Policies in the RDSB: An interview

I recently had the opportunity to conduct an email interview with one of the computer consultants for our school board. Personally, I find that our school board is a bit behind as far as our stance on 21^st Century Tools in the classroom, however there are many progressive teachers, administrators, and consultants who are picking up the slack.

Below are excerpts from my interview.

Q: What are our current policies surrounding technology?

A: Our Board has undertaken the revision of policy documents.  They have posted many that were revised as of March 2014, but the ones related to technology have not yet been done/posted.  Here are links to the older Policy documents:

•      Acceptable Use of Information Technologies

•      Electronic Communications and Social Media

I had read our policies prior to conducting this email interview, so I knew they had not been updated, and are in fact extremely brief. I find it a bit concerning that we are pushing towards using 21^st century tools more in the classroom, but do not really have a clear policy currently. On the other hand, my school is a tech-savvy/tech-heavy school, so it is important that our policies are a bit more fleshed out.

·         Lockerby Acceptable Use Policy

Q: How are our policies created and changed in the Rainbow District School Board?

A: Various committees are established comprised of stakeholders that review policy documents.  Recommendations are made to Administrative Council and/or any Policy committees.  Final approval is done by the Administrative Council.

Q: How are teachers supported regarding safe and appropriate use of online tools?

A: Online access to various sites/tools is filtered by our Board filtering utility.  Use is guided by committee recommendations and/or policy documents.  School

administrators should be aware of online tools being used in teaching environments.

Q: What are the barriers surround technology/our policies?

A: A typical barrier is equity of access to information/communication technology (hardware and/or high speed access in rural areas).

Q: How do you see these policies changing in the future?

A: There is currently a 21st Century Teaching and Learning Committee that meets monthly, looking at how RDSB will move forward with regard to Information Technology and how it impacts student learning.

For my board, it looks like change is on the horizon regarding 21st Century Teaching and Learning, but at this point, it is mostly a 'dipping our toes in the water' kind of scenario. As mentioned earlier, there are some keen teachers out there who are taking further steps, but there are also many who are technological immigrants, so the idea of 21st century learning may take some time!

Ethical and Social Issues with Social Tools

I recently read a quote about learning in the 21st Century. It said “as society changes, the skills needed to negotiate the complexities of life also change.” Obviously, this quote rang true to me, as it was examining the change in societal needs from ‘readin’, ‘ritin’, and ‘rithmetic’, to how students need to be proficient not just in a variety of subject areas, but also need to understand information in a variety of forms. Fortunately, we have access to information like never before – we can find nearly anything we want, nearly instantly, if we know how to search for it. However, to paraphrase Ben Parker (yes, I’m quoting Spiderman), with greater access comes greater responsibility. As educators, there are a number of underlying issues related to the ethics and legal issues surrounding 21st Century learning that are worth discussing.

Issue #1: Does social media need be taught in schools?

Social media is a very real thing. Many of us cannot perform the day to day functions we do without our phone, tablet, or computer. Some of us wouldn’t have the jobs we have without Facebook or Twitter or other social networking sites. None of us would communicate as effectively if we didn’t have access to the social media tools that we currently have. As educators, it is our job and our duty to provide students with skills that are applicable to the real world, and social media is one of those relevant skills. It is important, as well, for us to provide students with an idea of how social media can affect their future.

Students need to be provided with education around a variety of concepts surrounding social media.

Too Much Information: The infographic below is a good reason why, if nothing else, we should provide our students with at least the basics surrounding safety when using social media. One of the things I notice when looking at this infographic is the statistic surrounding location tagging. One in four people puts a location tag on their photos. To me, this is dangerous. This opens a person up to the possibility of both cyber crime and real world threats. For example, posting your upcoming plans can leave you open to having your house burglarized. To me, it seems as though society in general is not really considering just how much information they provide when they use social media.  We need to provide students with instruction on online privacy in order to keep themselves safe.

Online reputation: I also discovered some statistics surrounding employers and their use of social media to find employees. Forbes Magazine mentions that “34% of employers who scan social media sites have found content that caused them not to hire the candidate.” Whether the reason is inappropriate photos, immature content, or simply having friends that the employer views as unseemly, employers are finding reasons to no longer consider people for jobs. Not only is the amount of information students disseminate online, but so is the quality of the content. On the converse, a student’s online reputation is also an opportunity for them to create a positive representation of themselves, to put a good foot forward, so to speak. 

Benefits of social media: We can look at social media as the 21^st Century resume. As mentioned earlier, many employers screen potential employees using social media. Students can build their own ‘brand’ so to speak, by getting involved in the right online communities and networking with the right people. In effect, students can set themselves up for success if they are educated in how to create a searchable online presence. 

One of the sayings that I often see regarding social media is that the internet is written in pen, not in pencil. In other words, what students say using social media, once out there, is out there. Social media is not disappearing anytime soon, and so ethically it is up to us as teachers to provide them with the framework to be successful using social media.

Issue #2: If social media is taught in schools, how do we keep students safe?

As I mentioned when discussing the first issue, I feel it should be, at least partially, the responsibility of teachers to show students how to use social media. With that comes the caveat that if we are teaching social media, it is also our job to teach students how to be safe online. An agreed upon point from most educators is that while we should be teaching students how to be safe online, it doesn’t really boil down to a few lessons in class. What can and can’t be shared online, instead, must be brought up often and in context when working with any web 2.0 tools. A few basic principles, shared constantly with our students, will do a good job of keeping them safe in their online activities.

Boundaries: As teachers, it is our job to give students the tools necessary to make the right decisions. If we can help our students set their own personal boundaries, about where they stand on specific issues, and if we walk students through hypothetical situations to help them define these boundaries, then they will understand and be able to defend their boundaries. A good approach when discussing boundaries is to have students help with creating the guidelines. Teacher and internet blogger Penille Ripp compares using the Internet to a trip to the mall – she asks her students to discuss the safety guidelines around an unsupervised trip to the mall – which is something the students already understand and can apply to a real situation, and then has her students adapt those guidelines for online use.

 

Privacy: Students need to be educated about the idea of public vs. private in a number of contexts. For example, consider the idea of sharing a video online. Edublogs states “when educators allow their students to publish their content in a public space they spend more time educating their students and reinforcing appropriate online behaviour.” By removing limitations on the ‘global’ aspect of social media, teachers end up doing a better job educating their students, and, typically, students end up more motivated and end up feeling accomplished and professional. A good idea when allowing students to post content publically would be to have them post it in a forum where comments and messages are also sent to a moderator/administrator – in this case, the teacher. On the other end of the spectrum, as educators it is our duty to ensure that we are not exposing any personal information (names, photos, etc) of students when they are using social media. A good idea might be for students to use an avatar and a nickname for when they are posting online, so that some privacy is maintained.

Guide to Using Creative Commons

Looking to use Creative Commons to either access images or license your own works? Below is a brief guide that I created to ease the process for both. The guide provides an example of an ideal attribution, as well as a quick description for how to license your own works.

Creative Commons, A Guide

Safety in Social Media: Do's and Don't's

Technology is all around us - and the most prevalent use of digital technology currently is social media. It is important, as educators, that we not only keep our students safe from the dangers of social media, but that we understand how to effectively and intelligently use social media in the classroom.

The following is what can be considered a good list of 'do's' and 'don't's' for teachers who want to use social media in the classroom.

DO:

1) Have separate accounts: This is the easiest way to keep your personal and private lives separate. This will create a boundary between school and your personal life and that will create less stress both in the classroom and in your private life.

2) Control your privacy settings: You want to ensure that you can control what friends and strangers can see on your profile. Generally, teachers it would be smart to limit access to updates, media, status and account information from anyone who is not on your friend list. 

3) Keep student data confidential: This is pretty obvious Any confidential information, including contact information, marks, etc. should stay secure within the school, and not available on some random social media site.

4) Choose what works best for you: Educators should pick a social media tool that works best for them and maintain its use. You should have your own preferred choice of social media, because it should be a good fit for you.

5) Model for students and colleagues: Once educators can be comfortable using social media, then they can show students and peers the value of the use of social media in the classroom. It is important to both be wary of consequences, but also be aware of the benefits of social media. 

DON'T:

1) Chats: Avoid private chats with students - it can affect the teacher-student dynamic. Your students know where and when to find you after school, and can contact you there if necessary.

2) Tone: Don't say anything on social media that you wouldn't acceptably say in class. Be aware that anything you say online can make it's way back into the classroom in one way or another.

3) Be ambiguous: The things you post are often shared more widely than your intended audience. If your posts are ambiguous, they can be misinterpreted, potentially in a bad way.

The guideline for social media is, once it's online, it's online. In other words, if it's out there in the web, it is out there forever. Following the above list of do's and don't's are a good way to make sure that what's out there is appropriate, clear, and beneficial to the classroom environment.t

Web 2.0 Tools: A 5 Lesson Unit

Mental Health Resource Bookmarking

These days, we are seeing a proliferation of students in the classroom exhibiting a variety of different mental health issues. Since we as educators play a major role in the development of children and youth, it is important that we are aware of these mental health issues, how they may affect our students, and how we can contribute to the positive mental health of all of our students.

I gathered a variety of resources that I thought might be useful, including some research materials, some general information websites, as well as some specific content for educators involving mental health in the classroom. Hopefully it can be of use to some of you!

http://bit.ly/1ruP5Zr

Did You Know... Edugains

Did You Know…

Edugains.ca is website that is designed to improve learning and teaching. Edugains was created by the Ontario Ministry of Education as a resource for classroom teachers. It provides curriculum based resources that tie in to K-12 classrooms in Ontario, in pretty well every subject area.

Some of the resources available on the site are:

21^St Century Learning: This ties directly into our course, as we are looking at the integration of technology in the classroom. The 21^st Century Learning section on Edugains provides resources on digital citizenship, information about the incorporation of blended learning into the classroom (as well as Blended Learning PLCs), and provides research about how 21^st century learning supports teachers and learners in Ontario.

Financial Literacy: In today’s world, young people need to have the skills required to make good, informed choices about a variety of things, such as money management, considering financial choices, and the ability to stay financially stable. Edugains has a variety of resources to aid in financial literacy, and, more specifically, the resources provided have been adapted for a variety of subjects and grade levels. For example, a lesson is provided for MEL3E (mathematics for everyday life) related to considering the idea of net earnings vs. profits, which allows them to practice skills related to earning and spending.

Mathematics: I have been making use of the edugains website in mathematics for a number of years, as I helped my mathematics co-ordinator do some of the storyboarding for one of the resources available on Edugains. One of the main academic supports that Edugains provides is CLIPS, which are a series of interactive mini-lessons that provide opportunity for instruction as well as assessment for learning. They are web-based, which allows for the incorporation of blended learning into the classroom. Further to CLIPS, another resource, Gap Closing, is designed to do specifically that – close the gap. It was created to help students who need additional support in math, and there is an ePractice section that is meant to help build mathematical confidence in students that struggle in math.

While I have not had the opportunity to explore Edugains much outside of the available math resources, clearly this website has applications to a variety of different subject areas and grade levels, and as such I thought it would be useful to describe to you all!