Internet Safety Google Site

NETS I-V

This website is the product of a collaborative effort to create a CyberSafety resource for educators. It address the topics of Identity Safety, Cyberbullying, Cyber Predators, Piracy & Plagiarism, Inappropriate Content, and Social Networks.

Inspiration

NETS I-V

This is a graphic organizer that I created to help me understand the relationship between my work in a technology course and the ISTE standards.

Journal 9: NETS I-III & V

Waters, J.K. (2011). Teaching Green. t|h|e Journal, 38(4), 13-14. Retrieved from: http://thejournal.com/research/2011/04/digital-edition_april.aspx
 
Summary:
Waters’ article describes various online resources that aim to help teachers incorporate environmental sciences into the classroom. One of the more interesting sites is called “A Walk in the Woods,” which gives kids in urban setting a place to virtually tour the woods. I think this is a revolutionary idea because it connects kids with an environment that they may never have seen before, giving them the gift of knowledge. Another site that really stood out to me was called “EEK!” (or Environmental Education for Kids), which is an electronic magazine for kids in 4-8th grade. This site is unique in that it features a “Get a Job” section that highlights environmentally related jobs for the kids to look into. This helps students to think critically about their future pursuits and strengthens their knowledge about the type of jobs that exist.

Question 1: How can a teacher show their students the real-life applications of environmental studies?
I think that creating assignments that involve real-life situations is a good place to start. By seeing the direct effects of an environmental issue, students will relate the issue to their lives. As this article shows, Teachers could also have their students looking into environmentally related websites to further their own knowledge. It might also be beneficial for teachers to challenge their students to limit their environmental resource usage for a certain amount of time and journal about the experience.

Question 2: How can a teacher incorporate environmental education into other subjects?
Environmental education can be translated in to every subject with very little effort because it is such a salient issue. It not only involves statistics (math relation), but also politics/laws (history), biological/chemical realities (science), visual beauty/destruction (art), and discussions/debates (language arts). As such, teachers in all fields can use environmental studies to enhance student understanding in all subjects.

Journal 8: NETS IV-V

Bogacz, R., & Gordillo, M.G. (2011). Should Schools Be Held Responsible For Cyberbullying?. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(6), 6-7. Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-march-april-2011.aspx

Summary:

This article is a documentation of opposing views on whether or not schools should be responsible for cyberbullying. Of the only 30% who thought that schools should hold responsibility, the main argument centered on the idea that cyberbullying is spanning such a large portion of technology that can no longer be ignore in schools. Cyberbullying is a form of abuse and should therefore be reported if discovered. The majority view (70%), however, argue that students cannot be held responsible for things that happen outside of school. Nevertheless, they seem to value the importance of education about cyberbullying. 

Question 1: Do I think schools should be held responsible for cyberbullying?
This is a difficult question for me because I partially agree with both sides. I agree that it is absurd for teachers to hold responsibility for what their students do outside of school hours, but I don’t think that means that they shouldn’t take an interest in it. When a student says or does something online that negatively affects another student or teacher, they cross an invisible line and should be held accountable.

Question 2: What is the best way to educate students about cyberbullying?

Before advocating the proper use of digital tools and cyber safety, it is important for students to see cyberbullying as a current and relevant issue. To do this I think that teachers need to show students the effects of cyberbullying through role playing. It is of equal interest to provide statistical information to students, so that they can understand the realness of issue. 

Journal 6: NETS III-V

Warlick, D. (2009). Grow Your Personal Learning Network. Learning & Leading With Technology, 36(6), 12-16. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-march-april-2009.aspx

Summary:

David Warlick’s article discusses the different types of Personal Learning Networks and their use as a resource for teachers. PLN’s are divided into three main types that are defined by their type of connection. The first is synchronous, where a person connects direct with a peer in real time through sites like Skype or iChat. The second is semisynchronous, where the conversation can span across time zone limitations through sites like Facebook, Twitter and various blogs. The last is asynchronous, where the relationship is between a person and a website (as opposed to person-to-person) using tools like the RSS aggregator. This article demonstrates the vast span of PLNs, including non-digital sources such as books and the radio, but warns against the limited range of personal perspective. Teachers are inclined to look and implement tools that relate to their own ideas and beliefs and can, therefore, limit the potential transformation that PLNs offer. I think it is important for teachers to look outside of their own inclinations so that they can increase their awareness of the issues that surround education.

Question 1: With the wealth of information that PLNs provide, how can I keep myself informed without spending all of my time online?

Time management and organization is key. It is important to remember that I am not responsible for learning everything all at once. By spending just a few minutes each day visiting my PLN, I will gain that knowledge overtime. Additionally, I can ensure that that time is sent in an effective manor by keeping my PLN as organized as possible. Social bookmarking tools and RSS feeds are a good way to do this.

Question 2: How do you know which sources and people are the best to add to your PLN?

I think that the best solution is to experiment. You won’t know the potential that a source has to offer until you take the chance to explore it. If it turns out that the source is not in your best interest, it can be easily removed from your PLN and seen as a learning experience for future choices.

Excel Crossword Puzzle

NETS II, III, V

This is a crossword puzzle that I created using Excel to expand my previous understanding of the program.

Journal 7: PLN

     My personal learning network is a means to connect with people and resources that will enhance my understanding of education and classroom techniques. By using networking tools like Twitter, Diigo and other digital discussion forums, I have created a virtual web of knowledge that is ever changing and enlightening. My hope is that I will be able to refer to this net to challenge my methods as a future educator and to expand my resources for teaching.

     I have decided to include Twitter in my PLN because it acts as a forum for people to tie-in information about millions of useful topics. I have decided to follow a number of people on twitter because of their potential for sharing information about education that I find personally interesting or useful. One such person was Joan Weber, who values the use of theater in strengthening communication skills and critical thinking; two more resources were the US Dept. of Education and Education Week because they provide updates and news about education; another person was Adam Steiner, who uses a website to share free or low-cost web resources for teachers; a final resource is Office Ed Tech, which advocates the importance of using technology to contribute and improve education.

     To further my introduction into the world of PLN, I participated in an #artsed chat at 9am on April 7, 2011. The topic was “Reflections on Arts Advocacy Day,” which is an annual event that spreads awareness about the importance of the arts and the development of strong public policies and funding for it. Although it was hard for me to spend an hour watching the conversation develop, I enjoyed seeing the wealth of people and resources come together to discuss art education. An element that struck me was use of the word “Advoctweeting.” I think this word stresses the useful nature of twitter in that it can be a vital tool for advocating important topics.

     I have also decided to use Diigo, the social bookmarking site, as a networking tool because it allows me to not only tag and organize useful education sites for people in my network, but also highlight and annotate those webpages. This enables me to have conversations with my peers without leaving the page we are discussing. I used Diigo to create a network with various colleagues who post and update information about educational resources. In return, I am able to tag and post my own ideas and information for them to use. To tie-in my PLN directly, I tagged Twitter, The Educator’s PLN and Scholastic Teacher Share because they are all relevant ways of sharing information with people in my PLN.

     As my Diigo tags allude to, another tool I have decided to include in my PLN is the digital discussion forum, or ning site, called “The Educator’s PLN.” This site is useful because it acts as a social community for sharing conversations, events, news, and videos with other educators. One video I explored was entitled “Digital Footprints – Your New First Impression.” It was surprising to see the percentage of employers that use information from social networking sites to judge potential employees. I am now much more aware of the things that I am posting online, as well as the information that my friends post. You can learn a lot about someone by what they choose to post on their websites.