Cyber Law: Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms

VOYA - Beth E. Andersen

Social networking. Cell phone cameras used to send sexy photos. Texting used to cheat on exams. Teachers moonlighting at comedy clubs. Free speech versus school rules. Current and emerging technologies not only have tremendously advanced learning, but they also have enormously complicated life for students, teachers, and administrators who are navigating the legal issues involved in dozens of scenarios. Bissonette's wellorganized, well-researched book is a manual for how to do it right, how to do it efficiently, and how to prepare for the future. She emphasizes repeatedly that the first order of business is to have clear, well-written policies that have been vetted by each school's legal team. She delineates the difference between legal and ethical issues and offers solutions for each category. She tackles cyberbullying and the use of the Internet by staff and students, and spends a chapter on copyright challenges in the classroom. Each chapter has a checklist and a sidebar box for online resources. Bissonette, an attorney and teacher, offers samples of policies geared to specific concerns, such as social networking and blogging, as well as an extensive example on acceptable use. A sign of the blistering pace of changing technology is that this 2009 resource has no mention of Twitter, which clearly needs to be addressed. It is an invaluable reference that should be part of all school districts' professional resources. Reviewer: Beth E. Andersen