Saving Lives & Legal Issues Using Relationships & Technology In Education #140edu 140edu.com

For a summary of the message of success and safety to be presented by a School Safety Specialist, Cop & Education/Internet Lawyer at #140edu click on this link for prior talks led by lawyer Eric Roher on legal issues with social media in Education

A strategy of relationship building, connections, trust, anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers combined with the effective use of social media platforms like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Google Plus has resulted in lives being saved since 2004 in Toronto. Fifteen suicides and a Virginia Tech school shooting have potentially been prevented in Toronto police officers in collaboration with school officials and community recreation partners.

Jeffrey Keni Pulver is providing the podium for people to connect and make the world a more successful and safer place. Jeff Pulver is an American Internet entrepreneur known for his work as founder and chief executive of Pulver.com and early partner in Vonage. Pulver has been called a Voice over Internet Protocol pioneer, and has written extensively on VoIP telephony, and the need to develop an alternative to government regulation of its applications layer. Click here for the Federal Communications Commission 2004 “Pulver Order”.

At 2:20pm Tuesday July 31 the hope and vision of using a relationships and technology strategy for community success and safety collaboratively with students, education and community student/youth mentors, police officers and Crime Stoppers programs will be discussed in New York City at the 92nd Street YMCA. Toronto, Canada based Education and Internet specialist lawyer Eric Roher will join Toronto High School Safety Hall Monitor Dave Bradley and Toronto Police Service Corporate Communications Social Media Officer and Crime Stoppers International Social Media Adviser Constable Scott Mills to discuss what has been done, and needs to be done to save lives in our modern world.

Using social media tools to assist in making and maintaining positive relationships between adults and youth with purpose and process is leading to huge payoff and potential for a school official, and a cop in Toronto since 2004. Now the strategy has been integrated into a go forward social media policy led by Chief William Blair of the Toronto Police Service, along with a dedicated team of police officers and civilians. Lawyer Eric Roher states there needs to be more of this hope andvision put into action with purpose and process in order to increase payoff and potential for community safety worldwide.

Saving Lives and Legal issues Using Relationsips And Technology in Education
School Safety Hall Monitor Dave Bradley, Lawyer Eric Roher and Toronto Cop/Crime Stoppers International Social Media Adviser Scott Mills will discuss a vision for the success and safety of students and our community by thinking globally and acting locally.

The full itinerary of the The State of Now In Education known as #140edu is listed here:

The list of speakers for the 2 day event is posted in printable format here:

The official speaking points of Dave Bradley, Eric Roher and Scott Mills are posted here as a take away for anyone interested in furthering the concepts of relationships and technology for community success and safety. The writing is on the wall. Will the future of legal liability turn from blocking social media sites to being held negligent if collaborative strategies are not adapted? These are questions that hopefully can be answered by reading the speaking points below.

Participants:
David Bradley (@DavePicsBradley) – Hall Monitor at Earl Haig S.S. in Toronto. Has been working effectively with youth since 1991 and had added social media to his toolbox of way to be helpful.
Eric Roher (@eroher) – Dad, School Board Lawyer specializing in Internet, lover of canoes and my Vespa
Scott Mills (@GraffitiBMXCop) – Youth-BMX Bikes-Positive Approach to Graffiti | Toronto #SM Cop | Crime Stoppers

Watch live on UStream from New York City at 2:20pm EST Tuesday July 31, 2012


Live Video app for Facebook by Ustream

Lawyer Eric Roher
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP | It begins with service
Calgary | Montréal | Ottawa | Toronto | Vancouver | Waterloo Region
blg.com

– I am an the National Leader of the Education Law focus group with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Canada’s largest law firm.

– I represent schools boards throughout the Province of Ontario, including the Toronto District School Board, which is the largest board in the country.

– I am also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law where I teach a course in Youth and the Law.

– In my law practice acting for school boards and independent schools, I have come to value the critical nature of social media as a vehicle for crime prevention and intervention and to ensure community safety.

– In my view, being aware of the importance of social media is not only important from a teaching and learning perspective, but from a safe schools perspective, there is clear legal liability and obligations that arise for educators.

– For the purpose of this talk, social media and electronic communication encompass software, applications, e-mail and websites, which enable users to interact, create and exchange information online. Examples include Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and MySpace.

– Social media and electronic communication create new options for extending and enhancing education. They serve a range of purposes from helping students and parents access assignments and resources related to classroom studies to connecting classrooms in other communities and countries. Educators use the Internet and social networking sites as instructional tools, seeking information on lesson plans, new developments and methodologies.”

– In a February 23, 2011 Professional Advisory, the Ontario College of Teachers recognized that as the number of channels of communications in society increases, so does the rate of misuse. It stated that professional boundaries can blur. As part of its recommendations to teachers, the report advised them to decline student-initiated friend requests and not to issue friend requests to students. The report also recommended that teachers avoid exchanging private texts, phone numbers, personal e-mail addresses or photos of a personal nature with students.

– It is fully recognized that educators need to have professional boundaries regarding the use of social media and electronic communication. Even the most experienced teachers may be susceptible to unintentional mistakes. Maintaining boundaries in all forms of communication is vital to maintaining the public trust and appropriate professional relationships with students.

– Our school boards are committed to building and sustaining a positive school climate for all students in order to support their education so that all students can reach their full potential. A positive school climate has been defined as the sum total of all personal relationships within a school. A positive school climate exists when all members of the school community feel safe, comfortable and accepted.

– Prevention is the establishment and use of programs, such as crime stoppers, an online tips line and a social networking awareness program, as well as other positive activities designed to promote the building of healthy relationships and appropriate behaviours. The use of social media by educators can be a way to engage with students, monitor, prevent and intervene in order to ensure community safety.

– Recognizing the concerns raised by the College of Teachers about professional boundaries, my recommendation is to select a group of educators, who would be specially trained in the technology, relationships, ethics and professional boundaries, to engage with students on regular and ongoing basis online. These educators could include principals, vice-principals, social workers, guidance councillors, child and youth workers and hall monitors, who would develop relationships with students online and represent a listening post for students who may be at risk, involved in crime, aware of criminal activity. These educators would follow an appropriate process and protocol in their online contact and relationships with students.

– When an School Trained Online Support Person discovers that inappropriate behaviour is occurring, such as bullying, threats or intimidation, schools should utilize a range of interventions and supports and consequences that are developmentally appropriate. Early and ongoing contact with students using social media will help prevent unsafe and inappropriate behaviour in a school and school-related activities.

– Early interventions may include contact with parents, detentions, verbal reminders, review of expectations or a written work assignment with a learning component. Ongoing interventions may include volunteer service to the community, conflict mediation, peer mentoring and/or referral to counselling. Consequences for inappropriate behaviour could include referral to a community agency for anger management or substance abuse, loss of privileges or a suspension.

– The goal is for schools to use social media as a tool to support safe learning and teaching. Research shows that students who feel connected and accepted in their school, and by their peers, teachers and their school community will be more successful.

Watch the first 1min 40sec of this video of Education & Internet law specialist lawyer Eric Roher that was played during the #140conf presentation in New York.. along with Eric joining the dialogue live via Google Talk.


Video streaming by Ustream

Toronto’s Earl Haig Secondary School Safety Hall Monitor Dave Bradley

– I have been a hall monitor in Toronto Schools for 20 years.

– Facebook and other online social media sites are a natural extension of the hallways, sort of like the 4th floor of the school that exists only online.

– In order to build community and relationships, schools should have an online presence regardless of the position of the person(s) fill that role, they have to not just be willing but be exuberant and inspired and supported by admin.

– By being around and available online, just as in the halls, the people will come and the more “small” questions you answer and help with, word will spread and little by little you become a viable and valuable option for students, teachers, parents, and community members. Sort of like being a fireman. If there is no fire, do everything you can to prevent fires.

– Many times over the few years of facebook, I have stumbled upon and been summoned to help with situations where, indeed, life and death was potentially part of the equation.

– The rule of thumb with online interaction is simple; if you come across anything disturbing, get on it, take action, spread the word, summon help, regardless of the time of day or night.

– I have lost count of how many souls I have saved over the years…more than 10, less than 20 I would suppose. And then there are always those many others that we helped but we do not even know how much we helped.

– This past year I chatted with a student who was very upset and potentially suicidal and vowed to stay up all night to ensure that she was safe and would make it through the night. This began about 9 pm and continued until about 11:30 when she had calmed and actually was concerned about school work for the next day. I would have stayed up all night, but by vowing to do this, and being willing to do this, after the crisis had passed, it was not necessary. And for the 150 minutes that we chatted, we talked about the issues, but also about all sorts of other lesser issues.

– I make it up as I go along guided by 20 years of experiences and judgement, and lessons learned from other wise educators.

– Video and Still Photography is also part of my arsenal of community building tools. A special picture of a person can help bring them out of their shell, and help them build confidence an self esteem. One image I captured several years ago got a girl to talk who had not uttered a word in school for 4 years. This year I captured the entire commencement ceremony and posted it on youtube so that friends and relatives from around the world could and did share in the experience within a few hours of the actual event. And now it will live and continue to be enjoyed for all time online.

– Above all I strive to be approachable, a viable option, and a great listener. I also know right quick when I am in over my head and I am not shy about summoning whatever help and assistance are required.

– The most important conversation I ever have will be the next one…and when that happens, I will do my absolute best to help the person who reaches out for help big or small.

Constable Scott Mills

We must work as a team to accomplish global success and safety. Us, you, me, we, TOGETHER!

Anonymous Crime Stoppers tips using relationships and technology strategy in Toronto to help stop, solve and PREVENT crime together increased from 300 tips per month to 1000 tips per month. Read more. Only together can we make a difference. Please connect to share ideas and continue to build a worldwide collaborative action network for community success and safety. Think global, act local.

Thank you Jeff Pulver.

Thanks to Tina Clark for these videos of the ‘take aways’ of #140edu Education Conference for Dave Bradley and Scott Mills