Digital Citizenship is a necessary topic that needs to be discussed frequently with students.  Whether you are using technology in your classroom or not, students are using it everyday.  Kids have DSi, iPods, cell phones and computers at home that allow them access to communicate with others.  We should not be naïve in thinking that parents are teaching digital citizenship at home.  Many parents are not aware of the potential mischief their child can get into on the internet. 

My presentation focuses on the power and impact that digital citizenship plays in our kids everyday life.  One of the most powerful slides is the "Weapons of Mass Distraction."  Not only are the social tools a distraction for our students, it is also a place where destruction can happen.  Destruction of a child's self esteem, destruction of friendships and possibly lives in the future when photos or comments can haunt them when they are applying for colleges or seeking employment.






I believe that it is the job of parents to teach their children about social responsibility, however in today's world, with today's technology and tools available to kids, teachers must also take responsibility to provide leadership and set the example for using the internet to communicate.

The YouTube video is an excerpt from CommonSense.com's presentaion about Digital Responsibility.  It gives adults an inside view of online communication from kids.  Cyber bullying is a real threat in today's world and should be a part of any bullying program in your schools.  This video is an eye opener for parents, especially the photo of the young girl posing with her teddy bear.  It is not okay for kids to be taking pictures of themselves and posting them on Facebook!

Another compelling point in my presentation is the story about Max and "What Facebook Knows About You."  It is an awakening of how much data can be collected from one person.  Not only is the data collected about you, but also everyone you have "friended."  Big brother is watching you!

I teach grades 3-5 computers at a small school.  My first class was about digital citizenship.  For the third graders I had them take a pledge and gave them a Digital Citizen card when they passed their test.  The kids thought it was cool and brought them home to show their parents.  I conducted a discussion forum for the fourth and fifth graders where the students discussed their knowledge and concerns about communicating on the internet.  Many topics came up including how kids bully on the internet, what information is not cool to post or tell someone and about asking permission before you use someone else's information or images.  I directed the discussion around the 9 elements of digital citizenship and then tested their knowledge.  For all of my classes, I periodically review what it means to be a good digital citizen, especially when we are covering topics that I can directly correlate into the curriculum.

Digital citizenship is the responsibility of us all.  It is very much a part of learning the social skills of today.  What is right and wrong.  What is acceptable or not.

Avatar Teacher

I created this Avatar and chose her because she reminded me of Rapunzel from Tangled.  If you recall, Rapunzel was not allowed to go outside, ever!  She was not allowed to speak to anyone but the woman she called Mother.  Although Rapunzel was cooped up in the little cottage that sat way up in the sky, she was always happy and cheerful.

Creating Avatars is a great tool to capture the attention of students.  It doesn't matter what grade they are in, allowing the Avatar to teach, gives students something different and exciting to listen to.  I see many possibilities using Voki.

The Virus You Want Catch

Porter Palmer, an educator for Discovery Education, presented a Webinair titled "The Needed Virus:  How to Spread 21st Century Technology for 21st Century Students."  The title caught my attention as I pondered What virus is a good virus?''

Viruses, in general, are a bad thing.  We already know it's not good to have a virus in our body and as some of us have learned, it is also not good for your computer to catch a virus

Palmer's presentation on the Needed Virus is to educate the educator about the technology tools available and suggestions on how to implement them in your curriculum.  To support the title of her presentation, Palmer gives us the definition of virus and tells us that "it is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms."  Her perspective of the "Needed Virus" is a positive look at the technology that is available today and how to "spread" the use of tools and make it infectious so that everyone will want to learn.  Spreading knowledge and comments so that they become viral and catch-on.

The approach in Palmer's presentation is a straight-forward review of the tools available and how to use it and suggestions on how to implement it into your curriculum.  She begins her presentation asking the audience, "How do we learn?"  and states that "We are in the age of New Learning."  There is , MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter to name a few.  There are many portals to share information, ideas and comments and Palmer encourages educators to create their own PLN (Professional Learning Networ).  A place where everyone is learning together, where you can connect, collaborate and contribute.


To spread the virus that Palmer discusses, you must be proficient with tools.  You should be comfortable, knowledgeable, able to teach others and know how to create excitement that is contagious. 
 Palmer covers a plethora of tools in her presentation including Diigo  and Delicious, social bookmarking tools.  They allow you to collect, organize and share links.  It is a place where everyone in your PLN can contribute.  You can setup single or multi accounts, create links to share with colleagues, parents, students, and the community.  Palmer specifically points out the Diigo is a great tool for communication allowing  you to create virtual field trips and prevents opportunities for bullying among students.

In closing, Palmer tries to remove the fear of learning new tools and encourages educators to embrace and spread the "Virus" through creating excitement through the use of implementing technology in your curriculum.  Catch the Virus and pass it on!

As a teacher of technology in my school, I am using some of the tools that Palmer talks about in her webinar.  Since I have been teaching for about four months, I am slowly integrating technology into my classroom.  The school already had a computer curriculum that they had purchased called Technology Kids.  Although there are some good lessons, the only real technology that this program uses is the internet.  I am able to access YouTube for videos and can search google for images, however the program does not integrate Audioboo, Voki, Diigo, Weebly, etc.  To add some spice to the Technology Kids program, I have created Prezi's and found videos on the internet to help explain a lesson.  After watching the Webinar I would like to implement Diigo or Edumondo to create a safe place for communicating and developing my PLN.

I learned several lessons from Palmer's Webinar.  In particular, I learned about the 5 stages of learning.  Palmer spends time in her Webinar, discussing her reasons behind the need to spread the use of technology.  I will definitely implement new tools in my curriculum and hope to write a fresh curriculum for the fall using as much technology as possible.  The Technology Kids program is okay, but does not address what students need to learn today. 

Webinars are a great communication tool.  With a Webinar, you can teach a live class while recording it for others to watch later.  I missed the live presentation of this Webinar and watched it when I had free time.  I found no difference in watching the Webinar after it happened.  In fact, I enjoyed it better because I was able to stop, pause, rewind, etc.  I could watch the Webinar at my own pace.  I found many of the sources that Palmer discusses in her Webinar, especially the various technolgoy tools that she describes.  As I pointed out above, Diigo and Delicious, Facebook, YouTube, Edudemic, and many others.

Palmer's Webinar on the Needed Virus meets several of the course learning outcomes.  The Webinar demonstrates the understanding of how technologies can effectively promote student learning through the tools that are presented.  Many of the tools can be implemented in the classroom for many grade levels to use.  The Webinar reflects upon and demonstrates effective use of digital tools and resources.  Throughout the presentation, Palmer discusses each tool, how to use the tool and how you might be able to integrate it in your classroom.  Finally, Palmer evaluates, apdapts and reflects on emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities.  She identifies these as her PLN (personal learning network).

Rethinking Student Engagement in the Classroom

Just think...  Today's kids have grown up with computers, the internet, digital cameras, and instant messaging.  Reading books from tablets and communicating at almost every waking moment.  How do we expect our children to sit still in their chairs?  pay attention when the teacher is lecturing?  Is there a need to be entertained?  How do we engage them?  Welcome to the digital age and the era of free-range learners.

How do we teach children today to make the right choices, build confidence, work collaboratively, inspire, and create tomorrow's leaders?  How do we keep up with China and India who have surpassed us exponentially in education?  How do we keep engineering jobs here in the United States?  How do we develop future entrepreneurs? 

We can begin by speaking their language of technology.

 

  In an article written by Mitchel Resnick of the Media Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he identifies teaching as an active collaborate process "in which people construct new understandings of the world around them through active exploration, experimentation, discussion, and reflection."  The idea that every student in every school should have a computer is too simplistic in today's world of technology.  Being connected no longer means having a computer, the iPod, a tablet, Flip Video and smart phones have taught us that!  To engage students in learning today, teaching needs to incorporate the three C's; creating, communicating and collaborating.

I think, as teachers, we understand that we need to change how we engage today's students, the problem is that the United States, as a whole does not view education as a high priority.  Too many schools in America don't have the technology that is available today.  In addition to the lack of technology in our schools, we also lack quality teachers that are able to teach this technology.  Offering a computer class is not enough anymore.  Teaching students how to use Microsoft Office might help them write a paper, but it doesn't teach them how to be intuitive, a spatial or critical thinker and it certainly doesn't prepare them to be integrators and collaborators.

Today, America ranks 37th in world education.  We lag behind South Korea, Singapore, Latvia, Hong Kong, Brazil and Japan.  At one time America was first in the world.  We not only need to engage our students in the classroom, we need to educate them for their future and for the future of our Country.  When I hear our President speak of upgrading our "infrastructure" what comes to my mind is not the roads and bridges, but our children.  Our children are our infrastructure, they are our future innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, doers, etc. 

How tecnology has change my life...

Welcome to my blog

I was a teenager in the 1970's, and have experienced computer and gaming technology from its infancy.  Occasionally I reminisce about our first family computer, an Atari system that could be used for basic word processing and games.  Having learned to type on the IBM Selectric and Memoy Typewriters, using word processing technology was a milestone in the late 1970's and improved as we entered the 1980's.  After I started my first serious job and taught myself how to use the Apple IIe and VisiCalc, I knew that I wanted to always be at the helm of bleeding edge technology. There are many times today that I look back on my youth and recall times that I wish I had a cell phone to call my parents about a change of plans, or when my car broke down on a major highway and I had to hike up a hill to call for help.  Folks my age are the ones who notice the lack of pay phones on the side of the road or the lack of them at gas stations today.  Technology has changed my life in so many ways.  Since I was never afraid of technology and embraced it in my every day life, it gave me many career opportunities that I would not have otherwise had.  I know what it is like to do a raw Gopher protocol search using Veronica, with a dial-up line, compared to today where we can wirelessly connect to the internet and use software such as Explorer, or Firefox to seek out web sites that will perform key word searches and return thousands of hits of information.  As a network engineer, I learned and understood how information is sent from one computer to another, how information is broken down into packets and sent electronically.  I have to say that technology changed my life for the better.  It gave me a fruitful career with opportunities to travel and learn about the different areas of technology.

The technology I use today includes computers, wireless routers, digital cameras and video.  My best technology tool is my iPhone. 

My i-Phone doesn't replace my laptop, but takes on many of the tasks of the laptop and more.  A cell phone today has turned into your calendar, mp-3 player, GPS, camera, gaming tool, movie player and the holder of apps that will automate and organize your life.