappropriate in your
classroom should be deemed inappropriate online.
The lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred in the digital world.
By virtue of identifying yourself as a District employee online, you are now connected to
colleagues, students, parents and the school community. You should ensure that content
associated with you is consistent with your work at the District.
When contributing online do not post confidential student information.
Disclaimers
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District employees must include disclaimers within their personal blogs that the views are their
own and do not reflect on their employer. For example, "The postings on this site are my own
and don't necessarily represent Colorado Springs School District No. 11’s positions, strategies,
opinions, or policies."
This standard disclaimer does not by itself exempt District employees from personal
responsibility when blogging.
Classroom blogs do not require a disclaimer, but teachers are recommended to moderate
content contributed by students.
Copyright and Fair Use
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Respect copyright and fair use guidelines. See U.S. Copyright Office - Fair Use.
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Colorado Springs School District 11
Board of Education Policy
EHC-R-1, Social Media Guidelines
Revised May 8, 2012
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A hyperlink to outside sources is recommended. Be sure not to plagiarize and do give credit
where it is due. When using a hyperlink, be sure that the content is appropriate and adheres to
the District’s Educational Technology Resources Policy.
It is recommended that blogs be licensed under United States licenses, such as
Creative Commons Attribution United States License.
Profiles and Identity
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Remember your association and responsibility with the District in online social environments. If
you identify yourself as a Colorado Springs School District No. 11 employee, ensure your profile
and related content is consistent with how you wish to present yourself with colleagues,
parents, and students. How you represent yourself online should be comparable to how you
represent yourself in person.
Be cautious of identity theft issues using social networking sites. Be careful not to display
personal information for yourself or your students. Note personal responsibility in how you
setup your profile, bio, avatar, etc.
When uploading digital pictures or avatars that represent yourself, make sure you select a
school-appropriate image and adhere to the District’s staff dress code. Also remember not to
utilize protected images. Images should be your own or be available under Creative Commons.
Social Bookmarking
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Be aware that others can view the sites that you bookmark.
Be aware of words used to tag or describe the bookmark.
Be aware of URL shortening services. Verify the landing site to which they point before
submitting a link as a bookmark. It would be best to utilize the original URL if not constrained by
the number of characters as in microblogs -- i.e. Twitter.
Attempt to link directly to a page or resource if possible as you cannot control what appears on
landing pages in the future.
Instant Messaging
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A written request must be submitted to the district Chief Information Officer for approval.
When submitting a request to the CIO please include your name, building, grade level, and
provide a statement explaining your instructional purposes for using the program.
District employees are required to get authorization to have instant messaging programs
downloaded on their school computers.
District employees also recognize this same authorization is required for access to instant
messaging programs that are available through web interfaces with no download
It would be beneficial if you can tie your request to state curriculum standards or the student or
teacher National Educational Technology Standards.
Avatar images and profile information should follow the same guidelines as the above Profiles
and Identity section
Sharepoint
The District utilizes Sharepoint, which is a Microsoft product to for staff and students to use to create
interactive websites. Social networking tools are embedded in the branded templates.
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Colorado Springs School District 11
Board of Education Policy
EHC-R-1, Social Media Guidelines
Revised May 8, 2012
Social Networking Sites
The District schools and programs may have a presence in social networking sites, such as Facebook.
Follow these guidelines to use social networking sites. Its intended audience is primarily secondary
students, staff, parents, and community members in all schools.
Site administrators:
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Principal is responsible for content posting and site management.
Other administrators may be assigned to assist in posting content and monitoring comments.
Schools shall post and manage content from outside the D11 network (unless access rights are
granted within the D11 network).
Main page shall indicate it is the “Official page of <Name> School.”
Schools shall post content germane to the activities and news about the school or district.
o Inclusion of photos or links to pertinent and appropriate resources is permitted.
Schools shall regularly monitor comments made to posts to ensure they are appropriate as
defined in the following disclaimer which shall be posted on the site where possible (in “Note”
on Facebook):
Any written communication created or received by Colorado Springs School District 11 officials
and employees will be made available to the public and media, upon request, unless otherwise
exempt. If you do not want your comment and subsequent identifying information released in
response to a public-records request, do not comment. If you do not want your email address
released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to a work location
or employee.
The purpose of this site is to disseminate information on specific <SCHOOL NAME> and Colorado
Springs School District 11 topics. It is not intended to be a public forum. Comments posted to
this Web site will be monitored. The district reserves the right to delete comments that contain
vulgar language, personal attacks of any kind, or offensive comments that target or disparage
any ethnic, racial or religious groups. Further, the district reserves the right to delete comments
that are:
(1) spam or include links to other sites;
(2) clearly off topic;
(3) advocate illegal activity;
(4) promote particular services, products, or political organizations;
(5) infringe on copyrights or trademarks;
(6) use personally identifiable medical information.
Commercial advertising content on this site is not controlled or endorsed by Colorado Springs
School District 11.
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When it is deemed necessary to remove/delete inappropriate content, the principal or site
administrator shall make a screen print of the page to preserve the public record of the specific
post or comment being removed. The copy should be archived in a folder for safe keeping.
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Colorado Springs School District 11
Board of Education Policy
EHC-R-1, Social Media Guidelines
Revised May 8, 2012
Use these settings for access to your school’s Facebook account.
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View Settings – Set default view for Wall as “Only Posts by Page.” School may elect to turn
“Auto-expanded comments” on or off.
Fan Permissions - School pages should not be enabled for fans to “write or post content to the
wall.”
District 11 Testing Process
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District 11 Testing Process - District 11 requires that all software applications used on the D11
network be submitted for testing and approval to appropriate personnel before downloading, and
many free applications are requested by teachers and staff on an on-going basis. District 11’s
testing process checks with the Divisions of Technology Services (to check for electronic
communication device and network compatibility) and Instruction, Curriculum, and Student Services
(to check instructional content) (see Policies IJJ and IJL). If a staff member chooses to use a free Web
2.0 or open source product without submitting the application to appropriate personnel, the
employee does so at his or her own risk. Web 2.0 products can continually change, and data in the
clouds is not guaranteed to be secure and is not guaranteed to always be available. If an application
is free, your electronic communication device becomes a commodity for data mining (like email
addresses and possibly passwords for other programs on your electronic communication device).
Technology Services only has the capacity to test and/or block applications on an as
needed/requested basis through the testing process. Just because a software application is
available for download and is not blocked by a filter, it does not mean that District staff has
permission to download without seeking approval. If a staff electronic communication device and/or
D-11 Network software, data, user accounts, hardware is damaged, or costs are incurred by users as
a result of an untested/unauthorized application, the employee may be personally liable for the
damage.
Social Media Guidelines for Students
Due to the wealth of new social media tools available to students, student products and documents
have the potential to reach audiences far beyond the classroom. This translates into a greater level of
responsibility and accountability for everyone. Below are guidelines students in the District should
adhere to when using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom.
1. Be aware of what you post online. Social media venues are very public. What you contribute
leaves a digital footprint for all to see. Do not post anything you wouldn't want parents,
teachers, a future employer or others to see.
2. Follow the school's code of conduct when writing online. It is acceptable to disagree with
someone else's opinions, however, do it in a respectful way. Make sure that criticism is
constructive and not hurtful. What is inappropriate in the classroom is inappropriate online.
3. Be safe online. Never give out personal information, including, but not limited to, last names,
phone numbers, addresses, exact birthdates, and pictures. Do not share your password with
anyone besides your teachers and parents.
4. Linking to other websites to support your thoughts and ideas is recommended. However, be
sure to read the entire article prior to linking to ensure that all information is appropriate for a
school setting.
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Colorado Springs School District 11
Board of Education Policy
EHC-R-1, Social Media Guidelines
Revised May 8, 2012
5. Staff and students are encouraged to use interactive websites and tools; however, all must be
utilized within the context of educational usage. Staff-created blogs or other online content
such as micro blog feeds must also only occur within the context of educational usage. Users
must follow proper etiquette, including but not limited to, using proper language with no
vulgarity and no cyber-bullying or spreading falsehoods about another that lowers the affected
individual in the eyes of the community. Teacher/student interactions online must only occur
within the context of educational usage. For the protection of both students and staff, the
District strongly advises that staff do not “friend” students on public networks , since lines of
personal and professional boundaries are not as clear in social networking sites Friending
students on private or school-based networks for educational purposes is acceptable within the
context of educational usage(i.e. Destiny or Sharepoint).
6. Do your own work! Do not use other people's intellectual property without their permission. It
is a violation of copyright law to copy and paste other's thoughts. When paraphrasing
another's idea(s) be sure to cite your source with the URL. It is good practice to hyperlink to
your sources.
7. Be aware that pictures may also be protected under copyright laws. Verify you have permission
to use the image or it is under Creative Commons attribution.
8. How you represent yourself online is an extension of yourself. Do not misrepresent yourself by
using someone else's identity.
9. Blog and wiki posts should be well written. Follow writing conventions including proper
grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. If you edit someone else's work be sure it is in the
spirit of improving the writing.
10. If you run across inappropriate material that makes you feel uncomfortable, or is not respectful,
tell your teacher right away.
11. Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take
part in the project and/or access to future use of online tools.
Requests for Social Media Sites
The District understands that 21st century learning includes constantly changing technology and that
many sites that are currently "blocked" by the District's internet filter may have pedagogical significance
for teacher and student use.
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If you would like to request that another online site be accessible to use for teaching and
learning, please let your teacher know. The teacher can request the District to unblock the site.
Requests will be reviewed and the district social media guidelines will be updated periodically
throughout the school year.
A description should be provided of the intended use of the site and what tools on the site
match your needed criteria.
A link to the site’s privacy policy should be included if possible.
Below is a non-inclusive list of sites that are social networking sites:
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Audacity: a free, cross-platform audio editing program
Blogger : an online, free blogging platform owned by Google.
Delicious : a social bookmarking service
Diigo : a social bookmarking service
Facebook: a social networking site
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Colorado Springs School District 11
Board of Education Policy
EHC-R-1, Social Media Guidelines
Revised May 8, 2012
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GarageBand : a Macintosh program for recording, making music, teaching to play instruments
and producing podcasts
Google Docs: Create online documents, spreadsheets, and presentations and share them with
others, allowing them to view your work online, or even edit the documents collaboratively.
Requires a Google account.
LinkedIn: A social network site that tends to focus on professional relationships, such as people
you know in this industry or at that company.
Moodle: An open source classroom management system. Similar to BlackBoard or WebCT at the
university level. You can pay to have someone host your moodle sites, or you can host your own
moodle server.
PBWORKS: An easy-to-use wiki. Get a free wiki, or pay for upgrades, if desired. (Formerly pbwiki)
Skype: A downloadable application for your computer to give it telephony functionality. Video
calls with other Skype clients is an added feature.
Social Bookmarking: Bookmarks that are hosted on an online service which can be accessed on
any computer. These bookmarks are shared and can be visible to anyone.
Twitter : A micro-blogging platform (postings are limited to 140 characters). Free to join and
participate.
VoiceThread: Like a discussion board, but with the ability to comment with audio, video, chat,
and drawing tools.
Wikispaces: Web site like much like Pbworks where one can create and manage their own wiki.
Reference
http://socialmediaguidelines.pbworks.com/FrontPage
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