"We need to create places where teachers can take chances," Honeycutt says. “Every district needs to anoint some teachers to play with Web 2.0 tools in a safe, hypothetical environment. I call it taming the tool. Teachers need time to consider, 'Under what conditions would we allow this tool into the classroom?'"
“We realized that students don't see these as impediments, but rather as challenges,” Canuel says. "Students find ingenious ways to go around them." Rather than fighting to stay a step ahead of tech-savvy pupils, the district emphasizes online safety and digital citizenship.
Instruction in digital citizenship needs to start early,
In the still-evolving Web 2.0 era, anyone with Internet access has the power to create and publish content online and interact with content others have created.
Content filters and firewalls are great for keeping kids away from pornography, as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act, or preventing them from updating their Facebook status during class. But the same filters can stop teachers from accessing cutting-edge widgets and digital materials that have enormous potential for expanding learning.
This is an important point to make to parents! It is about RELATIONSHIPS not abduction, usually!
The publicity about online"predators" who prey on naive children using trickery and violence is largely inaccurate.
In the great majority of cases, victims are aware they are conversing online with adults. In the N-JOV Study, only 5% of offenders pretended to be teens when they met potential victims online. (112)
There tends to be a focus on the negative - no matter what percentage of the actual story is being discussed. Our news from "normal" channels follows the old "if it bleeds it leeds" mentality. The potential of the web towards "good" is highly underated - in my humble oppion
Offenders rarely deceive victims about their sexual interests.
promises of love and romance
99% of victims of Internet-initiated sex crimes in the N-JOV Study were 13 to 17 years old, and none were younger than 12. 48% were 13 or 14 years old. (115)
My (Liz B. Davis ) Summary of Key Points (All are quotes directly from the article): Online "Predators" and Their Victims. Myths, Realities, and Implications for Prevention and Treatment. by: Janis Wolak, David Finkelhor, and Kimberly J. Mitchell - University of New Hampshire and Michele L. Ybarra - Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc.
This tells us what we need to know about courses on digital citizenship and safety -- discuss these issues probably beginning around 11 -- before soliciation happens -- then have focused programs probably starting age 12-13 -- as with everything -- these ages tend to get lower over time -- what will happen w/ the Webkinz generation is anyone's guess.
I see this more and more...as the parent of webkinz kids...in the past..you had the "don't talk to strangers" talk with them. Now the strangers are coming into our homes and at much younger ages.
I think we need to be aware that not all "unknown people" are wanting to commit crimes, fraud, etc. Talking to someone you don't know might be the introduction to your new best friend. The content of discussion is important. Not knowing someone, I would not give them personal information. Friendship is built over time.
A nice way I've heard to describe this is that even though kids think they're tech savvy, they are not relationship savvy. It's this age group that doesn't recognize the complexity of relationships.
@David - I think, however, that we should be very careful about teaching HOW to make friendships -- friend of a friend and building relationships OVER TIME is often how these things happen. Children want the romance and don't realize the "gentle" stranger they've met wants to harm them. This is a tricky one -- one of my dearest friends is Julie Lindsay who I met online. But that conversation was totally OK, as youwould guess. Teaching them about this is tricky. We'll have to think on this one AND look at the research.
take place in isolation and secrecy, outside of oversight by peers, family members, and others in the youth's face-to-face social networks (115)
Again, this reinforces my thoughts of NOT having computers in the bedroom! Period. Have family computers w/ screens viewable by everyone!
Most of the online child molesters described in the N-JOV Study met their victims in chatrooms. In a 2006 study, about one third of youths who received online sexual solicitation had received them in chatrooms. (116)
Safe IM practice -- that is a key element of an online safety program.
Youth internet users with histories of offline sexual or physical abuse appear to be considerably more likely to receive online aggressive sexual solicitations. (117)
Yes, Kristin! -- what we saw in Florida this week tells us that -- these students have now found a new way to have life in prison! And it relates to YOutube!
..Although Internet safety advocates worry that posting personal information exposes youths to online molesters, we have not found empirical evidence that supports this concern. It is interactive behaviors, such as conversing online with unknown people about sex, that more clearly create risk. (117)
Posting personal information is NOT what puts students at risk -- interactive BEHAVIORS! Do! This is one criticism we've had of online projects. At risk behaviors from AT RISK students cause things to happen!!! Listen up!
and your students are lucky that they have you to guide them. Way too many schools are not involving their students in these activities so they don't have these "appropriate" models
Exactly, kristin -- MORE SCHOOLS have got to do this. It is a travesty that these kids are being victimized when the schools can do something about it. Completely a travesty. I hope we can all get fired up again about this topic, especially with the good research coming out now!
Online molesters do not appear to be stalking unsuspecting victims but rather continuing to seek youths who are susceptible to seduction. (117)
maintaining online blogs or journals, which are similar to social networking sites in that they often include considerable amounts of personal information and pictures, is not related to receiving aggressive sexual solicitation unless youths also interact online with unknown people. (117)
Safety habits and teaching students how to interact safely. Learning to interact with people you KNOW in safe ways will keep our students safe. It is NOT about pulling the plug.
Boys constitute 25% of victims in Internet-initiated sex crimes, and virtually all of their offenders are male. (118
Unfortunately, teaching boys to beware of men is something we have to do because that seems to be who is preying on the young boys.
Some gay boys turn to the internet to find answers to questions about sexuality or meet potential romantic partners, and there they may encounter adults who exploit them. (118)
..child molesters are, in reality, a diverse group that cannot be accurately characterized with one-dimensional labels. (118)
Online child molesters are generally not pedophiles. (118)Online child molesters are rarely violent. (119)
Child pornography production is also an aspect of Internet-initiated sex crimes. One in five online child molesters in the N-JOV Study took sexually suggestive or explicit photographs of victims or convinced victims to take such photographs of themselves or friends. (120)
Again -- behaviors. Teaching children not to take pictures of themselves and post them w/out parental approval is important, particularly for younger kids.
Youths may be more willing to talk extensively and about more intimate matters with adults online than in face-to-face environments. (121
"If you wouldn't say it face to face, you shouldn't say it anyplace," should be our new saying to our students. (Yes, I coined it but it iwhat I will teach to my children.)
it may not be clear to many adolescents and adults that relationships between adults and underage adolescents are criminal. (122)
Simply urging parents and guardians to control, watch, or educate their children may not be effective in many situations. The adolescents who tend to be the victims of Internet-initiated sex crimes many not themselves be very receptive to the advice and supervision of parents. (122)
The fact that the victims don't have a great relationship with their parents mean that we must have other outlets for teenagers such as with teachers, counselors, and others who are involved in these discussions!
We recommend educating youths frankly about the dynamics of Internet-initiated and other nonforcible sex crimes. Youths need candid, direct discussions about seduction and how some adults deliberately evoke and then exploit the compelling feelings that sexual arousal can induce. (122)
Yes, this is a gross mischaracterization. We are afraid of the unknown scary boogeman who isn't who we think he is, when it is the person who is up front that we must worry about. We want someone to blame instead of realizing it is the behavior of kids.
Youths need candid, direct discussions about seduction
I believe that the Http://digiteen.wikispaces.com project is the best thing I've got going in my classroom with 9th graders in Qatar & Austria. We're having great conversations -- third person looking at things happening and working through what they think is a good way to do it, I believe. I truly think that everyone working with students should be educated to watch for the "signs" -- and we should also have individual programs.
We can look back at the reference in this study -- the hyperlink is at the top of the page -- I'm not sure of the sample size for this but it looks like this is what the New Jersey study found.
Cool summary of an article by Liz B. Davis -- Liz took the article and extracted the most valuable bits to her using google Docs. This methodology is fascinating, but even moreso the fact we may all begin doing this together with Diigo.
Cool summary of an article by Liz B. Davis -- Liz took the article and extracted the most valuable bits to her using google Docs. This methodology is fascinating, but even moreso the fact we may all begin doing this together with Diigo.
Cool summary of an article by Liz B. Davis -- Liz took the article and extracted the most valuable bits to her using google Docs. This methodology is fascinating, but even moreso the fact we may all begin doing this together with Diigo.
Cool summary of an article by Liz B. Davis -- Liz took the article and extracted the most valuable bits to her using google Docs. This methodology is fascinating, but even moreso the fact we may all begin doing this together with Diigo.
Cool summary of an article by Liz B. Davis -- Liz took the article and extracted the most valuable bits to her using google Docs. This methodology is fascinating, but even moreso the fact we may all begin doing this together with Diigo.
believe that social justice educators must ask ourselves and our schools: What are the ethics and power structures involved in using a technology, and how do we create a learning environment to discuss and track the impact of technology on the cognitive, social and emotional development of both students and educators.
Article from Rethinking Schools examines the use of laptops in school. She writes ,"I also believe it is vital to discuss ways in which people have used technology to create a more just world."
Here is an open source education software package from Greenbush. It is a virtual world environment that is to be used on interactive boards. A major advantage is the application permits collaboration among those using the software regardless of location.
Perhaps there are many more distractions facing children today, but great teachers continue to create environments where their students want to be and to learn.
Designing for levels of engagement that grabs the attention of students is absolutely necessary. Levels of engagement need not, and won't, reach the level of video games, but enough to interest students in what they are going to learn.
Rather than take the steps necessary to make school more social, teachers more engaging, and curriculum more relevant, we either shift blame to parents, TV and hip hop, or seek salvation in the lessons of Grand Theft Auto.
Michigan may see a resurgance in vitality as water resources become increasingly taxed elsewhere (i.e. Atlanta). MI is a state mostly free from worry about weather calamities (no hurricanes, flooding happens, but hasn't been horrible, forest fires are rare, and mudslides are unheard of), and may become a "safe haven" in the future.
Describes MI's problems w/ adding serious wind power to the existing electrical grid. Calls for an improvement of transmission lines to be able to handle new energy sources.
This is a great site for temporary email addresses for students -- perfect for signing your students up with a web 2.0 service that requires an email address.
Some would argue that the tension and irritation between "why" and "how" is by design. That these shifts are creating a permissive framework in education where there are no clear answers (Turner, 2004). And that in a changing educational environment the needed changes in education should be negotiated from a why approach rather than a how approach.
It is no longer about information management and prescriptive outcomes, but rather about building capacity- in ourselves, our faculty, our staff and in our students and then being able to contextualize the collective wisdom we gain through those relationships to making the world a better place.
It is about building capacity! That is where leadership on all levels is needed!
It needs to happen across districts, in schools, and even 'one teacher at a time'!
It is about building capacity! That is where leadership on all levels is needed! It needs to happen across districts, in schools, and even 'one teacher at a time'!
We all contribute to global warming every day. The carbon dioxide you produce by driving your car and leaving the lights on adds up quickly. You may be surprised by how much Co2 you are emitting each year. Calculate your personal impact and learn how you can take action to reduce or even eliminate your emissions of carbon dioxide.
The FADE model—Foundation, Atmosphere, Design, Environment—creates
the context of Quantum Learning. We know when the context is strong, it
'fades' into the background and creates the structure for
learning to occur.
The
Quantum Learning framework for student learning is expressed in 5 Tenets
of Learning:
Everything Speaks: Everything, from surroundings and
tone of voice to distribution of materials, conveys an important message
about learning.
Everything is On Purpose: Everything we do has an intended
purpose.
Experience Before Label: Students make meaning and transfer
new content into long-term memory by connecting to existing schema. Learning
is best facilitated when students experience the information in some aspect
before they acquire labels for what is being learned.
Acknowledge Every Effort: Acknowledgment of each student's
effort encourages learning and experimentation.
If It's Worth Learning, It's Worth Celebrating!:
Celebration provides feedback regarding progress and increases positive
emotional associations with the learning.
Enroll—Use
teacher moves that capture the interest, curiosity and attention of the
students.
Experience—Create or elicit a common experience,
or tap into common knowledge to which all learners can relate. Experience
before Label creates schema on which to build new content.
Learn & Label—Present, sequence and define
the main content. Students learn labels, thinking skills and academic
strategies. Students add new content to their existing schema.
Demonstrate—Give students
an opportunity to demonstrate and apply their new learning.
Review and Reflect—Use a variety of effective,
multi-sensory review strategies and empower students to process their
new content through reflection.
Celebration—Acknowledge the learning. It cements
the content and adds a sense of completion.