Digital Tools For Edu-vators
Technology Reflections
Here is a Reflection of the Diffusion of Innovation using Mindomo via creaza.
http://www.creazaeducation.com/members/kirstengerhardt/mindomo/52019186
http://www.creazaeducation.com/members/kirstengerhardt/mindomo/52019186
http://tackk.com/vtgsva
great educational websites for educators
Twitter in the Classroom Reflection
As an elementary school teacher, I do not see twitter as a useful tool for our young students. First of all, our kids do not come with their own devices and although we do have laptops for their use for a portion of the day, they do not have a 1:1 learning environment all day. In addition, I do not believe one teacher at our school has a twitter account! I plan to show teachers this resource for research and idea sharing when we return in the fall.
I can see how useful it would be for high school kids and maybe middle school kids. Students are completely obsessed with their phones as well as social media, so you may as well tap that interest and make it educational. I especially connected with the kid who said that he wasn’t accepted socially, but once he started using twitter and expressing himself, others began to really respect and accept him for who he was. That is powerful! I know that as a high school student, I was super shy and would NEVER raise my hand to speak. In fact, the thought of getting called on made my stomach turn. Having a tool like twitter to respond and participate would have been so great. Everyone would be able to participate at once and there would have been a sense of anonymity (in a way)!
As we continue to grow and change in the educational realm, twitter is a tool that can make the classroom more student centered. As teachers lecture/teach, students could be tweeting their questions about the lecture for the teacher and others to respond to. Students could also use twitter to respond to a video or any other information. They are engaged because there is the expectation that everyone will respond. I think that as the comments are public, students might take a little more time to be thoughtful and post quality responses or questions. Students are also exposed to multiple perspectives, which can be very powerful at that age.
At the elementary level, I like the idea of using twitter to tweet during a field trip. That way, parents who could not attend the field trip can have a little window into the trip. Students could use it as a reflection tool after the trip. In addition, I love the idea of using twitter as a communication tool for the school. At some school sites, the principal (or other staff member) sends out short tweets to remind families of upcoming school events and happenings. That would be a very powerful way to keep families informed and connected to school.
The biggest concern that I have over the use of twitter is the potential
for misuse. As with any tool, there will be students who do not follow the rules and misuse the technology, even after social media use training.
Questions:
1. I am wondering if it is possible to delete comments from students if they are not appropriate.
2. Can you set up private “chats” that only your class is involved in and are not public to the world?
3. How do you monitor 30+ students who are using their phones/devices all at once?
Despite my potential concerns and questions, I really do believe that twitter, as well as many other social media tools, can be powerful tools for student engagement in the classroom. They are tools that students are using already, so we might as well tap into those resources to increase their participation and voice in the classroom!
Acceptable Use Policy Reflection
After searching the district website and many file cabinets at school, I was able to locate a NVUSD Acceptable Use Policy, pasted below.
NVUSD
ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR EMPLOYEES
Acceptable Use: The purpose of the District technology systems, including computers, handhelds, Internet access, email, telecommunications, and media retrieval is to support the educational mission of the District. The District network is designed to provide access to the Internet and to allow users to share information, applications, and to store files. The use of your account to access these services must be in support of education and research and consistent with the educational objectives of Napa Valley Unified School District. Transmission of any material in violation of any U.S. or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secret. Use for commercial activities by for-profit institutions is not acceptable. Use for product advertisement or political lobbying is also prohibited. You will be responsible for assisting with monitoring the account.
Privileges: The use of the Internet and access to the electronic resources provided through the district network is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in cancellation of those privileges. The system administrator may deny, revoke, or suspend specific user accounts.
Network Etiquette: The use of a network account requires that you abide by accepted rules of network etiquette. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Be polite. Do not send abusive messages to anyone.
Use appropriate language. In all messages, do not swear or use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language. Anything pertaining to illegal activities is strictly forbidden.
Privacy. Note that electronic mail (email) is not guaranteed to be private. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activity may be reported to the authorities.
Connectivity: Do not use the network in such a way that would disrupt the use of the network by others.
Services: Napa Valley Unified School District will not be responsible for any damages you may suffer. This includes loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by our operation of the system or your errors or omissions. Use of any information obtained via the Internet is at your own risk.
Security: Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. Security problems include the vulnerabilities introduced by the installation or connection of personal equipment to the district network. If you feel you can identify a security problem, you must notify a system administrator either in person or via the network. Do not demonstrate the problem to other users. Do not use another individual’s account without written permission from that individual. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to computers.
Vandalism: Vandalism will result in cancellation of privileges and perpetrators will be subject to disciplinary action under Napa Valley Unified School District policy 4118, Disciplinary Action/Suspension and policy 4218, Dismissal/Suspension/Disciplinary Action. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses, or connecting personal equipment to the network that exposes the system to viruses and creates other security vulnerabilities. The main ideas here are to use the computers for school business and to be nice. Not quite what I expected!
I also located the NVUSD Department of Technology Internet Use Agreement for K-8. Not sure what grade 9-12 looks like! It was a paper copy and not available online, so I took a photo. Sorry for the bad quality! I do not see a date on this document, so I am not sure when it was drafted.
This document’s language looks similar to the employees AUP, but simplified.
Reflection on where your school or district is at in this process and whether or not you feel that more needs to be done and why.
Our school district is at the very beginning stages of revising the AUP. It looks like some Internet sites have been blocked or filtered, but many have been opened up for educational use. There has been no message from the district as far as teaching digital citizenship to our students. It looks like, according to the student internet agreement, that students are responsible for their own behavior on the internet and the consequence is that they are not allowed to use it if they are not responsible.
This is more of a responsible use policy with NO mention of social networking expectations! I am not sure who was involved in the process of drafting these original documents. It looks as though it may have been without teacher and parent input. They are old and outdated!
There is a huge need to review or even redevelop these policies. The technology and tools are changing so quickly that I feel these policies should be revisited and updated yearly. Teachers, parents, and other stakeholders need to be involved in developing the policies for the district.
In addition, I feel like there needs to be a digital citizenship plan for each grade level in the district so that students are learning to use the internet and technology tools appropriately. The earlier we start this type of learning, the better choices students will be able to make because they will be INFORMED!
Many of our schools are starting a BYOD program. These schools need to be especially committed to teaching digital citizenship and addressing potential problems with student use.
In looking at the 9 elements of digital citizenship, I can say that our district is lacking in all nine areas.
After searching the district website and many file cabinets at school, I was able to locate a NVUSD Acceptable Use Policy, pasted below.
NVUSD
ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR EMPLOYEES
Acceptable Use: The purpose of the District technology systems, including computers, handhelds, Internet access, email, telecommunications, and media retrieval is to support the educational mission of the District. The District network is designed to provide access to the Internet and to allow users to share information, applications, and to store files. The use of your account to access these services must be in support of education and research and consistent with the educational objectives of Napa Valley Unified School District. Transmission of any material in violation of any U.S. or state regulation is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secret. Use for commercial activities by for-profit institutions is not acceptable. Use for product advertisement or political lobbying is also prohibited. You will be responsible for assisting with monitoring the account.
Privileges: The use of the Internet and access to the electronic resources provided through the district network is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in cancellation of those privileges. The system administrator may deny, revoke, or suspend specific user accounts.
Network Etiquette: The use of a network account requires that you abide by accepted rules of network etiquette. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Be polite. Do not send abusive messages to anyone.
Use appropriate language. In all messages, do not swear or use vulgarities or any other inappropriate language. Anything pertaining to illegal activities is strictly forbidden.
Privacy. Note that electronic mail (email) is not guaranteed to be private. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activity may be reported to the authorities.
Connectivity: Do not use the network in such a way that would disrupt the use of the network by others.
Services: Napa Valley Unified School District will not be responsible for any damages you may suffer. This includes loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by our operation of the system or your errors or omissions. Use of any information obtained via the Internet is at your own risk.
Security: Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. Security problems include the vulnerabilities introduced by the installation or connection of personal equipment to the district network. If you feel you can identify a security problem, you must notify a system administrator either in person or via the network. Do not demonstrate the problem to other users. Do not use another individual’s account without written permission from that individual. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to computers.
Vandalism: Vandalism will result in cancellation of privileges and perpetrators will be subject to disciplinary action under Napa Valley Unified School District policy 4118, Disciplinary Action/Suspension and policy 4218, Dismissal/Suspension/Disciplinary Action. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses, or connecting personal equipment to the network that exposes the system to viruses and creates other security vulnerabilities. The main ideas here are to use the computers for school business and to be nice. Not quite what I expected!
I also located the NVUSD Department of Technology Internet Use Agreement for K-8. Not sure what grade 9-12 looks like! It was a paper copy and not available online, so I took a photo. Sorry for the bad quality! I do not see a date on this document, so I am not sure when it was drafted.
This document’s language looks similar to the employees AUP, but simplified.
Reflection on where your school or district is at in this process and whether or not you feel that more needs to be done and why.
Our school district is at the very beginning stages of revising the AUP. It looks like some Internet sites have been blocked or filtered, but many have been opened up for educational use. There has been no message from the district as far as teaching digital citizenship to our students. It looks like, according to the student internet agreement, that students are responsible for their own behavior on the internet and the consequence is that they are not allowed to use it if they are not responsible.
This is more of a responsible use policy with NO mention of social networking expectations! I am not sure who was involved in the process of drafting these original documents. It looks as though it may have been without teacher and parent input. They are old and outdated!
There is a huge need to review or even redevelop these policies. The technology and tools are changing so quickly that I feel these policies should be revisited and updated yearly. Teachers, parents, and other stakeholders need to be involved in developing the policies for the district.
In addition, I feel like there needs to be a digital citizenship plan for each grade level in the district so that students are learning to use the internet and technology tools appropriately. The earlier we start this type of learning, the better choices students will be able to make because they will be INFORMED!
Many of our schools are starting a BYOD program. These schools need to be especially committed to teaching digital citizenship and addressing potential problems with student use.
In looking at the 9 elements of digital citizenship, I can say that our district is lacking in all nine areas.
Gamification is the new trend it teaching and learning