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http://www.stargroup1.com/blog/should-teachers...
and that the use of social media was just one part of a much larger bill designed to discourage private relationships between teachers and students that have sometimes led to sexual abuse. The injunction is set to expire on February 20, 2012 and from now until then all parties involved will work to come to a happy medium. I wanted to dig a little deeper... I told you I'm naturally curious and love to "go behind the numbers (https://www.stargroup1.com/blog/trends-social-advertisingsurvey-behind-numbers) " if you will and so I reached out to the MSTA and spoke with Aurora Meyer, Online Community Coordinator from the MSTA to get her thoughts on the judges ruling. SO: Why is this issue of such importance to the MSTA? AM: Our biggest concern was that the bill was so unclear as to define what a teacher could and could not do, that teachers started to ask questions that no one had answers to. When districts are telling their teachers to delete their Facebook pages and warning coaches to stop texting players to tell them a bus will be late, we knew wecouldn't wait for a special session of the legislature. Additionally, this particular issue took a national tone, and we started to hear from teachers not just in Missouri but from throughout the United States. SO: What message do you think this injunction sends to teachers, students and anyone else who uses social media? AM: To quote from the injunction (http://bit.ly/rme3Oy) : "Social networking is extensively used by educators. It is often the primary, if not sole manner, of communications. To quote from our press release (http://bit.ly/pb8erC) : "This gives everyone time to debate and discuss the issue to come to a proper resolution rather than rushing to piece together language that doesn't resolve the concerns of educators or allow time for teacher input." - Gail McCray, MSTA's legal counsel SO: Do you think student/teacher interaction via social media should be monitored under any circumstances? AM: Most school districts already have policies in place to deal with social networking sites and how teachers and students are using social media. Many teachers also have personal policies. We want to allow the districts to determine their own needs. Ok, your thoughts... What do you think of the use of social media in the classroom? Is it ok to use it as a tool? Should teachers be allowed to communicate with their students via social media as long as it's for educational purposes? Source: Reuters (http://www.reuters.com) , Google Images Tags: Amy Hestir Student Protection Act (/category/tags/amy-hestir-studentprotection-act) Aurora Meyer (/category/tags/aurora-meyer) Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem (/category/tags/cole-county-circuit-court-judgejon-beetem) facebook (/category/tags/facebook) Gail McCray (/category /tags/gail-mccray) Jane Cunningham (/category/tags/jane-cunningham) missouri state teachers association (/category/tags/missouri-state-teachersassociation) MSTA (/category/tags/msta) Senate Bill 54 (/category /tags/senate-bill-54) social media (/category/tags/social-media) media a teaching tool (/category/tags/social-media-teaching-tool) networking (/category/tags/social-networking) 7 1 Like social social
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9/13/11 3:29 PM