Don't Feed the Trolls: Using Blogs to Teach Civil Discourse
In today's language, a troll is someone who posts personal attacks, is disrespectful of others, leaves inappropriate or offensive messages on social media such as Facebook or UTube. The main message of this article is to ignore trolls at all times. Responding to inappropriate postings only fuels the fire, often causing more ignorant, offensive messages to follow the original message. It is up to teachers, as well as parents, to teach our children that the Internet was invented to convey proper information which in turn leads to civil discourse.
So what does this mean to us as educators who are responsible for teaching today's students not only academic subjects, but also proper behavior. We all know that teaching children to behave properly is always uppermost in our minds; yet we often forget that proper behavior must also be taught when they communicate via the Internet. Cyberbullying has become a serious problem and has led to tragic outcomes. We must always be aware of what our students are writing in their emails, on their blogs and posting on social networks.
It has become a serious enough problem that many companies now demand from their employees that they provide the company with their password in order that the company officials may monitor what is being said about coworkers and administrators. This is, of course, really a breach of our personal information and many people are very concerned about this new trend. Teachers and principals cannot demand such information from their students, yet they really need to know what is being said over social websites and in emails back and forth to the students.
I think the author really sums up the article effectively when she states "Civil discourse forms the foundation of a democratic society." (Richardson 2008)
Richardson, K.W. (2008) Don't Feed the Trolls: Using Blogs to Teach Civil Discourse. Learning and Leading with Technology. Retrieved 9/15/12 from www.iste.org
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Ecology
ECOLOGY TIPS FOR SCHOOLS
I have chosen Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity to teach my future students how to be responsible citizens through inspiring them to learn about ecology and, in particular, recycling.Many students know something about recycling, but few realize that even their old printers and computers can be recycled. These articles inform the students of the policies of their schools, cities and states' regulations regarding what can be recycled and where.
In an article entitled "Steps to Responsible E-Waste Management at Your School," by Caprice Lawless, five steps are listed that enable teachers and administrators to learn how to best undertake the process of recycling in their schools.
The five steps are:
1. Educate yourself about local, national and international legislation
2. Investigate recycling options from the companies that sell you equipment
3. Learn about shredding and sorting and how to certify that recycling is happening
4. What others are doing
5. Put together your plan for responsible waste management
There is a page entitled, "How your classroom can help" that communicates ways students can contribute to the recycling effort of your school, district, and city.
You can access the article at:
Lawless, Caprice. (2008) Steps to Responsible E-Waste Management at Your School. Retrieved September 15, 2012, at www.iste@iste.org
There is another very informative articles entitled, "Portland & the Globe - Thinking about how school's reputations change." that discusses the current obsession with recycling that has overtaken Portland, Oregon. The article addresses how schools' reputations can suffer if their students and faculty are seen as uncaring about our planet's ecology when no effort to save paper, water bottles, and soda cans is forthcoming. Portland's schools are evaluated in the Portland monthly magazine on a yearly basis.
You can access this article at: Rurik-Rory Nackerud's blog. The blog is entitled:
Portland & the Globe - Thinking about how school's reputations change. Retrieved September 15, 2012, at www.iste-community.org/xn/detail/2280708PBlogPost:133375?xg.
First Graders with iPods
The article I read is entitled "First Graders with iPods" and was
written by two teachers, Sara Getting and Karin Swainey who worked
together to incorporate the use of iPods into teaching their first grade
students. The iPods were used to aid the children in the reading
capabilities and were funding through a special grant. Through the
incorporation of the use of iPods, the teachers discovered favorite apps
for the teaching of sight words, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and
literacy. The article gives this information about their favorite apps
to the reader for their use if following this new path in education
technology.
The initial reaction to giving iPods was met with some consternation; however, after the first year of using this technological resource it was proven that the most at-risk learners improved 15 percent in their reading comprehension. The article discussed how the children learned better when confronted with sight words, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and literacy. The students, even the most at-risk students, showed marked improvement in all these subjects. The improvements caused by the use of iPods by these first graders actually contributed to their school's being selected to "join a cadre of 14 leading-edge school districts." (Getting. Swainey 2012).
The article also discussed areas where collaboration proved to be so important to the facilitation of the trial run, if you will, of giving iPods to first graders. As this was a new innovation in the district's schools, the teachers were on their own to arrange the research parameters. The only advice they were given concerned how to get the funding needed to buy the iPods for this project.
As a hopeful future special education teacher, I found I was highly informed as to the manner in which to allow young children to use technological devices I myself have yet to use. I feel that finding a way to allow special education students to watch the videos and other lessons taught through the iPad will certainly enhance not only their interest, but their accomplishments. I know that I will push for this type of research to be used with special needs students in the future.
Getting,S. and Swainey,K. (2012) First Graders with iPods. Learning and Leading with Technology.
Retrieved from www.iste.org
The initial reaction to giving iPods was met with some consternation; however, after the first year of using this technological resource it was proven that the most at-risk learners improved 15 percent in their reading comprehension. The article discussed how the children learned better when confronted with sight words, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and literacy. The students, even the most at-risk students, showed marked improvement in all these subjects. The improvements caused by the use of iPods by these first graders actually contributed to their school's being selected to "join a cadre of 14 leading-edge school districts." (Getting. Swainey 2012).
The article also discussed areas where collaboration proved to be so important to the facilitation of the trial run, if you will, of giving iPods to first graders. As this was a new innovation in the district's schools, the teachers were on their own to arrange the research parameters. The only advice they were given concerned how to get the funding needed to buy the iPods for this project.
As a hopeful future special education teacher, I found I was highly informed as to the manner in which to allow young children to use technological devices I myself have yet to use. I feel that finding a way to allow special education students to watch the videos and other lessons taught through the iPad will certainly enhance not only their interest, but their accomplishments. I know that I will push for this type of research to be used with special needs students in the future.
Getting,S. and Swainey,K. (2012) First Graders with iPods. Learning and Leading with Technology.
Retrieved from www.iste.org
Friday, September 14, 2012
Thoughts from a Senior
I am a senior citizen who is finally realizing her dream of studying education. I am presently in my second year at University of Phoenix, getting my Master's at University of California, Riverside, and am taking this Technology course in order to go into the Master's program at California State University in San Marcos, California.
I love taking online courses -- knowing at the beginning of each week what is expected of you over the next seven days helps me to gauge my time accordingly. I usually finish all the assignments by Thursday or Friday of each week and the next week doesn't start until the following Tuesday so I jump ahead and get the reading for that week done before the next week's class even starts.
Technologically speaking I am a beginner. I have only learned the basics of Power Point and Word, am looking very much forward to learning how to create spread sheets and charts.
This class is going to teach me these things and much more.
I originally intended to teach at the community college level in social studies, but during my studies at University of Phoenix I had to observe a special education class. I was lucky to observe at a private school for special needs kids and am now a volunteer there tutoring reading and helping out in the library. This school has students who have been physically, emotionally or sexually abused and also classes for students with autism, mental retardation and ADHD. I have found that these are the students with whom I wish to work, at least on a part time basis. At my age, I know that I will never get a full time job, but hope to work part time in special education once I finish my education.
As a senior, I have had many occupations, including owning Yellow Cab in Corpus Christi, Texas, working as a note reader and transcriptionist for court reporters in federal and district courts and working as an executive assistant for a man who was the CFO of Playboy, Inc.
I have two sons, one of whom is in the fitness industry in the winter and teaches hang gliding in the summer; the other teaches something called Human Design which basically teaches its students not to rely on one's brain, but to go with that "gut" feeling -- trust your body to tell you what to do. I have sat in on some of his classes when I visited him in Kauai, Hawaii, but still have no idea what he teaches or how to do what he tells me to do -- trust my "gut" feeling and don't over think things.
This is my first blog and am anxious to see who reads it and posts to it. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4513842293181557476#editor/target=post;postID=9134957035833217679
I love taking online courses -- knowing at the beginning of each week what is expected of you over the next seven days helps me to gauge my time accordingly. I usually finish all the assignments by Thursday or Friday of each week and the next week doesn't start until the following Tuesday so I jump ahead and get the reading for that week done before the next week's class even starts.
Technologically speaking I am a beginner. I have only learned the basics of Power Point and Word, am looking very much forward to learning how to create spread sheets and charts.
This class is going to teach me these things and much more.
I originally intended to teach at the community college level in social studies, but during my studies at University of Phoenix I had to observe a special education class. I was lucky to observe at a private school for special needs kids and am now a volunteer there tutoring reading and helping out in the library. This school has students who have been physically, emotionally or sexually abused and also classes for students with autism, mental retardation and ADHD. I have found that these are the students with whom I wish to work, at least on a part time basis. At my age, I know that I will never get a full time job, but hope to work part time in special education once I finish my education.
As a senior, I have had many occupations, including owning Yellow Cab in Corpus Christi, Texas, working as a note reader and transcriptionist for court reporters in federal and district courts and working as an executive assistant for a man who was the CFO of Playboy, Inc.
I have two sons, one of whom is in the fitness industry in the winter and teaches hang gliding in the summer; the other teaches something called Human Design which basically teaches its students not to rely on one's brain, but to go with that "gut" feeling -- trust your body to tell you what to do. I have sat in on some of his classes when I visited him in Kauai, Hawaii, but still have no idea what he teaches or how to do what he tells me to do -- trust my "gut" feeling and don't over think things.
This is my first blog and am anxious to see who reads it and posts to it. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4513842293181557476#editor/target=post;postID=9134957035833217679
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