Presentations of Technological Genius

Well friends, we said our pieces and we showed our prowess on the presentation formats we chose and crafted to serve our distinct purposes. What do we have to show for it?
I noticed how difficult it was to step out of the bullet point style usage. We so often use these mediums as magnified handouts that state the information that we are also saying out loud. Sometimes this is affective and other times it's a snooze button.
I feel like prezi has a little more versatility than we all completely understand quite yet. It is interactive and the perspectives have the ability to be more engaging than your standard slide show.
I must admit, this is the first time I've ever even attempted a presentation with any sort of media that wasn't hand made... I was a fine arts major in undergrad. It was hard for me to interact with the tech part of the presentation and still get to the meat of my lesson. I found myself talking too vaguely and being distracted by whether or not my presentation was on the right target along it's path for the stuff I wanted to say with it.
After trying it out I have made some slight modifications and additions to my prezi that will hopefully make it a little more cohesive and user-friendly for myself the presenter and subsequently more interesting and engaging to the potential audience. I added some more reference images that flow in a direction of thought that I left out of today's presentation due to distraction. Also I modified to order and orientation of a couple of points in the attempt to make it more complete as a companion to the lecture part.
I enjoy the medium and I would like to get better at navigating its form and function. I can see it being useful in warming students up for a more hands-on in-depth activity or making a memorable lesson out of something that is important but cannot be directly interacted with. There is potential for humor and entertainment as well as focus and direct visual reference. Continued practice is where it's at. I can see the merit of it's use in the classroom... Becca's rap song is still going through my sub-conscious. :)

Social "Not"working

Social networks, such as facebook and twitter, have made an already grey area even denser. TSPC standards require us to maintain an "appropriate professional student-teacher relationship" (584-020-0035, 1, c). This is difficult because we want to know our students so that we can optimize their learning, but where is the line? Much of it is left up for interpretation. Some parents or faculty members may view a relationship to one extreme, while others view the same relationship as healthy and ethical. I think the burst of technology in this generation is advantageous in some regards, but for the time being it creates more problems for teachers. Until there clear guidelines can be established, the grey area is going to thicken like a dense fog and make it impossible to do much of anything. Too many "professionals" have a poor sense of professional judgement, making it difficult for those of us who understand how to properly use new media.

With that being said, I also see the more practical, and advantageous, uses of social networks. The job of the educator is to understand which methods are appropriate for both the topic/activity and the age-group. Twitter can be an effective method for producing a running dialog, but I believe it is more suitable for college students than, say, freshman or sophomores in high school. In a course at Penn State - University Park, two instructors allowed their students to post tweets during class. Keeping a watch on the feed, the professors found they could learn what "interested [their students] or puzzled them...getting a read on what concepts needed further explanation" (Zax, 2009). This experiment proved highly beneficial for the professors, but solely because the students showed their curiosities. I think that younger students would be much more distracted and the conversation would be less focused on academics. However, there is always the option of setting rules/guidelines for the twitter feed as well, especially if it is a list specific for the class.

In regards to facebook, it is easier to initiate and maintain an academic level. Creating events as reminders for big projects and starting a group are two great ways to utilize something students are already familiar with. Why try to teach them new knowledge to produce results that previous knowledge can already produce? Groups are also great because they allow for running dialog between students that other students may have as well, which can be posed to the instructor or other students. Also, any field trips or class activities with photos can be posted (with parent/guardian permission) for the students to enjoy. Nonetheless, as with all things, the educator must be careful to maintain a professional relationship...

In her article Facebook: The New Classroom Commons? (2010), Harriet Schwartz cites an article published eight years before Facebook was created defines a commons as "a place where the diverse parts of a community could come together and hold a conversation" (Common Fire, 1996) and Facebook has clearly taken that role. Students post on each other's walls for everyone to see, read, "like" or comment on. Such an entwined existence is bound to create problems - which will be discussed further down - but it is also a great means for educating. It allows for the classroom to go home with students. Discussions that normally would be cut off by the bell can now continue online rather than simply ending. It also allows for less vocal students to offer their insights and opinions in a way they are comfortable with.

Such an involved relationship with students can cause problems for educators, who are already held to a higher standard than other professions. One facet of our job is to be a model for students of moral behavior and so those photos from that one college party need to be locked up. They may be great memories, and may have been ten years ago, but the fact is that we are models for these kids. For some, we may be the only model they have. It is very easy to set up privacy settings limiting what your students can and cannot see on your profile, even if you DO accept their friend request. However, perhaps the easiest method (and what I intend to do) is to not accept their friend requests as long as they are your student. You are more than welcome to be their friend once they have graduated and the relationship dynamics are shifted.

One area that is difficult to control is content on someone else's website, either private or public, that can be "googled". For Tamara Hoover, she lost her job because of this. She had done a nude photo shoot, conducted by her partner, in a professional and artistic manner. The photos themselves were artistic, but this goes back to the issue of interpretation. Firing her was drastic, but I also understand how the rumor-mill that all schools are would create some issues and distractions (most likely with male students). This also ties into the argument of professional judgement. The article does not say whether the photo shoot took place while Hoover was an active educator or not, but that would certainly play a role in determining the necessary disciplinary actions. In the case of the "bloody MySpace page" (Carter, Foulger & Ewbank, 2008), it is our job as mandatory reporters to go through our proper channels and procedures to ensure that our students receive any help they may be needing. The reality is that if we are going to bring the classroom home for our students, then we are held accountable for anything requiring our professional reaction(s) that may arise; including cyber-bullying...

If I intend to use social media in my classroom, then the potentiality of cyber-bullying to occur is very much present. As a mandatory reporter it is my job to be on the lookout for bullying and to report it. I am having a difficult time determining what is over-stepping my "jurisdiction" so to speak. If cyber-bullying occurs on a page I have set up for the class, then I will take the necessary actions because I consider that to be no different than if the comment had taken place in class. However, if I am online and happen across a belittling comment by a student on another student's page, am I obligated to report it? I feel like that is crossing into the realm of personal lives and that I should not act on it. Nonetheless, whether the posts occur on an academic profile or a personal one, I can use (or allude to) the posts as examples of bullying and teach what is appropriate for posting online. Often times students will not even realize they are bullying, and, on a different note, won't realize that posting their phone number onto Facebook is a bad idea.

All in all, media has a few holes that need plugging and grey areas in need of clarification, but, when used properly, can be highly effective for both students and educators alike.

Social Networking- Rebecca Shook

Social Networking and Cyber-bullying

Rebecca Shook

            In the article, Have you Googled Your Teacher Lately? Teachers’ Use of Social Networking Sites, social networking sites are defined as “interactive websites designed to build online communities for individuals who have something in common- an interest in a hobby- a topic or an organization- and a simple desire to communicate across physical boundaries with other interested people” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank).   Networking sites are being used more and more by teachers in schools as a means to communicate with their students by allowing discussions to take place inside and outside of the classroom.  While these sites offer teachers advantages by increasing the amount of interaction and communication between themselves and students, enhancing instruction, and allowing quieter students to become more vocal, it also presents issues for teachers.  More and more, teachers are getting in trouble for having inappropriate photos or references on their personal sites and because they are allowing students to see these photos or references, they are getting in trouble for it.  “Venting about personal frustrations at work has also caused problems” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank).  High school English teacher Natalie Munroe got suspended from her job because she vented about her frustrations with students in a personal blog that was viewed by a student or parent. Carter, Foulger and Ewbank write, “As communities have viewed what they consider to be inappropriate information on an increasing number of teachers’ social network spaces, judgments have been made, and a range of consequences have been experienced” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank).   Although social networking sites allow teachers a better understanding of their students, it is important for teachers to take care in how they present themselves on these sites because there are a lot of ways for things to get misinterpreted or seen as unprofessional which in turn could ruin a teachers’ career. 

            “Our society has always been interested in the actions of teachers beyond the classroom walls” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank).  Teachers are held to very high standards in respect to behaviors inside and outside of the school environment.  I think that professionals as a whole should be held to these high standards, but that it is especially important for teachers because teachers help mold the minds of the future and need to practice what they preach.  Teachers should be responsible with how they portray themselves and take precautions when using social networking sites.  Making special pages to use at school that still let the students get a feel for their teacher, while keeping the personal life of the teacher private is a good way to get the best out of social networking sites.  Once a person starts their journey into becoming a teacher it would be wise to erase anything from their personal sites that could be misinterpreted or misunderstood or set their account to private to keep students from seeing it.  As long as teachers are responsible and aware of the issues that may arise from incorporating social networking sites into their classrooms, I think that both students and teachers a like can come away with positive experiences.

            A really big issue that can also play a role in the use of social networking sites in the classroom is cyber-bullying.  In the article, Online Bullies Pull Schools into the Frey, Hoffman defines cyber-bullying as, “willfull and repeated harm inflicted through phones and computers” (2010, p. 1).  If not monitored closely, social networking sites used in the classroom can turn from an innocent conversation about personal hygiene in a health class to devastating vote for the smelliest kid in class.  Teachers must take special care when running these sites to teach students digital responsibility and cyber-etiquette.  It is a teacher’s responsibility to make sure that the environment in which their students are learning in is safe for everyone.  If there is a possibility of a discussion on the classroom site escalating into bullying, it is the teacher’s job to stop it before it has a chance to progress.  I definitely believe that teachers and schools in general should help monitor and punish students who are bullying their peers regardless of if it is in a physical way, a verbal way or over the internet.

Social Networking

After reading several articles on social networking in relation to education, I recognize the value of using social networking to communicate with students for course related communication. However, I do not know if I would classify that value as a “great advantage”. An advantage in some aspects, yes, but not one that comes without great complications and adds more work to a teacher’s already heavy load.

In Harriet L. Schwartz’s article “Facebook: the new classroom commons?” she shares her own experience as a teacher that uses Facebook, twitter and she even goes so far as to be accessible via text messaging for her students. She goes on to elaborate about the convenience of social networking and how it has strengthened her relationships with her students, finally settling on the validity of using social networking as an additional platform for teaching. She concludes, “So perhaps for students, Facebook truly is an extension of the classroom in which all kinds of connections take place, some routine and some substantial.”

Drawing from our Character course, “being human” and building personal relationship counts for a lot with high school students. Yet, after spending eight hours a day with students I think I am going to want to limit my after-hours interactions and maintain a level of privacy. I think Stephanie makes an excellent point in her post stating that students if given the chance, could invade your private life and as a teacher you could run the risk of “…spend[ing] my evenings and weekends answering questions as they pop onto my Facebook screen”.

If I were to employ social networking in all of it’s glory, I would definitely want to take some severe precautions, such as setting up a class-only Facebook group just as we have for our Orange Cohort group. This of course would give me much more control and the ability to monitor comments. I can imagine myself utilizing this source in my future classrooms as a means to remind students of due-dates and assessments and clarify information, but for me that’s where I feel the line needs to be drawn. I agree with Shannon’s post that states, “Face to face conversations will happen with students regardless of technology. Teachers need appropriate boundaries with their students”. I am much more interested in having a real relationship with students as opposed to cultivating a cyber dialogue.

As far as teachers being held to a different standard in regards to social networking, I mostly cannot believe the stupidity demonstrated by some of the teachers in the articles we read. Accepting students as friends and then complaining about their bad behavior online or engaging in lewd interactions with them is a lack of common sense and is just begging for outside attention and discipline (Have you googled your teacher lately?). Natalie Munroe should have used better professional judgment if she wanted to blog about the stressful realities of being a teacher, or at least published the blog under another name without her picture. It isn’t as if these teachers did not know the professional expectations of TSPC beforehand.

Just as teachers need to use the “golden rule” if you will, in regards to students, I believe that every kid deserves the right to have schools be a safe and secure place free from cyber-bullying from peers. As a teacher I will certainly be on the lookout for bullying of all types at my school, I think that we have the power to regulate and minimize what occurs and it is sad to me that so many teachers have ignored problems, citing that the bullying occurred off-campus so they do not feel it is their responsibility. Unfortunately, it is our responsibility. As we are learning in our Character course, teachers are responsible for teaching morals and life-skills, which include being a kind human who does not berate others, to the point in some cases, where several students have commit suicide. So while some critics might think being made fun of is only a rite of passage, with the multiplying new mediums of how one can bully, I will be on the lookout to make sure my classroom is the most secure environment that it can possibly be.

The Social Networking Pickle

Here it is: Social Networking. For some the access is in the palm of their hands for others there is limited exposure and the significance of the intent slides up and down a scale of intensity. For the middle school classroom I see the presence being a given. Perhaps not all students will be on a network like facebook but they will all know about it. The realities of the networking system certainly hold potential threats like bullying and frivolity but I see the advantages of the medium when it comes to checking in with students who may not be as comfortable with speaking up in class. For me it doesn't pose a greater issue to implement a networking service for classroom discussion but more of a guidance forum. These kids will be using networks independent of the classroom model but if I can provide and model appropriate guidance and promote awareness of content implications while having a viable sounding board for class topics and discussions I believe that using this technology could be advantageous to all involved... including parents.

For use in the classroom I would implement something very basic, like a specially made facebook page for classroom topics only, or a blog site of it's like. The site would be monitored regularly by myself and kids would know the rules of conduct. I think that this could really be a helpful and fun tool to use in the classroom. As far as having a sounding-board for student or teacher complaints, like the Munroe case, that has no place on our classroom site.

Certainly by using this system there is a threat for "cyber-bullying." I believe that the likely hood of it is not as high due to the heavy monitoring and student understanding of it's implications on a class-related site. The subject will be addressed with students from the outset of the projects implementation and re-addressed continually throughout the school year. It will be a constant process of community building in and out of the classroom. As a monitor of the site I will be vigilantly on the lookout for any signs of misuse and I also think that parents consent and co-monitoring should factor into the process.

Social Networking and Our Classrooms

The world of social networking has both pros and cons in terms of its value and impact on education, just as it has pros and cons in its overall impact on society. The only real upside I can see to having social networking as a communication device in classrooms is that it allows students who may not otherwise come forward with questions to reach out to teachers and peers and interact that way. It can give students a feeling of community with their peers in class (according to the incredibly prescient text from 1996 that was referenced in the article “Facebook—The New Classroom Commons?”, “we find ourselves ambivalent inhabitants of a new global commons.” So make no mistake: while we may find a Facebook group to be a shabby imposter of a real community, for our students, this is the ultimate symbol of belonging.) However, the distraction posed by a social networking site like Facebook is a negative; curbing side conversations in class, intercepting notes, and physically separating chatty students in class is enough work without adding in the extreme drama of the online world to the mix.

My personal feeling is that I will be better served in a middle school classroom by limiting the amount of social networking I incorporate in my teaching. I understand that it is an integral part of students’ lives, but I disagree with the article “Social Media in the Classroom” that puts forth a need to start talking about it with kindergarteners. I’m finding that for myself, as a parent, it’s a very fine line between holding your child back technologically and dumping them headfirst into the cesspool of the Internet. Because of that, I would be very leery of stepping on the toes of parents of very young children as they may not wish to have social media be a part of their six-year old’s lexicon. But as I intend to work with middle schoolers, I think approaching the use of social networking in class with caution is advisable. Since, according to the “Social Media in the Classroom” article, children under thirteen shouldn’t even be on Facebook, I would aim for the highest level of information-sharing possible without crossing any boundaries, and I would set up a website that would allow students and parents to download and access important links or information. They could contact my by phone or email, and then I wouldn’t spend my evenings and weekends answering questions as they pop onto my Facebook screen.

To that end, I think there IS a level of inappropriateness in the amount of access students have to their teachers today. I went to school in a time where we had no email, so unless it was during the school day, or you happened to live near your teacher and could work up the nerve to go knock on his or her door with a question, then you basically had to make do with the time you had with them in class. And, believe it or not, I survived and thrived in school without being able to text them on a weekend or Facebook them at 10 p.m. the night before a test. Not only does so much interaction take away from your personal life as a teacher, but I think it does edge into a gray area with students. Many of them don’t know how or when to draw the line, and the over-familiarity can certainly get you into some trouble as an educator. And truly, in working with children, we are and SHOULD BE held to a higher standard. It’s our responsibility to mitigate situations where we put our own reputations on the line and where our students could potentially be put into situations that could be misconstrued.

As for Twitter, I think the merits mentioned in “Learning in 140 Character Bites” were largely skewed toward lecture-type college-level courses, and in that regard they were compelling—but not for middle or high school. I see no reason why in a room of 28 students, I can’t ask for a show of hands or call for questions rather than having them log into Twitter and send me their questions right there on the spot. Though I barely use it, I’ve been on Twitter for a few years and still am not thoroughly convinced of its usefulness, so I’d have to see some pretty hard evidence for bringing yet another social networking system on board with a gaggle of easily-distracted teens.

Bullying in any form is part of the job when working with adolescents, so I think I will definitely be on the lookout for signs of cyberbullying between students. In the article “Online Bullying Pulls Schools into the Fray”, the 7^th grade counselor at the middle school in question said that she spends about three-fourths of her time mediating and handling situations that stem from cyberbullying and texting. I think this loops back directly to the statement from the teen in the same article who said “It’s easier to fight online, because you feel more brave and in control…On Facebook, you can be as mean as you want.” As educators, there’s no way we can ignore this; to do so would be as good as admitting defeat and letting the inmates run the asylum. Those attitudes, petty arguments, fearless sniping, and mean-spirited attacks WILL impact the classroom, and will certainly affect the overall sense of community in a school. If our job as teachers is to ultimately be successful at teaching a blend of appropriate content and instilling values, morals, and ethics, then we need to roll up our sleeves and start adding appropriate online behavior, cyberbullying, and empathy for others to our long list of things to teach. To write such intervention off as “not our job” is to ignore the biggest 21^st century foe we have to creating a successful, safe, nurturing environment for our students to learn in.

On Facebook and Teaching

I agree with Renee Ramig’s claim that kids need to be taught how to use social network in a safe and responsible manner. That while in elementary school a teacher should guide them through the strange public/private cyber word. But thankfully I, being a high school language arts teacher, will not be the one who does it.

My relationship with technology will change some when I assume the role of student-teacher. For one, I will no longer be a member of the Facebook community. It’s that I don’t enjoy the immediate connection to everyone I have ever seen. The reason I am going to cancel my account is so that I don’t have to constantly monitor my profile or explain to students or parents why I have not accepted their friend request. Also, my status as a mandatory report would put me in the position of making lots of judgment calls about how serious to take students updates. And what if some of my female students posted scandalous pictures of themselves? You can’t unsee what you have seen or unlearn what you’ve learned.

If I were to stay on Facebook I would probably end up deleting all my friends, pictures, and tightening up the security on my profile. Deleting all my friends and photos might sound extreme but I would only want the students to see me as “teacher” and not Nicholas’ friend from college or Devin’s ex-roommate. If I were to stay on Facebook I would implement Harriet L. Schwartz advice, only engaging students when they first engaged me.

Even though I am opting out of Facebook I recognize the need for digital hall monitors and digital mentors. Cyber-bullying is a huge problem and one that will only get worst until some sort of law is put into effect that clarifies where the authority of the school ends. For now, a teacher or administrator will have to be resourceful in trying to come up with solutions for each individual case. Teachers and districts need to circle the wagon and talk about innovative ways of deterring cyber-bullying. A strong online presence by teachers might prevent students from cyber-bullying on Facebook or Twitter but there is no great way to slow down the texting faction.

Social Networking offers a whole host of advantages and as teachers if we decide we are going to participate or utilize social networking it is important that we remember the standard we are held to. I think it is good that teachers are held to a high standard. I have no problem with Natalie Monroe losing her job. Whether or not she put their names the way she talked about her students is inexcusable. I believe that teaching is an important profession and so teachers should face intense scrutiny.