If I had not learned as much as I have during the past couple months about SNS and web 2.0, I might have reacted to the Frontline video like an emotional parent. I'd be worried about my two teenage daughters online 'life' and possibly doing my best to invade their privacy. But, two things stand out in my mind that prevent this.
First of all, this video, while factual, seems to focus on the negatives without ever providing facts as to what percentage of teens fall into these negative traps. The video only once, and very briefly, mentioned that a study was done by the Dept of Justice, confirming that kids usually know what to watch out for.
The second thing that sticks in my mind is that the horrific examples used in the video all seemed to include a degree of distrust/disconnect with their parents. When the PTO mom reacted to the pics and videos of her son and other students who attended a concert, she managed to push her son even farther away. To me, this is the real challenge. Whether it be via technology or around the dinner table, as parents and as teachers we need to make sure that kids know that can come to us - whether for help or just to vent - and that we will do our best to protect them. They need to know that we care about the person they are, not just about the person we want them to be.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
My own SNS
Yesterday I set up a Ning site for my project. It was actually pretty easy to do. My goal is to collaborate with other business/entrepreneurship teachers because that's something that I've wished I was able to do since last year when I took on this class. I'm not sure the layout of my SNS is optimal yet, but I have some good ideas of what I'd like to accomplish. I'm anxious to see if I can actually pull together some other business educators and accomplish my goal. The address of my SNS is http://entrep.ning.com. Check it out!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Annotated Bibliography
I founded some really interesting aritcles, and finally stopped myself so I could prepare my lessons for this week. I also found it very convenient to use del.icio.us as I came across articles that looked interesting. I'm anxious to try del.icio.us with my students at school, especially in my entrepreneurship class where we do a lot of internet research rather than relying on a textbook. Following is one of the annotated bibliograhies I assembled. (I'm not sure how well the format copied in.)
Willard, N. (2007). Social networking technologies: Here to stay and it’s really okay. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from http://www.galeschools.com/article_archive/2007/10/NancyWillard.htm.
The author examines the reasons for fear of social networking, and makes a case for why social networks should be allowed in schools. She points to two fears: One being that new technology challenges the power of authority to control the dissemination of information because people are able to engage each other and communicate more readily, thus forming their own alliances and opinions rather than all information being handed down from the powers in charge. The second fear she talks about is the one most of us anticipate, which is safety related. She feels that most of the internet safety guidance we hear about is grounded more in fear-mongering than in reality. She has challenged the Attorney General’s office to provide support for statements like, “MySpace is a breeding ground for sexual predators,” but has yet to be provided any. Her point is essentially that students are going to use social networks regardless of education’s position, so wouldn’t it behoove us to teach teen how to do so safely? The author is not denying that social networks could be dangerous if misused, but instead is taking a realistic perspective and proposing that our teens would be better off if we taught them how to use social networks responsibly.
Willard, N. (2007). Social networking technologies: Here to stay and it’s really okay. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from http://www.galeschools.com/article_archive/2007/10/NancyWillard.htm.
The author examines the reasons for fear of social networking, and makes a case for why social networks should be allowed in schools. She points to two fears: One being that new technology challenges the power of authority to control the dissemination of information because people are able to engage each other and communicate more readily, thus forming their own alliances and opinions rather than all information being handed down from the powers in charge. The second fear she talks about is the one most of us anticipate, which is safety related. She feels that most of the internet safety guidance we hear about is grounded more in fear-mongering than in reality. She has challenged the Attorney General’s office to provide support for statements like, “MySpace is a breeding ground for sexual predators,” but has yet to be provided any. Her point is essentially that students are going to use social networks regardless of education’s position, so wouldn’t it behoove us to teach teen how to do so safely? The author is not denying that social networks could be dangerous if misused, but instead is taking a realistic perspective and proposing that our teens would be better off if we taught them how to use social networks responsibly.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Guest Lecture re: tags
I was somewhat disappointed with this. Perhaps it was just me, but my reaction was that the value I gleaned from this would have taken about 5-10 minutes to share if it had been more organized. Things I found interesting:
- website that creates tag cloud from a body of text - www.tagcrowd.com
- resource you can put on your own website and use to create tag clouds - zoomclouds
- games - ESP game aka Google Image labeler - kind of cool, but I can't begin to imagine the day when I have enough free time to look for things to do, like ESP
- advice for tagging - this was my question going in, which was finally answered at the very end - no real advice or right/wrong way to tag - spontaneity is best
I apologize if I'm offending anyone or being too harsh. In all honesty, this is the first time I felt one of our listening/reading assignments wasn't worth the time, so that's pretty good compared to most classes, especially considering this is the first time for this class.
- website that creates tag cloud from a body of text - www.tagcrowd.com
- resource you can put on your own website and use to create tag clouds - zoomclouds
- games - ESP game aka Google Image labeler - kind of cool, but I can't begin to imagine the day when I have enough free time to look for things to do, like ESP
- advice for tagging - this was my question going in, which was finally answered at the very end - no real advice or right/wrong way to tag - spontaneity is best
I apologize if I'm offending anyone or being too harsh. In all honesty, this is the first time I felt one of our listening/reading assignments wasn't worth the time, so that's pretty good compared to most classes, especially considering this is the first time for this class.
LibraryThing.com
It took me a while, but I eventually found the APA format citing example. I went to Edit Info in my library listing, then selected APA under the book details tab. It seems like some of the benefic from this would come from using it over time. I entered a dozen books or so that I've read over the past several years - some for pleasure, some a combination of business/work and pleasure. If I were diligent about making a library entry everytime I finished a book, my comments/review would be more meaningful. I didn't take the time to enter a lot of comments/reviews, in part because some of the books - like the Grisham books I read for pleasure - I no longer remember enough about and was more interested in understanding how this works than reviewing every Grisham book I've read.
Again, I can see some benefit to using this in my Entrpereneurship class. I require students to read one self-help business related book that interests them. I've read many over the years, so if I developed this library to list and review all those books it could be a resource for my entrepreneurship students to use in their book selection. Realistically, though, I don't think they struggle that much to select a book for a couple reasons. First, if you visit borders and read the book covers it's pretty easy to get an idea of what the book's like. Second, there are so many book reviews, cliff notes, etc. available online that adding my 2 cents would be worth about that much - 2 cents. :)
Again, I can see some benefit to using this in my Entrpereneurship class. I require students to read one self-help business related book that interests them. I've read many over the years, so if I developed this library to list and review all those books it could be a resource for my entrepreneurship students to use in their book selection. Realistically, though, I don't think they struggle that much to select a book for a couple reasons. First, if you visit borders and read the book covers it's pretty easy to get an idea of what the book's like. Second, there are so many book reviews, cliff notes, etc. available online that adding my 2 cents would be worth about that much - 2 cents. :)
del.icio.us bookmarking
I was able to set up my del.icio.us account and bookmark several articles I've used for research to date. I also learned how to edit article tags because I initially idn't tag them EDMT592. After doing that I figured out how to use the del.icio.us site and search on EDMT592 to see the articles everyone tagged - pretty cool! I also thought it was itnerested to see how many other people had tagged the same articles as I did - in some cases hundred of people had tagged the same article. I can see where this might be helpful during research because the most useful articles would likely have the most tags.
In my entrepreneurship class we use the internet as a learning resource a lot. There are several websites that I've found to be pretty good - it'd be cool if I could set up a del.icio.us account for my students in that class to use. I'll have to see if del.icio.us is accessible at school - long shot, but worth checking.
In my entrepreneurship class we use the internet as a learning resource a lot. There are several websites that I've found to be pretty good - it'd be cool if I could set up a del.icio.us account for my students in that class to use. I'll have to see if del.icio.us is accessible at school - long shot, but worth checking.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Facebook's Trainwreck
I just read Boyd's article about Facebook's Trainwreck. After reading it I revisited my privacy settings for my Facebook account and realized that I hadn't fully understood some of the settings. Now I have a much better understanding of my privacy settings, particularly as related to the News Feed feature (which was the focus of Boyd's article). So, if it took this much for a reasonably educated and cautious adult to get my privacy settings right, what are the chances that students who just sign-up and go get it right?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Reaction to Dana Boyd's SNS podcast
Dana makes some valid points about SNS in her podcast. One of her closing statements really sums it all up for me. Dana said that the role of educators is not to condemn students for using social networks, but rather to help them learn how to use social networks to their advantage. Her recommendation, which I think is sound advice, is for educators to engage in conversations with students and discuss the pros/cons of social networks via 'what if'' scenarios that anticipate possible consequences so that students are better prepared to make good choices. I think this message cannot be underestimated, be it relative to SNS or other life situations, regardless of the subject area being taught. While there's technology curriculum standards that a SNS discussion can be tied to, most teachers struggle to meet their subject's curriculum requirements and don't have time to entertain a topic like this. I understand and respect what the state and local school districts are trying to accomplish with their curriculum standards, but I believe we're doing students a grave injustice if we only focus on those curriculum standards.
SNS is not going away. So we have two choices - we can talk about how bad and dangerous it is, which will effectively encourage students to use it more, and perhaps be more secretive about it so we're less likely to know when they need guidance; or we can accept it and help students to be wise users who are able to consider the consequences of their choices, weigh the pros/cons of each, and make informed and intelligent decisions.
Some of the considerations that Dana enumerated with regard to how we deal with students and SNS were consistent with what I learned in my short research paper. For example, some universities and law enforcement have tried to use the information (videos, pics, etc.) posted in Facebook to arrest students for underage drinking or other unlawful conduct. Students respond to this is to using false names to hide their real identity, which Dana points out this is teaching students to lie. One student at George Washington University did one better. He posted information about a huge 'beer blast' which turned out to be a cake and cookie party with the word 'beer' written with frosting on the cake and cookies. I hate to admit this, but I chuckled at this prank both times I read about it.
So, Dana's advice is that we embrace SNS, accept it, learn about, even participate in the SNS that's most popular at our school so that we can have conversations with students and help them understand all the possible consequences to SNS so they can make informed and responsible decisions.
SNS is not going away. So we have two choices - we can talk about how bad and dangerous it is, which will effectively encourage students to use it more, and perhaps be more secretive about it so we're less likely to know when they need guidance; or we can accept it and help students to be wise users who are able to consider the consequences of their choices, weigh the pros/cons of each, and make informed and intelligent decisions.
Some of the considerations that Dana enumerated with regard to how we deal with students and SNS were consistent with what I learned in my short research paper. For example, some universities and law enforcement have tried to use the information (videos, pics, etc.) posted in Facebook to arrest students for underage drinking or other unlawful conduct. Students respond to this is to using false names to hide their real identity, which Dana points out this is teaching students to lie. One student at George Washington University did one better. He posted information about a huge 'beer blast' which turned out to be a cake and cookie party with the word 'beer' written with frosting on the cake and cookies. I hate to admit this, but I chuckled at this prank both times I read about it.
So, Dana's advice is that we embrace SNS, accept it, learn about, even participate in the SNS that's most popular at our school so that we can have conversations with students and help them understand all the possible consequences to SNS so they can make informed and responsible decisions.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Facebook - private vs. public
I'm getting more comfortable with Facebook and being able to leave messages versus writing on someone's wall, etc. I will say my daughter has helped accelerate the learning curve a bit.
I randomly picked a dozen or so of my students names, just off the top of my head, and was both surprised and pleased to find out that most of them had their Facebook set to private. I wonder what the statistics are and if it varies between HS and college students, or between genders.
I randomly picked a dozen or so of my students names, just off the top of my head, and was both surprised and pleased to find out that most of them had their Facebook set to private. I wonder what the statistics are and if it varies between HS and college students, or between genders.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
What is MACULSpace?
I'm a little out of sequence, but if you want some details about MACULSpace, here it is.
MACUL stands for Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning and is a network of 373 members who are primarily educators who incorporate computer technology in their teaching.
In my opinion, this is a very beneficial site because it provides an opportunity for us educators to network with each other about technology issues - whether it be trouble shooting a problem or getting input and advice before trying something new. I can see myself using this site in the future for a number of things - from helping myself to stay abreast of new technology and getting ideas of how to use it in the classroom, to seeking experiential advice on new tools or online simulations that I come across and want to try in my classroom. I've already learned a lot just from reading other posts on this site.
MACUL stands for Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning and is a network of 373 members who are primarily educators who incorporate computer technology in their teaching.
In my opinion, this is a very beneficial site because it provides an opportunity for us educators to network with each other about technology issues - whether it be trouble shooting a problem or getting input and advice before trying something new. I can see myself using this site in the future for a number of things - from helping myself to stay abreast of new technology and getting ideas of how to use it in the classroom, to seeking experiential advice on new tools or online simulations that I come across and want to try in my classroom. I've already learned a lot just from reading other posts on this site.
MACULSpace SL discussion
There's a pretty interesting discussion thread recently started in MACULSpace about the usefulness of SL in education. Both Ben and Chris share some valuable perspectives on how realistic it is to incorporate SL into classroom instruction. Follow the link or paste it into your brower address window.
http://maculspace.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=612492%3ATopic%3A25099
http://maculspace.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=612492%3ATopic%3A25099
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
fun vocabularly builder & food donation
Check out this cool site. Someone shared it in MACULSpace. It's a vocabularly builder that donates 20 grains of rice to the UN for each correct answer you get. Charity and vocab building, all in one. :)
http://freerice.com
http://freerice.com
MACULSpace - integration of tech
There is some interesting dialogue in the MACULSpace about the extent to which technology is integrated in the classroom. I think even if teachers do integrate technology in the classroom what often happens is that the students come with such limited technology skills (other than IM, ebay, Facebook, etc.) that it's dificult for teachers to expect much without taking the time to teach students how to use Word, Excel, etc. The students I've had in the past few years seldom use spell check, let alone headers/footers or even the beginning of Excel spreadsheets. This scares me because I think without these skills our students will be ill-prepared for the real world.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
I just set up my Facebook account and have to say I'm pretty impressed with the sophistication of the site - especially the ability you have to adjust who can see various elements of your facebook. My daugther actually allowed me to be her friend on facebook - I'm probably ruining her reputation at this very minute. :)
Anyway, despite having just started to understand how it works, I think Facebook is pretty cool and a much more extensive and efficient way of networking than when I was in HS.
Anyway, despite having just started to understand how it works, I think Facebook is pretty cool and a much more extensive and efficient way of networking than when I was in HS.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
MACUL Tech issue
I joined the MACUL Ning site earlier today and was quite intrigued by one of the posts, which focused on the availability of web 2.0 in schools and the pros/cons of the security filters, etc. that most schools impose on their internet access. The blog discussion has been going on since mid-November and does an excellent job of examining the issue from both sides. I could relate to this because one of my frustrations as a technology teacher is that so many websites are blocked - from google to about.com, and what seems like a limitless list in between.
I appreciate and respect the community's and board's desire to protect our students from inappropriate information and images, but I also think that by the time students are 16-18 years old, they're old enough to be responsible for their actions and need to learn how to make good choices - how will they survive the real world if they can't be trusted to use the internet appropriately when there's an adult present?
Another issue that was poitned out, is that not all teachers are actively engaged in watching their students when they're on computers. While I'm sure there are some teachers who sit behind their desk and do their own work while their students are on the computers, I don't think this represents the majority of teachers. Perhaps I'm still too new a teacher to have a realistic view, but I think most teachers are actively walking around the room observing and assisting students who are on the internet, etc.
If you're interested in reading some of their arguments yourself, here's the link to the discussion. http://maculspace.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=612492%3ATopic%3A13305
If you're a teacher who uses technology, I'd be interested to hear your praises and/or frustrations with using technology in your district.
I appreciate and respect the community's and board's desire to protect our students from inappropriate information and images, but I also think that by the time students are 16-18 years old, they're old enough to be responsible for their actions and need to learn how to make good choices - how will they survive the real world if they can't be trusted to use the internet appropriately when there's an adult present?
Another issue that was poitned out, is that not all teachers are actively engaged in watching their students when they're on computers. While I'm sure there are some teachers who sit behind their desk and do their own work while their students are on the computers, I don't think this represents the majority of teachers. Perhaps I'm still too new a teacher to have a realistic view, but I think most teachers are actively walking around the room observing and assisting students who are on the internet, etc.
If you're interested in reading some of their arguments yourself, here's the link to the discussion. http://maculspace.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=612492%3ATopic%3A13305
If you're a teacher who uses technology, I'd be interested to hear your praises and/or frustrations with using technology in your district.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
SL Meeting & Exploration
We saw a lot of stuff today in SL; certainly more than we could see in the real world in 2 hours. I'd like to go back to some of our stops and do some more exploring. I thought the Sistine Chapel was cool and if anything peaked my desire to see the real thing some day. I did some business travel in Europe 10-15 years ago and maanged to squeeze in a few tourist moments, but would really like to go back some day. I saw Notre Dame in France and was quite touched by the experience, so I'm very intriqued by the Sistine chapel.
When we were in the aquarium I clicked on a green shape that displayed a director's chair when I hovered over it. I thought it was going to give me a chair to sit in but instead it teleported me to another location that I think was still related to the aquarium. I couldn't figure out how to get back - I tried another green shape and went to another, similar place, then accepted Oyama's teleport offer and rejoined the class. I'd like to go back and check out those locations sometime.
The other thing I'd like to go back and check out is the planet Mercury. When we were in outer space after the rocket ride I noticed something about visiting Mercury. There's definitely a lot of educational potential with the sciences based on the sites we saw today.
Looking forward to more SL exploration.
When we were in the aquarium I clicked on a green shape that displayed a director's chair when I hovered over it. I thought it was going to give me a chair to sit in but instead it teleported me to another location that I think was still related to the aquarium. I couldn't figure out how to get back - I tried another green shape and went to another, similar place, then accepted Oyama's teleport offer and rejoined the class. I'd like to go back and check out those locations sometime.
The other thing I'd like to go back and check out is the planet Mercury. When we were in outer space after the rocket ride I noticed something about visiting Mercury. There's definitely a lot of educational potential with the sciences based on the sites we saw today.
Looking forward to more SL exploration.
Friday, January 25, 2008
SL 1st meeting
In SL my avatar's name is Suni Mornington. My 1st meeting in SL was both fun and tiring. I still need more practice at maneuvering so that my avatar looks natural and doesn't have to contemplate sitting before doing it, or so I don't 'walk through/over' things on my way places. It was also a bit tough keeping up with all the IM comments before they scrolled off my screen - this may have been in part a function of there being so many of us. Overall it was pretty cool and I look forward to more practice and becoming more agile and relaxed when in SL.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
First Post
This is my first experience with blogging. In the past two weeks I've learned and explored a lot of web 2.0 tools as part of EDMT592. Way cool!
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