As technology and social media continue to make their way into the classroom (see: teachers using Snapchat in lessons), many teachers are apprehensive that such engagement comes with risk factors.

According to the University of Phoenix, 82 percent of educators "worry about conflicts that can occur from using social media with students and parents.”

In order to help mitigate this apprehension, the University of Phoenix is offering several continuing education courses that focuses on teaching educators the best practices for the digital age.

“University of Phoenix® College of Education collaborated with Frederick S. Lane, a leader in the field of cyberethics, to introduce Continuing Teacher Education courses to help inform educators about how to make ethical decisions in the digital age where the role of technology can create and heighten ethical dilemmas K-12 teachers face,” said the University of Phoenix in a statement.

The course ‘Cyberethics for Educators,’ for example, helps educators understand the risk factors of digital misconduct outside and inside the classroom while ‘‘K-12 Cybertraps: Strategies for Teaching Digital Citizenship,’ helps K-12 teachers best understand how to teach students how to be responsible while using technology.

Earlier this month, a white paper from Net-Ref argued that today’s teachers bear a great responsibility in helping teach students how to cultivate and protect their digital citizenship.

(For those unfamiliar, digital citizenship is defined as "the ability for technology users to understand how to create a responsible digital footprint by 'defining the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use.'"

“The invention and evolution of digital technology provides today’s educators with unparalleled opportunities for student learning and engagement,” said Frederick Lane in a statement.

“However, that very same technology poses significant personal and professional risks for educators who are not thoughtful and careful about how they use it. These courses are designed to provide every educator with the information he or she needs to understand those risks, and a framework for making ethical decisions about how technology should be used.”

Read more about University of Phoenix’s new course offerings here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

4/12/2016