| Framework for Student Learning: Do you feel the graphic adequately reflects the 21st century learner? Are there any aspects of the graphic in which the Internet does not play a role?
What are the underlying messages about the Internet that you see day-to-day? I think we hear messages that the Internet is 'frying' our brains, that teens spend too much time playing video games and not enough time playing outside, that the young generation spends too much time texting, that we are losing 'real-life' skills (like spelling, conversation) because of technology, that we are so self-involved because we have multiple social media accounts and rely on "likes" for gratification. North America has often been criticized for its blind acceptance and idolization of technology and innovation. What is the responsibility of the teacher in this? This is a huge question! I think that it's a teacher's responsibility to teach Internet safety, and to demonstrate the ramifications of what we put on the Internet (for example, I often see signs on Facebook of teachers teaching their class about Internet safety by seeing how many times images can be shared around the world), because not all parents do. On the positive side, I think it's also up to teacher's to demonstrate what the Internet can do for students. For example, as an English major, with literacy as a huge focus for 21st century learners, I think the Internet can play a huge role in reading. Most authors have websites you can visit, many books for children and teens have interactive activities online, some authors even do web-casts with classrooms who have read their book. These are great features that have the ability to enhance learning. What are different ways that students can share knowledge using the Internet? In my PS1, technology was truly utilized in many forms. For example, each student had their own blog. They learned to customize layout, colours, theme, and fonts. Weekly, they would answer a series of questions relating to what they learned that week in each subject area. Also, using the iPads available in the classroom, students would update the class's Twitter account and Facebook account daily. The students would rotate these jobs, so each of them had a turn to send out reminders of upcoming deadlines or field trips, and write what they did/learned that day. Both blogging and social media accounts were a great way to keep parents involved in their children's education, but also to teach students how to effectively and safely navigate the Internet. What are some strategies for managing text messaging in the classroom? How can texting be used to engage students in learning activities? Throughout both PS1 and PS2, we've been introduced to so many different apps that utilize the technology that most students already have (and attempt to discreetly use under their desks anyway!). For example, texting in answers, using Remind, doing quizzes or review via texting apps, etc. These games/apps are a great way to engage students with something they are familiar with, and enjoy using. Phishing Example: My mother-in-law recently received a phone call, with someone on the line who was supposedly one of her sons, telling her that he had been arrested. The "cop" then came on the line and told her that her son (they used his name) had been arrested because he rear-ended someone while texting and driving, and that the person was planning on pressing charges. They requested that my mother-in-law transfer money for his bail release. She did transfer the money (a few thousand dollars) before realizing that it was a scam! Fortunately, she cancelled it in time, and got her money back. This made me think about Internet safety: how did the scammers know her name? How did they know her son's name? How did they know her son's wife's name? Are their Facebook profiles too public? I'll definitely use this as an example if/when I ever teach Internet safety: privatize everything!! Do you see email playing a role in your classroom? I hope to one day teach junior high or high school, where I think email is probably more prevalent than in elementary classrooms. In my high school, and in my PS2 high school, each student had an email account. They were sent reminders, announcements, etc. Students also used their emails to send themselves work they needed to finish at home from the school computer to their home computer. Emailing is also a great way to communicate with parents. During my PS2, I often emailed parents whose children were absent, who missed a deadline, etc. Personally, I prefer emailing parents to phoning parents because of the paper trail it leaves. What kind of traditional learning activities can be replaced with email or epals? I'm not sure how many elementary classrooms still do pen-pals - but email is an obvious replacement for written letters. Often schools have sister schools around the globe, in which email could be used by students to correspond with back and forth. I've also heard of classrooms across the country/world studying each other's geography, culture, etc. Emailing would be a neat way to ask questions to the other class. How can email be integrated in different areas of the curriculum or across the curriculum? I mentioned something similar above, but as an English major, I think emailing would be a great way to contact different authors. After reading Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird", students could choose from a variety of written activities, one of which was to write a letter to Harper Lee and tell her why they loved the book, and why it made a difference to them. Reading these letters was amazing! I can't imagine being the actual author and receiving that kind of positive feedback. (Note: I've been reading the topic on Moodle and answering questions as I read - and there is a whole section on blogging on Moodle that I didn't realize when I talked about blogging above!) The role of the teacher has changed from an "information dispenser". Content curator is just one of the roles that teachers now take on. What other roles do you see them taking on? In general, teachers also take on the role of counsellor, advisor, confidant. In relation to the Interent, the teacher can teach safety and skills. Significant Comments: |          |
