For We Are Teachers, Pillars of Virtue! Unless You Check Our Facebook Pages...

Being a teacher, the way that you present yourself and the information about you that is accessible is extremely important. I am sure all of my fellow educators can attest to that. I’ve heard all sorts of horror stories on the news and from word of mouth with similar plotlines; a teacher lost their job because of something about them on the Internet. Being young as I am, it’s not unusual that I have had a Facebook page for all of my college years and used to have a MySpace page during high school. In earlier years I even had a LiveJournal account that got me into some trouble because of what I had posted there. Being selective about how I am represented online is nothing new to me. I have had to “clean up” certain aspects of my online life to make sure false impressions of me are not held by potential job interviewers and bosses. I personally feel the standards to which teachers are often held by society are unfair and impossible to meet. There can, however, be little done about that. All anyone can do is be proactive regarding what about them is out there and defensive about keeping particular information and media private.

Here are the initial steps I took upon graduating from college to protect my privacy. I would suggest any professional, especially teacher do the same.

-Make your Facebook profile as private and secure as possible. You can customize what content from your profile is viewable and by whom.

-Untag or remove photos of yourself on any social networking sites that may not show you in a particularly favorable or professional light. 

-Make sure you have a professional e-mail address and voicemail message.

-Google yourself to see if your information and profiles are easy for anyone to find.

Even if you do take all of these precautions, particularly those related to social networking, your reputation still may not be safe. This article by CBS journalist Erin Moriarty explains the dangers in assuming you have complete control over your own privacy. It also illustrates perfectly my previous reference to teachers losing their jobs over materials posted online. Reading about Ashley Payne's situation really makes you think, doesn't it? Gone are the days when one could simply deny public drinking or any other "unteacherly" behavior. Now principals can just pull up a close-up, color photo and interpret it however they like. Don't let something like this happen to you.

Downplaying or hiding your private life isn’t all you should do to work on your rep. Be proactive and take advantage of online tools and profiles that can highlight those things about you that you want people in your profession to see. This week I created a Google Profile which serves as my online “About Me” page. I can use this profile to introduce and promote myself as a teacher and also show off my websites such as this very blog. Once I begin teaching, I could provide links to pages for students and parents, to podcasts, and any other useful and relevant material. For helpful tips on creating my profile, I found some of the tips in this blog posting to be quite helpful. If you are a business person, you should find it of particular interest.

Ultimately it is up to you to be in control of what information about you goes on the Internet. If you want to take the chance of posting pictures on Facebook that could have an adverse effect on your career, it’s a decision entirely left up to you. It would be incredibly difficult to prevent anyone else from posting pictures, videos, and personal info about you online. In my opinion, it’s a crazy world we live in where you have to try. I’m of the mind that what you do in your personal time, assuming it is legal, should have no effect on your job status. Sadly, that is not the way things work anymore. Today you can be fired for holding a beverage in your hand and having the audacity to post it to your private social profile. Whether you agree with me or not, just be aware of what your online actions could mean for your future – good and bad.

Moriarty, E. (2011, February 6). Did the Internet kill privacy? CBS: Sunday Morning Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/06/sunday/main7323148.shtml (2011, February 24).

Haydon, J. 2009, August, 11). 27 ways to breathe life into your blog’s “about” page .Retrieved from http://www.johnhaydon.com/2009/08/writing-blog-about-page/ (2011,  February 24).

Who Wants to Make Spreadsheets, Anyway? Me!

photo © 2005 Thomas Williams | more info (via: Wylio)

...is basically how my brain felt after about twenty minutes of trying to re-learn Excel. I haven't used the program for anything since the 7th grade. That was about twelve years ago, so to say I was inept at the start of this week's spreadsheet assignment would be quite the understatement. Being in my early twenties, I rarely come across technology that I find frustrating or extremely challenging. Perhaps that is simply because I don't often come across incredibly advanced software. I'm hardly a computer genius. Regardless, this activity involving editing an existing spreadsheet and using formulas really confounded me at first.

Did I mention I also don't have the full version of Microsoft Office on my laptop? It's very irritating when fairly essential software is not included with such expensive purchases. Anyway, I learn much more efficiently from having someone else show me how to do whatever it is I want to be able to do. I asked a friend to come over and teach me the basics of Excel, and thanks to our incompatibility I ended up learning on a machine that both frightens and confuses me - the Mac.  After about twenty more minutes of instruction I managed to finish my assignment. It wasn't as bad as I thought after all.

It was, however, apparent to me that Excel is quite a complex program that is capable of doing a great many things. I plan to further explore this clever little data organizer. Not only can you use it as a gradebook or for other teacher resources, but you can use it in your teaching. Take this lesson plan from A to Z Teacher Stuff, for example. This is a perfect example of integrating the subject areas of technology and a core academic such as math. Personally, I'm really interested in finding ways to use Excel for things like record-keeping and portfolios.. I'd also like to learn how to take advantage of the graphing features, which could come in handy both in teaching and student data organization.

Now if only I were as inspired to learn how to use Macs...

How To Be Cautiously Fearless with Technology

“I firmly believe that to prepare kids for their future, we need to start speaking the language of kids,” says Cook. “They’re using this stuff anyway—let’s teach them how to use it productively.” (Rapp)

photo © 2009 Ben W | more info (via: Wylio)

This quote from David Rapp’s article about educational cell phone use in schools sums up beautifully how I feel about using technology in schools. Not just computers and doc cams, but cell phones, netbooks, iPods, and pretty much anything that could benefit student learning while giving them hands-on, real world experience in the classroom. Software and the Internet can also be tremendously useful tools. From watching videos posted online to blogging and Web-page publishing, there are limitless possibilities to which students should have access. Rapp’s article is full of amazing new ways students are learning by taking advantage of such tools. Well, that was easy! Now everyone is convinced and can go home happy. There’s no danger in taking advantage of all these fantastic tools, right? Wrong. Here comes the controversy. 

School administrators, teachers, and parents everywhere are either actively fighting the implementation of cell phones, certain websites, etc., or they are continuing to teach the way they always have not realizing that times are achangin’. It’s not difficult to pinpoint why anyone would be against particular technology in the classroom. The unfamiliar can definitely be scary, and oftentimes in education no one wants to jump on the bandwagon until popular research dictates positive effects. I believe, however, that more schools should be excited about the possibilities. We are living in a digital world, and we need to adapt fast to show our students how to use technology in positive ways that will benefit themselves and not harm themselves and others. Speaking of harm, here comes the biggest argument against increased use of technology as teaching tools. Safety. There is a whole host of threats out there ranging from computer viruses to cyber-bullying to what Shelly refers to as objectionable content. It would be easy to sit back, throw up our hands and say, “oh well, we tried. Technology is just too dangerous.” I’m choosing to take the more challenging route – the one that will benefit our students increasingly in the months and years to come. Here’s how.

Computer viruses and other security threats sometimes feel to me like yesterday’s problems. Yet these risks are still very real and harmful to computers and our information. This problem is solvable, though. Quality virus protection, firewalls, password protection, and proper backing up of files can really pack a punch against these threats. The key is staying up-to-date and vigilant. 

The next step of protection basically lies in the hands of the user. Navigating the Internet can easily be dangerous for students, even with firewalls and other protective software. Teachers have to be responsible for making sure that students do not submit any information online without teacher consent. Although I’ve previously referenced this article by Jackson, it shows how using particular websites or software can help protect students from online threats. Blogging in schools could be an excellent tool if precautions such as Jackson’s are made. 

What about blocking sites that likely contain inappropriate content? Certainly some sites should be blocked using firewalls or parental controls, but what about those that arguably contain educational materials like YouTube? Certainly there are alternatives to video websites. Safari Montage is an excellent program, but not every school can afford to make it available. Free websites like YouTube and TeacherTube are currently blocked by most schools’ firewalls. I disagree with this method of protection, because it eliminates literally millions of free materials that teachers could access in a matter of seconds. Many would argue with me that the risk of students accessing harmful videos outweighs the benefits. With the ability to create separate user accounts on individual computers and school networks, it is possible that only teachers would be able to access these sites. This way they can show only content they have already deemed appropriate and beneficial. With this option available, it baffles me that we are still eliminating such valuable and free resources. 

I wholeheartedly believe that if something can be of value to our students, we educators must find a way to get it into our classrooms. Be brave! Be innovative! If we want to give our students the best, we have to be willing to take chances and not let the fear of the unknown stand in the way.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

photo © 2009 Bernard Goldbach | more info (via: Wylio)

In life there are two kinds of questions; there's the trivial ones like, "Do these shoes look okay with this outfit?" or, "Should I be drinking diet soda instead?" and then there's the really important, life-altering decisions like, "Should I be using Twitter?" You laugh, but what if there's some truth to this?

I have never tweeted a day in my life. I've always felt that Facebook was enough obsessive over-sharing for me. I don't look down upon those who choose to tweet their every life's detail or post something called a twitpic. I just never though it was worth creating my own account. Now that I'm in this grad course, however, that is all about technology and how valuable it is to understand and use in the classroom I'm starting to be more open. In just a few short weeks I've been exposed to some pretty thought-provoking stuff. Suddenly I've gone from sticking to what I know to wanting to explore the uses of different social networking, blogging, and software tools. Stuff I never imagined had any value in the classroom suddenly seems brilliant!

So back to the question at hand - is Twitter worthwhile? Well according to various news articles, blogs, and last night's Grey's Anatomy, the answer is a resounding yes! Not only is Twitter worth my time, it can save lives! Surely many of you have heard of the 2009 case involving a woman's cry for help on actress Demi Moore's Twitter page. If not, you can read the details here. Additionally, a simple Google search for "twitter saves lives" turns up articles as old as 2008 and as recent as this week. Okay, so not all the stories necessarily resulted in a saved life, but there is no doubt that in 140 characters or fewer, people can make a serious impact in their own lives or the lives of people across the world.

photo © 2007 pidublu | more info (via: Wylio)


So what are the implications of Twitter on education? Last night's Grey's Anatomy episode addressed this very issue with its unique style, a combination of humor and drama, and it really got me thinking. In the episode, which you can watch for a limited time at abc.com, the doctors use Twitter during surgery to communicate with other hospitals across the country and save a man's damaged organ (possibly his life). As improbable as it sounds, it is arguably possible and really quite incredible. It only makes me wonder how I can use Twitter and other websites to educate and inspire my future students.

 Now I want to know, do you think Twitter is a useful tool? In what clever ways do you use it?

Connectivisim: Proceed With...

photo © 2006 Richard | more info (via: Wylio)

Ask just about anyone what they believe to be the most impactful technological advancement of the last fifty years, and I’m willing to bet they’ll answer, “the Internet.” While technically the Internet dates back to 1969 when it was created by a branch of the Department of Defense, it has since partnered up with the Web to become what we know it to be today. (Shelly) It is difficult to think of ways the Internet does not or could not participate in any given aspect of our lives. With the creation of tools such as blogging that make up what is known as Web 2.0, the Internet and World Wide Web are having an impact never before seen in the education world. LANs and wireless LANs as well as broadband access are allowing schools to take full advantage of all the Internet and Web have to offer. 

Watch Dr. Wendy Drexler’s video, “The Networked Student” to see what I mean. This relatively new idea called connectivism is already playing a major role for college students taking online courses (like myself), and could very well find its way into physical high school classrooms across America. While there is some merit to this theory and practice, I find three major issues that would possibly prevent it from becoming a mainstream technique in our schools. The first two relate to me and my own personal preferences for learning and teaching.

My knee-jerk reaction to Dr. Drexler’s model was probably one that many people might have. “What’s that? No textbooks? No lectures? Whoa, hold on just a minute…” I don’t know about you folks, but I actually enjoy the art of a good lecture. Not the kind given at 8am by a minimally invested teacher or professor.

I’m thinking back to my favorite English teacher in 11^th grade. That woman made me fall in love with The Great Gatsby. Teaching kids to teach themselves and each other is great – don’t get me wrong. Certainly knowing how to get free lectures from professors around the world delivered to your iPod is nifty, but I place a lot of value on a face-to-face lecture given by a teacher I and my class have a relationship with and who is building upon our previous studies to tie all of our learning together as only a skilled teacher could. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like that could be lost if we moved in a direction to model the majority of classrooms around connectivism.

Another issue I see, and one that I absolutely would have a personal problem with is self-motivation. It takes a lot of that stuff to do what Dr. Drexler’s video describes. Instead of being given explicit directions and materials to read, it seems as though our friend 21^st century student has to decide for himself what his learning materials are based on what he learns about quality sources. This could work brilliantly for some learners. If any of you know students or alumni of New College of Florida, you know they would revel in the opportunity to find their own materials online, to listen to podcasts and blog about their learning. There are also, however, people like me who although are quite motivated do need at least some explicit direction and required reading. I often fall into the trap of only doing what is required and taking whatever shortcuts I can to save myself the time and effort, particularly if the course is of little interest to me. This usually happens, I find, when I am taking an online course, because I miss out on that interaction with the professor I alluded to before. Let’s not forget, too, that I am a graduate student. Consider the average high school student’s self-motivation.

Finally an area I have little experience in, the buzz words Internet safety. We’ve all heard the terms online predator and cyber-bullying. Being on the cusp of the digital generation, I experienced and participated in cyber-bullying before it even had a name. Although the majority of children manage to navigate the Web mostly unscathed, it is still of the utmost importance for teachers, administrators, and school districts to take every precaution to ensure the safety of their students. With all the media attention given over the past decade, particularly to cyber-bullying, parents would undoubtedly have some reservations about having their students participate in a predominantly Web-based course. Fortunately, there are many ways to take caution against these issues. In this Education World article, author Lorrie Jackson explains how different types of software and websites allow for various ways to protect students’ privacy as well as physical and emotional well-being. Certainly if blogging and other forms of online communication, students must be taught about netiquette and online safety. There are absolutely ways to keep students safe, but some parents still might not want their children to participate even with all the reassurance in the world. 

None of these points I have brought up are absolutes against connectivism. There are ways to work around all of them, but they are important things that I feel must be considered before using this model in schools below the college level. No doubt that in our ever-changing digital world students can benefit greatly from Dr. Drexler’s model.  We as teachers must be knowledgeable and open to change if it is what our students need. But, of course, change is always a slippery slope; no matter how promising we must proceed with caution. 

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., & Gunter, R. E. (2010). Teachers discovering computers:Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed). Australia: Course Technology Cengage Learning.