Bullies in Cyber-Space

 This week we learned about copyrighting, fair usage, and online safety (including cyber-bullying and netiquette). I have to say, I had picked up most of the copyright information while working as a librarian assistant in an elementary school because the Librarian was our campus copyright "go to" person. Yes, Kelly, I WAS actually listening when you talked and soaked up all the wisdom you offered. (Mega brownie points, I'm sure!)  This is information all educators should, not just be familiar with, but get to know well! A very helpful educator's "Cheat Sheet" can be found at: http://dwb.unl.edu/dwb/courses/CURR880/copyright_chart.pdf.

http://erikjheels.com/803.html; Erik Heel explains copyright laws to a child.

 The topic I was most interested in, and in which I took the most away from, would have to be the cyber-bulling topic. I know it is a topic that we see a lot of, so is it really information that is new to me? No. But this time I actually took it to heart. I have teenage daughters. I have seen first hand how mean kids can behave. Both of my girls have strong opinions of who they are and what they believe and neither are shy about standing up for it, but being strong didn't exempt them from being targeted. My oldest experienced the rumor mill, and it was devastating to think someone would be so hateful to start such vicious rumors. Experiencing the "Did you hear?" was bad enough, I can hardly begin to imagine the pain from hateful remarks being sent to any child directly. 

We need to teach our children Netiquette (etiquette in the cyber-world) and talk to our children about technology. If we are allowing them on social web-sites and in possession of an e-mail account or a cell phone, then we need to make sure they understand the risks. Parents should be monitoring their children's computer usage daily. Know who your children are friending on Facebook. Make sure your child knows how important it is to let you know right away if they come across something that makes them uncomfortable. If anyone sends them an inappropriate message over the internet or through their cell phone, they need to know how important it is to show it to you and not delete it. According to Bullying UK, it is important these messages are not deleted so they can be traced back to the person who sent it if needed. Explain the dangers of posting personal information like the school they attend, their address or phone number, even letting "friends" know when they are home alone. I have had to get on to my kids for posting their phone numbers on Facebook. They didn't see the harm. I mean, come on, only 400 of their closest friends can see it...it's safe! 

 

After several teen suicides and school massacres over the last dozen or so years, you would have thought parents would take bullying, or cyber-bullying as the case may be, more serious. We must get on board and start teaching our children netiquette. The Boston Public Library offer parents fantastic tips called Netiquette for Kids. This is a great way to open this topic of conversation with our children. It might seem easy to a kid to get revenge or feel they can speak more freely on the internet or through text message, but it is our responsibility to help them understand words on-line don't hurt others any less. Children depend on the adults in their lives to guide them. We must take this responsibility serious. Children's lives could depend on it. 

It's a Global Society...Are You Information Literate?

This week’s assignment, "Becoming Information Literate in a Global Society", was a real eye opener for me. I mean, I knew there was a better way to use search engines, I just never took the time to figure it out. I did what most people do, google it and then clicked on the title I liked best. After all, the first few sites had the best information, right? When doing research for school I am careful to avoid Wikipedia because anyone can add to the information found there. I usually stick to the college or city e-libraries. However, when I am doing personal research I do tend to scan the first few, looking for the title I think is most relevant. I probably would have continued on this inefficient way of searching had I not taken this class and been introduced to Dr. November’s MAPping Information. (http://novemberlearning.com/) This is when I learned my way of searching might not produce the best information.

Today, I have begun a new chapter…a new google-ing chapter. Google has always been my search engine of choice, maybe because it’s familiar or maybe because it’s easy to click the google menu box at the top of Firefox. Whatever it may have been before, I’ve learned by reading http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2048976/Major-Search-Engines-and-Directories that google was voted “Most Outstanding Search Engine” and all the other unique qualities google provides; it will continue to be my go-to search engine! I do see the benefit of using other search engines like Ask.com, another one of my favorites, to make sure I have covered all my bases when doing research. If I want to ensure I have explored every avenue on a particular subject, I will do many searches using many different search engines.

Now, I normally look at the domain name and extension once I’ve opened a page, but today I found myself looking before making my choice. For instance, today at work I was looking for sites with free, pre-made, downloadable visual cue cards beyond what I’ve already made. By looking at the extensions I was able to avoid random organizations (.org, .com, .net) and instead find educational sites (.edu, .k12) that were set up to help educators. When I first began reading about MAPping Information, I truly thought about how much time this was going to add to my searching process. Once I started applying the information, I see how this will actually cut down on my research time. I will no longer be reading information that twenty minutes later I realize I can’t use. I can move quickly to sites that are relevant to my search, cutting down the amount of time spent on the internet….theoretically, that is.

There is still so much to learn, so much to remember. I plan on continuing to educate myself and using this new found information (new to me, that is) to educate my family. I have two teenage daughters, one of whom is in college herself, which could greatly benefit from Dr. November’s website. As far as my future students, I know by educating them in technology I can help them become efficient learners. If I am just finding out about this information this far into my college experience, when do I think my students will learn it? The internet is growing faster every day. We have to be prepared on how it works if we plan on entering its world. Otherwise we can find ourselves lost, aimlessly searching, never quite finding what we need, and possible missing out on the best information. I also expect my students to be smarter and quicker with technology than I am, so to help them flourish I can offer them the little bit of knowledge I do have.

Here we go!

I have been thinking about creating a blog for a while so I am extremely excited to get this started. I am a mom of 2 teen girls. My oldest is 18 and in college to become a dentist, and my youngest is 15, a sophomore in high school and has a dream to become a nurse, possible even a doctor. I have been with my husband, Jon, since 1989. He is an extremely talented decorative painter and takes very good care of us. I had the most amazing opportunity to be a stay at home mom for 12 years, and I loved every minute. During this time I struggled to figure out where my future was headed, but I didn’t just want a career. Like most people I wanted to find something I was good at, passionate about, and I wanted to make a difference. I found it all in the most unexpected place, a Behavior Support Classroom. Since that year I have had many opportunities to work with children who are emotionally disturbed and sometime violent, as well as other children with special needs. I teach social skills in which to help them cope with the issues they struggle with on a daily basis and modified curriculum to help them become successful students in the classroom. It is a tough job, but watching these children make friends, work along side their peers, and learn to manage their emotional outburst is the most satisfying experiences.

My vision of technology in the classroom is growing every day. I believe children do learn on computer programs, however I also agree that we have to be careful how these programs are used. We, as educators and parents, need to make sure we are teaching our students how the programs work and enforce what they are learning with hands on activities. I work with elementary school students that many times struggle with a low attention span. Interactive programs projected onto the white board via computers, Elmos, or even ipads are great ways to capture these students’ attention while teaching them vital concepts. This type of learning also gets the students out of their seats and involved. I know one teacher that has a private Face Book page set up for just his students and their parents. Here he posts information from the day’s events which, not only helps keep the parents informed, but also encourage interaction between the students and their parents. Expanding my vision beyond elementary school I would hope to see computers, or electronic equivalency, available for every student in every class. I believe this is our future and therefore we, as teachers, must prepare our students for that future.

As far as the course I am taking, Integrating Technology into Curriculum, I hope to expand my knowledge on what technology can do for my classroom. I have been encouraged to blog but have always put that on the back burner, figuring I didn’t have time to learn how and I’d get to it after I finished college. Thanks to this class I have started my blog and I do plan on keeping up with it. I hope to increase my knowledge on the dangers of technology, as well. How can I teach my students internet safety? How can I teach my students proper internet usage? I would like to expand my collection of educational websites and learn what are the best ways to find on-line teaching tools for me and my students. I hope to learn how to manage computer assignments alongside pencil and paper assignments. I look forward to learning information about new technology and incorporating it into my classroom.