02.11.2011 Regular School Board Meeting - Fluvanna County ...

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2/4/2011
• Teachers and other school board employees may not knowingly engage in online
gaming unrelated to instruction with students.
• School board policy on electronic communications with students also applies to
teachers and other employees of virtual school programs and other vendors
providing instructional services to students
While it's hard to argue against better transparency and accountability for teachers,
particularly when it comes to student safety, many educators are wondering why
electronic communication needs to be specifically singled out in the proposed guidelines.
As one Virginia teacher argues,
"A professional code of conduct should apply whether you are speaking with
a student in person, on the phone, via email or through posts using a variety
of online Web 2.0 tools. These tools actually provide a written record of
communication, so that in itself provides a level of accountability. We should
trust our teachers to interact in a professional manner instead of unplugging
our students and quashing their ability to communicate and collaborate
digitally. Part of our district's Technology Plan calls for students to 'possess
the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to learn in and contribute to
virtual communities.' How does restricting communication via 21st century
tools help achieve this goal?"
The Board of Education says the new guidelines are simply recommendations, and if
approved, schools will be encouraged but not forced to adopt them. However, some
educators wonder if this sort of decree from the highest level of the state education
system will make it harder for tech-savvy teachers and schools to move forward with new
social learning and technology endeavors.