This Monday night, there will be an Internet Safety night held at Northeast where parents and students can come to learn about how to be safe online. The online world, while full of resources and information can be a very scary place if you don’t understand the implications of your behaviors. In preparation for this, I’ve amassed some great resources for thinking about being safe online whether it’s for your own family or for the students who sit in your classroom.
Digital Dossier - Every day information is being collected about you by companies and organizations around the world. This video helps to frame that and makes you think about your privacy in this digital world.
Other Resources – Each of the following sites has a wealth of information on being safe online. While the list isn’t exhaustive, it’s a great starting point for thinking about how to be safe online for both kids and adults. Internet safety is becoming more and more important in our world and it’s rapidly becoming clear that we need to start having some of these conversations in classrooms.
Common Sense Media – Provides curriculum and resources on media and technology literacy as well as being safe online
INOBTR – A Missouri based organization established to educate the public on online safety, online predators and cyberbullying
I write a lot about how the world is changing or has changed and how we must adapt to meet those changes. This is another one of those adaptions that we must make. It’s becoming more and more important for us to take the responsibility to have converstations with students about how to be safe and not assume that these conversations are happening at home or in another classroom. If you’re interested in talking more about online safety what that looks like in today’s world, please let me know.
I just spent a few days at the National Staff Development Council’sAnnual Convention that was held in St. Louis this year. Overall the conference was really good. I got to hear Michael Fullan and Geoffrey Canada speak so I now have two more people who’s work I need to follow. However, there was one conversation had with another conference goer around the topic of student behavior online that I can’t seem to shake. Our conversation took place in a hallway and basically went like this…
Conference goer: What we need in my school is a better way to monitor student behavior online.
Me: What do you mean?
Conference goer: You know, when students are on the computers, I want to be sure that they stay on task. I don’t want them playing games or checking their email.
Me: How do you handle it now?
Conference goer: Basically, I kick them off the computer if they’re doing anything that what I’m asking them to do.
Me: And how’s that working for you.
Conference goer: It’s not.
Ok, so obviously, I don’t have the exact words, but I think you get the gist of it. This isn’t a new conversation, I’ve had it with many teachers and administrators in the past, but this time I’m still thinking (dwelling) on it. So, I’d like to outline a few strategies.
If you really feel as though you must monitor your students every move online, get out of your chair, walk around the room and interact with students as they do their work. Sitting at your computer checking email and surfing the web while your students work is not the answer. Even though you can use software allowing you to “spy” on their screens, this doesn’t mean that the interaction that you have with your students should end. Stand up and be “on task” yourself. Your task is teaching.
Design lessons that are compelling enough that students will be engaged. If they’re engaged in what they’re doing, they probably won’t feel the need to get “off task”.
Create opportunities for students to make connections. If you see them as “off task” because they aren’t on the specific website that you started them on, consider that maybe the nature of the web has come into play and they’ve followed a link and are making new connections.
Finally, and I think this one is the most important one, instead of banning them from the use of technology, follow the code of conduct for your building. If a student isn’t on task when they’re writing a paper, should their pencil be taken away? No, instead, expectations are set and then there are consequences for not following through with those expectations. Taking the tool away is not helping, it’s hindering.
This reminds me of a column I read in T.H.E. Journal entitled Don’t Filter Out Responsibility from June 2008 regarding filtering. I think the premise is the same, as teachers we must be responsible for teaching our students how to be responsible themselves.
I’m not new to the world on online networks and I know that many people have their own agenda when they are posting things. However, when I’ve come to rely on my PLN and, for the most part, trust them. Today I feel as though I have been deceived. I don’t think those involved were being malicious, but at the same time, they certainly weren’t forthcoming. I’m going to be as general as possible because I don’t know the intentions, but I certainly was disappointed and will remember this in the future.
I’ve been on Twitter for a few months now and have been fairly active in terms of my posts and trying to follow and actually keep up with everyone. I must say that I’m an addict now and have gotten so much out of it that, after struggling with the purpose that Tweets have in my life, I don’t see leaving. I came across a little advice that I thought would be worthwhile in my practice, however, upon further scrutiny, I found that the person from whom I’d gotten the advice had a great deal to gain from it. The advice was completely self-serving, which is fine, but I would have liked to know that up front. PLN’s are a great way to find resources and, to a certain extent, market yourself. I guess I was just disappointed. Does this fall under the realm of cyberethics? I’m not sure, but it did leave an impression on me, one I won’t soon forget.
I just spent a few days at the 