Post by title1parent on Jul 7, 2009 5:34:21 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1654252,D303-tweet-anti-suicide-info-students_au070709.article
D303 to tweet anti-suicide info to students
July 7, 2009
By PAUL DAILING For the Sun-Times News Group
Teens use social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to keep up to date on and in touch with their friends, family and — in some cases — minor celebrities.
But St. Charles School District 303 is hoping the teens will find another use for the sites: learning about suicide prevention services from the district.
When the school district's Suicide Prevention Summit wrapped up last month, one of the main problems it identified was that services were available, but students were unaware of them. One suggestion was to use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, although no specific plans for using them were outlined.
The Twitter account twitter.com/StCharlesD303 launched in April, but had only 107 followers as of last week. Considering the district has an estimated 13,500 students, the teens don't appear to be rushing at the chance to follow their district's real-time updates — or, as they're called in Twitter-speak, "tweets."
Superintendent Don Schlomann said he never expected students to follow their school district on Twitter.
"It probably has limited interest for our students, quite frankly," he said. "It probably has more interest for our taxpayers."
The point, Schlomann said, is to make sure suicide prevention information is available in as many places as possible. The district's Twitter — or Facebook, or MySpace — account might never be popular, but should be available when a student needs it.
"Any time we can find different avenues to communicate, that's something we try to do," Schlomann said. "What we heard from students was the normal way of communicating with them wasn't doing it."
Twitter.com/StCharlesD303 is not the culmination of the district's social media efforts.
"I think we'll create some more accounts, some more Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts or MySpace accounts as we go into the new school year," Schlomann said.
School board President Scott Nowling said the district is trying to get suicide prevention information out not only in as many places as possible, but also in ways familiar and accepted by teens.
"The more, the better. The district's aim — particularly in light of this suicide prevention initiative — is to communicate in a language the kids communicate in," he said. "If Twitter is a vehicle to do that, outstanding."
Reaching the students is an ongoing process, Nowling said. Embracing social media is part of this process and is not seen as a final step, he said.
"If it doesn't seem to be a popular means of communicating, we'll try something else," Nowling said.
D303 to tweet anti-suicide info to students
July 7, 2009
By PAUL DAILING For the Sun-Times News Group
Teens use social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to keep up to date on and in touch with their friends, family and — in some cases — minor celebrities.
But St. Charles School District 303 is hoping the teens will find another use for the sites: learning about suicide prevention services from the district.
When the school district's Suicide Prevention Summit wrapped up last month, one of the main problems it identified was that services were available, but students were unaware of them. One suggestion was to use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, although no specific plans for using them were outlined.
The Twitter account twitter.com/StCharlesD303 launched in April, but had only 107 followers as of last week. Considering the district has an estimated 13,500 students, the teens don't appear to be rushing at the chance to follow their district's real-time updates — or, as they're called in Twitter-speak, "tweets."
Superintendent Don Schlomann said he never expected students to follow their school district on Twitter.
"It probably has limited interest for our students, quite frankly," he said. "It probably has more interest for our taxpayers."
The point, Schlomann said, is to make sure suicide prevention information is available in as many places as possible. The district's Twitter — or Facebook, or MySpace — account might never be popular, but should be available when a student needs it.
"Any time we can find different avenues to communicate, that's something we try to do," Schlomann said. "What we heard from students was the normal way of communicating with them wasn't doing it."
Twitter.com/StCharlesD303 is not the culmination of the district's social media efforts.
"I think we'll create some more accounts, some more Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts or MySpace accounts as we go into the new school year," Schlomann said.
School board President Scott Nowling said the district is trying to get suicide prevention information out not only in as many places as possible, but also in ways familiar and accepted by teens.
"The more, the better. The district's aim — particularly in light of this suicide prevention initiative — is to communicate in a language the kids communicate in," he said. "If Twitter is a vehicle to do that, outstanding."
Reaching the students is an ongoing process, Nowling said. Embracing social media is part of this process and is not seen as a final step, he said.
"If it doesn't seem to be a popular means of communicating, we'll try something else," Nowling said.