1) The document discusses various methods for school counselors to communicate with students and parents, including both conventional methods like newsletters, bulletin boards, and parent meetings, as well as newer digital methods like websites, email, automated phone systems, and social media like Facebook and Twitter.
2) It outlines ethics and legal guidelines for counselors' use of technology and social media to protect student privacy and their own reputations.
3) Standards from the American School Counselor Association are presented regarding comprehensive counseling plans, advocacy for equitable access, and the appropriate use of technology.
Ideastream operating on a shoestring technology available to
1. NEO Goes to College –
NOW!
November 4, 2011
Cleveland State University
2. Operating on a Shoestring:
Technology-Based Student and
Parent Outreach
Donna Czeck, M. Ed., LSC
Donna.czeck@gmail.com
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Communication Avenues: Getting the
Word Out
• How do you
communicate with
your students?
• Their
parents/guardians?
• What methods do you
use to get to know
your “audience”?
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BI-LINGUAL OR MULTI-LINGUAL
• Know your audience!
• Language barriers
• Literacy barriers
• SES barriers
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Conventional Communication Avenues
• Newsletters
▫ District
▫ Building
▫ Departmental
• Distributing your
Newsletters
▫ Snail mail
▫ Email
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Conventional Communication Avenues
• Bulletin boards
• Postings in
classrooms and
common areas:
cafeteria, auditorium,
gymnasium, hallways,
and areas frequented
by parents
• Word of mouth
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Conventional Communication Avenues
• Parent meetings/seminars/workshops
▫ Don’t intimidate your audience with the title
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Newer Communication Avenues
▫ Collecting email
addresses
▫ Organizing is the KEY
Microsoft Outlook
Parent distribution lists
(by grade or building)
Students (by grade)
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Newer Communication Avenues
• District and/or School Website
▫ Work with your IT and webmaster
▫ Practice makes perfect
How do you decide “what works” and “what
doesn’t work”?
LHS TCESC
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Newer Communication Avenues
• Automated Phone Calling Systems
▫ Most families have phones
▫ Quick, efficient methods of getting news out to
parents/families
Financial Aid Night presentation
First Generation College workshops
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Not So Conventional
Communication Avenues
• Facebook
• Twitter
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Facebook Pages
• Morris Area School District K-12 Counselor
• Trumbull Career & Technical Center
• Mahoning County Career and Technical
Center
• Cleveland Metropolitan School District
• Murrieta Valley Unified School District
• Albuquerque Public Schools
• American School Counselor Association
• Ohio School Counselor Association
• Hudson City Schools, Ohio*****
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Educating Your Students AND Their
Parents . . .
• Appropriate email addresses
• Values of post-secondary education AND
protecting your image online
▫ Employers AND colleges are now “Googling” you!
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Ethics and Technology
• School faculty and the Internet
▫ OEA 2009 Update: Members should not
post, do, say, or write anything on a social
network that they would not want to see on the
front page of the local newspaper or would not
say or do in front of students, parents, or the
board of education.
▫ Protect your reputation (and that of your
school/district) in your electronic
communications
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Social Networking Positions
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ASCA Standards for School Counselors
• A.3. Academic, Career/College/Post-Secondary Access and
Personal/Social Counseling Plans Professional school
counselors:
• a. Provide students with a comprehensive school counseling
program that parallels the ASCA National Model with emphasis
on working jointly with all students to develop
personal/social, academic and career goals.
• b. Ensure equitable academic, career, post-secondary access
and personal/social opportunities for all students through the
use of data to help close achievement gaps and opportunity
gaps.
• c. Provide and advocate for individual students’ career
awareness, exploration and post-secondary plans supporting
the students’ right to choose from the wide array of options
when they leave secondary education.
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ASCA Standards for School Counselors
• A.10. Technology Professional school counselors:
• a. Promote the benefits of and clarify the limitations of various appropriate
technological applications. Professional school counselors promote technological
applications (1) that are appropriate for students’ individual needs, (2) that
students understand how to use and (3) for which follow-up counseling assistance is
provided.
• b. Advocate for equal access to technology for all students, especially those
historically underserved.
• c. Take appropriate and reasonable measures for maintaining confidentiality of
student information and educational records stored or transmitted through the use
of computers, facsimile machines, telephones, voicemail, answering machines and
other electronic or
• computer technology.
• d. Understand the intent of FERPA and its impact on sharing electronic student
records.
• e. Consider the extent to which cyberbullying is interfering with students’
educational process and base guidance curriculum and intervention programming
for this pervasive and potentially dangerous problem on research-based and best
practices.
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ASCA Standards for School Counselors
• B.1. Parent Rights and Responsibilities Professional school counselors:
• a. Respect the rights and responsibilities of parents/guardians for their
children and endeavor to establish, as appropriate, a collaborative
relationship with parents/guardians to facilitate students’ maximum
development.
• b. Adhere to laws, local guidelines and ethical standards of practice when
assisting parents/guardians experiencing family difficulties interfering
with the student’s effectiveness and welfare.
• c. Are sensitive to diversity among families and recognize that all
• parents/guardians, custodial and noncustodial, are vested with certain
• rights and responsibilities for their children’s welfare by virtue of their
role and according to law.
• d. Inform parents of the nature of counseling services provided in
• the school setting.
• e. Adhere to the FERPA act regarding disclosure of student information.
• f. Work to establish, as appropriate, collaborative relationships with
• parents/guardians to best serve student.
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What Not to Do . . .
• NEVER use your personal cell phone or land line
to call parents/students.
• NEVER “friend” your students or their parents if
you have a personal social network account.
• NEVER post photos of yourself in compromising
situations (drinking alcohol, posing
seductively, etc).
• NEVER use your school computer
inappropriately.
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• ACLU Investigates Suspension of PA Teacher
Over Facebook Photo of Her with Mail Stripper
▫ Source: Liz Zemba, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 27, 2010
• Former teacher Sues Georgia School District
Claiming She was Forced to Resign Over
Content Posted on Her Facebook Page
▫ Source: Joe Vanhoos, Athens Banner-Herald, November 10, 2009
• NC Teachers Face Consequences for Facebook
Posts About Students
▫ Source: Ann Doss Helms, Raleigh News & Observer, November 12, 2008
• Board May Terminate Teacher’s Contract for
Offensive Language and Email Jokes
• Oleske v. Hilliard City School District Board of Education (2001), 146 Ohio
App.3d 57
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• Unclear Policy Prevented Board from
Terminating an Administrator for Improper
Emails
▫ Bertolini v. Whitehall City School District Board of education
(2000), 139 Ohio App. 3d 595
• Employee Suspended After Emailing Violates
School’s “Acceptable Use” Policy
▫ Doll v. Stark County Board of MRDD (Dec. 28, 2001), Stark Cty. App. No
01-CA-00255
www.ohioedlaw.com
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http://www.knowhow2go.org/
National Association
Of Student Financial Aid
Administrators
http://www.capenetwork.org/
Federal Student Aid
Information for Counselors
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Questions - Comments - Discussion
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Links
• www.facebook.com
• www.twitter.com
• http://www.trumbullesc.org/
• www.lordstown.k12.0h.us
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZhyyg7yyw
k (OEA video)
• http://www.nea.org/home/20746.htm
• http://www.aft.org/pdfs/tools4teachers/CT-
Technology0409.pdf
Notas do Editor
(The group was interested in your use of Facebook, parent updates and other tech things I shared. Also, that you are teaching a career course for freshmen at YSU. I also know how well you are able to find things for FREE)
“A Framework for Understanding Poverty” by Ruby Payne
Do your families have access to email? What if they don’t?