Culture. Learning. Technology.

Monthly archives for May, 2011

Creating Responsible Digital Citizenship

May29
2011 Leave a Comment Avatar of Jessica A Hale Written by Jessica A Hale

Anticipating our high school shift to 1:1 laptops for the 2011-2012 school year, a colleague, Rebecca Brown, and I decided to develop a strategy for teaching Digital Citizenship and the use of 21st Century Tools based on our school’s core values of Truth, Excellence, and Diversity.

The idea is that we could take a group of students through a series of discussions, simulations, and activities that would integrate social media tools while teaching them about what it means to be a responsible digital citizen.  We would cover the following topics integrated in the schools core values:

Truth: digital footprint, privacy online

Excellence: Copyright, plagiarism, cyberbullying and safety

Diversity: Web connections

The details of the project are embed below.  The final product of the seminar would be a platform in the way of a portfolio for students to create their digital profile.  This site would allow them to network across classrooms and showcase their work to the world meeting the criteria they have been taught.  Another practical side of this project is that is would create a common platform for teachers and parents to access student work.

 

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Staying Connected

May29
2011 Leave a Comment Avatar of Jessica A Hale Written by Jessica A Hale
photo

By MyTudut

One of the most powerful tools of the internet is its ability to interlink information for students.  Sure, we can write a blog post or slap up a website but, isn’t this the same as copying a work sheet or printing out a calendar?  What makes the web so powerful as educators is the ability to create a platform for discovering information beyond our four walls.

In my social studies classroom, I use ‘Mrs. Hale’s Social Studies Pages’ as the platform for connecting students to the mediums beyond the course.  Primary documents, other school sites, as well as 21st century tools are brought into my classroom.  Some of my favorite collaborative tools to use are:

Facebook for simulations based on their assigned countries.  We use this to create current event situations and reactions to global issues.

Google docs for the students to collaborate and keep a record of their work within and outside the classroom.

Twitter for professional development.  This has become one my essential tools to connect with other educators for collaboration

As we model ‘connected’ behavior to our students they will emulate the same.  Furthermore, teaching them to both give and take through collaborative tools in the online environment will ensure that the chain continues to grow.

Posted in Course 2

The ‘Bully’ in Cyberbulling

May26
2011 1 Comment Avatar of Jessica A Hale Written by Jessica A Hale

by f-l-e-x's

One of my pet peeves is the misunderstanding that issues we face are that much different than issues that have been faced in the past. Because of this, we tend to do away with whatever is ‘new’ claiming that it is the source of the problem.  Modern society is to blame.  Technology is to blame.  The fact is, that the heart of the problem remains the same.  Have the issues altered in form?  Absolutely.  Do we need different strategies in addressing the issues?  Absolutely.  Do we do away with the medium of the issue?  Absolutely Not.

Bullying is an age-old affair.  Cane was bullied by his own brother.  Some pose sweeping reforms due to the ‘new’ phenomena of cyberbullying.  However, it is simply that bullying has found a new guise.  To do away with social media because it has become the new medium for bullying would be throwing out the baby with the bathwater.  Instead, let us develop strategy in handling cyber bullying.

It seems that the last few blog posts I have written centered on education as the answer.  But, this is true, right?  It all goes back to educating people about the issues at teaching them how to deal.  We have been given an incredible platform as educators to do just that.

The bottom line is that not matter what our opinion may be, students are using social media to interact with one another.  As a result,  both positive and negative interaction is going to arise.   We need to teach them how to do this appropriately or should we take it away all together.  Some are choosing this route, but does it really solve the problem?    Just as you would not beat someone up in the ally after school, you would not bully someone online.  This is where school polices must come in.  Just as we would not turn a blind eye to a student getting beat up in the ally, we must confront and deal with cyber bullying.  This is certainly an issue fresh on the minds of high school kids.

Asking students to be held accountable for the communication between peers will help them to understand what appropriate communication looks like.  This does not mean that we monitor all communication but, that we teach them that basic ethics and norms of socialization that apply to online interaction as well.  Students desire this type of accountability.  Check out this antibullying flash mob put together by two elementary schools:

Parents and teachers must be educated about the communication that is going on between students.  Bullying is bullying whatever form it may take.

In the classroom

Try experimenting with chat in the classroom.  Use it to dialogue about class material, live.  This will help students practice have an academic discussion, leaving out the ‘OMGs’ and ‘LOLs’

iChat on the macs have a great feature that allow you to create a private network for chat; Google docs and TypeWithMe offer decent platforms for chatting

 

Other Interesting Resources:

Teen Perspective

Cyber Bullying Article

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

All Rights Reserved?

May24
2011 1 Comment Avatar of Jessica A Hale Written by Jessica A Hale
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs/

 With increasing pace of information online, the rules have changed when it comes to accessing original information.  International education faces a whole new challenge, often setting guidelines and requirements on a school by school basis.  We tend to become the keepers of our own laws when it comes to copyrighted material.  Justified by the stringent shipping procedures, some take the view that the “ends justify the means” with copying worksheets here and there.  But what laws technically apply to our local?  It is all in the name of better educating our students….right?

But what are we REALLY teaching our students when we reproduce copyrighted material  for them?  In South Korea, there is quite a booming business for stores to copy and bind textbooks for students so that they can write in and highlight the text.   While I completely understand a student wanting this format of a textbook, I always cringe at the sight of one.

In light of all this, I cannot help but ask the question: are we simply creating more red tape for education?  If our sole purpose is to educate students shouldn’t we be releasing more material rather than restricting it?  If we are giving credit for the work, shouldn’t that be enough?

Organizations like the Creative Commons are on the right track encouraging the free share of information.  Flikr has jumped on board, offering incredible resources of photography free for use.  With information being disseminated at such a rapid rate, this offers a great way for all to share their information while at the same time protecting it.

It is our responsibility to acknowledge the wishes of the original author.  This means in our classrooms modeling the behavior for our students.  It also means protecting our own material and educating them on how to do the same.  So often, material that is copyrighted fails to protect itself against unfair use.  iTunes has done an incredible job at protecting its media against unfair use.  As a result, both authors and consumers have put their trust in the product.

I believe educators should be collaborative.  However, this requires work on both ends.  If an individual allows open source to material, then credit should be given.  Also, in order for the wheel to keep spinning all educators should be in the practice of ‘giving.’

In the classroom

A colleague of mine Brian Bennett had his AP Chemistry students for their ‘After the Exam’ project create a  Chemistry Lab Manual.  The students really took ownership  in the fact the manual was going to be available for download by people around the globe.  He added a creative commons license to the manual license and added their names to it, their first ‘published’ material.  A great lesson in both creating their digital footprint and the importance of copyrighting material.

 

 

Posted in Course 2 - Tagged , , ,

Privacy and Ethics in the Online World

May22
2011 Leave a Comment Avatar of Jessica A Hale Written by Jessica A Hale

Communication and commerce has changed drastically in our generation.  It was not too long ago that, even in big cities, one personally knew the individuals they were doing business with.  Swindlers and ‘crooks’ were easy to identify and readily ostracized in society.

I need not say it, life is different now.  We can purchase clothes, buy groceries, and communicate with our friends across the globe with the click of a mouse.  With the convenience of this digital age of commerce and social media there has also come challenges.  We are certainly a more ‘informed’ society.  This also means that others have more access to information about us.  Some of the questions being asked:  where is the line?  Are we personally responsible for the information that is disseminated about us or should there be an ethical standard by which the online community should be held accountable?  The growing wealth of information is perpetuated by our importing the information about ourselves.

When considering online privacy:

  • Is there ethical boundaries/guidelines to consider?
  • Who ‘controls’ the information?
  • What should we be teaching out students about privacy online?

Society is operates by basic ethics and norms.  Elementary civics teaches us the necessary requirements for an orderly society.   It is these boundaries that not only create order but also set the stage an efficient and prosperous community.  The same should be applied to the online community.  The norms of respecting one another, treating others as we would like to be treated; however simplistic hold weight in the online community. Operating by norms such as these will provide a fertile environment for a thriving learning community.

Control of Information is certainly an issue to be examines.  Though there are institutions such as the COPPA laws which was which protect children’s information being preyed upon, companies are still gathering information about everyone on the web at an early age.  The bottom line is, you are the one who controls the dissemination of information.  If you do not want people to view pictures or videos of you, do not post.  Time and legislation may certainly change this.  But, for now, we must view the internet as an open source of information for all to view.  Furthermore, the already instituted use of copyright laws should protect the right to use certain information.

Perhaps the most vital note to address is the education that should be taking place in the classroom.  It is vital that we be teaching, from the elementary level, about privacy online.  South Korea integrates digital citizenship in the curriculum from the second grade.  Take a look at this clip:

YouTube Preview Image

Though it is true, the method of education may change from school to school, the ‘essential question’ remains the same. What is online privacy?  Getting students to answer this question, teaching them to protect themselves in essence solves the problem at the root.

The bottom line: our ultimate goal should be to empower students with the intrinsic desire to use information, in whatever realm, for the betterment of society.

Other Interesting Reads:

 

Posted in Course 2
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