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.
Hi there!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post. I am somewhat on the opposite side of the fence from you. I am more of a "let's hunker down and protect us" kind of person I guess.
For instance, sometimes when I view a YouTube video, other non-school-appropriate links and video previews show up. To me, it is not worth it to me to have to make sure that whatever shows up at the end of the video is inoffensive. Instead, I would download the video to my computer or to disk and show it there. You can easily download YouTube videos at home by typing the word "kick" in the address. (www.kickyoutube.com/nameofthevideo)This way, you have the video to show whenever you want. In addition, there are websites such as safeshare.tv, which are set up to safely share YouTube videos without the excess "stuff".
Another solution would be that during school hours, certain sites are blocked, but after school, those sites could be released, so that teachers could retrieve content for the next day. Or, yet another solution would be to password protect certain sites, so that ONLY teachers can access them and students cannot. That way, teachers can guide their classes to appropriate areas, demonstrating proper computer usage, Internet searches, and netiquette.
I wonder about "educational" sites that contain non-educational ads or images that are not educationally appropriate. What is their motivation? YouTube was never set up to be educational. It just happens to be that it is easy to upload there. There are PLENTY of educational websites out there that are appropriate and are ad-free. Do we continually go to those popular sites because they're easier? With more digging around, will we find similar or even better material elsewhere? It kind of goes back to that question we had earlier this term - "Are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us?"
Thanks for the food for thought.
~ Christi S
I completely agree with you about everything single thing you said, which I know is incredibly boring, but you made some excellent points that I also made in my blog. One of these points is that we as teachers need to be teaching students about how to properly use all the fantastic tools available to them. Sure there is danger out there on the internet, but many parents sure are not around enough and are not involved enough to teach this sort of thing to their children so the job falls back onto the teachers. It’s important that we properly educate our students about internet safety.
ReplyDeleteOne point you made that I also agreed with was that many teachers do not use the technological tools available to our students simply because they do not know how. Unfortunately, I have experienced this firsthand and had teachers who are barely able to use the school e-mail, let alone social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. However, on the other side of the coin, we have a teacher in my department who has her own Facebook group for class and gives extra credit to students who join in on the discussion on her Facebook group. She has a Twitter account and provides updates on homework assignments and tips through it. The students absolutely love her and love her class. I think it is completely due to the fact that she is in touch with what they do on a daily basis and has made education relevant to them.
Anyway, a well written blog entry! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!