To Be or Not To Be? - Should Schools Allow Teachers to Use Web Tools Without Restriction?

Is it more unethical to allow threats to students/schools or to deny students/teachers access to instructionally relevant Web-based tools and content?

Why does it have to be one or the other? As a teacher, I have been asked a thousand times –“When are we ever going to use algebra (or poetry or science) in real life?” Students have a hard time relating what they are learning to actual use later in life. So, in my opinion, one of the most important things we can do as educators is show them the correlation between their lessons and their careers in the work world. Since technology is used everyday by almost everyone in every industry, community and household, shouldn’t it follow that we should teach our students how to use the technology to learn, as well as protect themselves from those who use it for personal gain?

First they need to learn about protecting themselves from internet predators. Web sites like Student Internet Safety (click here) can be used by teachers to show students what to watch for and how to protect their personal information. Another lesson should include the right way to search to provide the best results for your topic.  A site like Noodle Tools provides great tips to share with your students. (click here) Additionally, the students need to learn to be cautious about what types of incoming information they should accept and what they should decline.  Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom (Gunter) suggests using reliable antivirus software, scanning all attachments before opening and never starting your computer with removable media in the drives.

The list of possible resources could go on for pages but the overall message is to teach our students the right way to use the web based tools and content and then schools would not have to choose what to allow in the classroom. By following this plan our students would connected to many valuable lessons and real life scenarios without exposing themselves to danger.

Stacy Anderson

Resources

Noodle Tools. (2010). Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need. Retrieved on September 20, 2010 from http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html

Shelly, G.B., Gunter, G.A., Gunter, R. (2010). Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. Boston, MA. Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

Unknown Author. (2010). Student Internet Safety. Retrieved on September 22, 2010 from www.studentinternetsafety.com

Teaching Students About Networking & Connectivity

In the YouTube video, “The Networked Student”, the creator shows us how using all different types of technology can help students learn. I think these resources can help students learn but they need to be taught about the resources available to them and how use them from an educational point of view.

Many students think Twitter and Facebook are all about socializing with their friends and teachers need to show them how these sites can help them learn. As a new Twitter user myself, I thought it was all about people, who had nothing better to do, then post about what they had for breakfast or where they were shopping that day. But then, I got a job as an elementary school media specialist and the other media specialists showed me how useful it can be. I follow a group of media specialists and they post wonderful things such as great books reviews, lessons on starting discussion groups about different books, online resources that have been particularly helpful and many, many websites that offer all different kinds of information that I can pass on to my students. With technology so much of the future, it is important that our students can find the resources they need and that they learn how to tell which resources are valid and which are just for fun.

Another reason it is import for students to learn about all the online resources is how fast things change in today’s world. How often do you see a resource book and find the information in it is already out of date – even when it is only a few months old. Learning to use online resources and using them to connect yourself with others is the best way to stay on top of the most up to date information available.

Thanks.

Stacy A

Drexler, W. (n.d.). The Networked Student. YouTube.                                   

Gunter, Glenda. (2010) Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6^th Ed.) Boston MA.  Course Technology.

Using the Web for Educator Resources

There are so many things you can learn about using the Internet. The only thing educators need to do to effectively use this resource is to have time; time to search all the resources available. Because time is tough to come by, it is very useful when you can find websites that compile information for you.  Some of the sites that offer a compiled list of resources are discussed below.

EduHound  and emTech offer a large range of sites that would be appealing to teachers because of the large number of topics. The topics that I would pass on to my teachers include Geography and Language Arts. The Geography sites include National Geographic Map Machine and USGS: Our Changing Planet. Both of these sites would offer excellent teaching tools for educators including interactive maps. The Language Arts site that excites me is the Blue Book of Grammar & Punctuation. I think students are not taught enough about these skills and this site is a resource that would be very useful.

Our state Department of Education site offers a lot of information that is complied in one place. As a Media Specialist, I rely on the DOE site to find the state standards for library skills, professional development information and what books students voted for in the Sunshine State Young Readers’ Awards. All of this information allows me to do my job efficiently and I can find what I need in one place.

I wish I had more time to just randomly “surf the web” to find great resources. Since this is not possible, using my search terms and keyword to find other sites that have compiled the information I need save me time yet allows me to find great educational site.

Stacy Anderson

Are Teachers Taking the Convenient Way to Teach Our Kids?

Reading Reaction #1

Fisch and McLeod’s video " Did You Know" is a statement about how we have moved to a technological society. But are our teachers supporting this new society and using these new resources to enhance how kids learn? I think in many cases the answer is no. Many of our teachers are sticking with the ways they have always taught because it is easier for them.

As the new Media Specialist in a K-6 elementary school, I have observed some interesting things in the last three weeks since we started back to school. First, let me say, I think our district is a big proponent of technology in the schools. We have had a school board and superintendent who encouraged the use of technology, budgeted for it in our schools, created positions at a district level to provide technology curriculum support and trained at least one teacher per grade level to provide additional technology support. We have projectors and smart boards in every room, as well as a Mac laptop carts – one per every three teachers. There are workshops through out the school year and the district office covers the cost of a substitute for the teachers who attend.  

So the opportunity and tools are available for the teachers but still this past week I had ten teachers come to the Media Center to check out the old desktop overhead projectors. The scary thing is, we had twenty-five overhead projectors available for check out. In many cases, the teachers want to use what they know. They don’t want to worry about the learning curve for a new piece of equipment when they are being required to change how they plan lessons, ensure a certain percentage of growth out of all their students and handle even more discipline issues as the administrative dean positions are cut due to tight budgets.

Some teachers choose only to use technology as an incentive or reward for good behavior. The students may read an ebook on an iPad, or an iPod if they show excellent behavior and attitude. Unfortunately, the convenience of using what they know is a disservice to the students.

The teachers who do put in the extra time have shown improved student progress with the use of technology in their classrooms.  I can provide personal testimony to support this claim in the classroom of my son’s first grade teacher. His class used several different technologies to support their classroom learning. From the beginning of the year, they used online reading activities to enhance the reading work they did in the classroom. Student who were struggling readers were able to use the iPod to read a story with audio back up. This audio back up was recorded and downloaded to the device by the advanced readers in the class.

Finally, the first graders in my son’s class were required to research an ocean animal and create an iMovie about the animal. They researched the animal, created a script, which they recorded to the computer. Then they downloaded images of the animal and music to use for a soundtrack. Using iMovie, they took the video of themselves and added pictures and background music, as well as a starting sequence with a menu. It was a time commitment from the teacher, because the whole project took about three weeks to complete – working on it about 30 minutes a day. The pay off was worth it. Two first graders in the class won awards at the district’s Digital Media Awards and every child in the class got a high score on the SAT 10 test given in first grade.

With the way technology is changing and growing everyday, do our teachers think the status quo is enough to help our meet the challenges they will face in the 21^st century world?  Our kids will learn to use the technology whether our teachers use it in the classroom or not, but would we rather they use it to become great critical thinkers or to get the highest score on HALO 3 to beat all their friends?