Servin Up Some

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Tool #11 - Self Assessing and Reflecting

I really enjoy using Blogger a lot. I plan on using it quite often to ask open-ended questions for students to reply to in multiple subject areas. Students will be able to reply anonymously, which will lead to further discussion. One question might be to talk about his/her biggest concern going into fifth grade. Google Apps will also be used frequently for similar reasons, but student names will be used.

To make changes to my classroom to accommodate the 21st Century learner, I plan on having students consistently go to stations to work on projects and to collaborate with others online.

My biggest surprise was the clarity I got out of this regarding the ability to use stations to foster 21st Century learning. I believe this will be the first step toward Transformative teaching.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tool #10 - Underneath it All - Digital Citizenship

Learners need to know how to operate safely, friendly and ethically in the digital world. Our job as educators is to help develop the skills necessary for our students to become successful citizens in the world. As a fifth grade teacher, my focus for teaching digital citizenship is not as extensive as secondary educators. A few of the primary points I will cover with students and the corresponding strategies to help them avoid these pitfalls are:

1. Students copy material off the Internet for class projects without giving credit to the author. To address this inappropriate use, discussing student perceptions of ethical/unethical technology use and discussing fair use and copyright laws is needed.

2. Students violate school acceptable use policies (AUPs) because they view them as unfair. To counteract this, teachers should provide students with information about appropriate and inappropriate use of technology in school. Engaging students about the differences between rights in school and outside school when using technology will also be addressed.

3. Students use handhelds or instant messaging (IM) to send nonclass-related messages back and forth in class. Teachers should use case studies or scenarios to illustrate appropriate and inappropriate ways of using technology. They should also model appropriate uses of technology in and out of the classroom.

Parents need to play an active role in their child's use of technology. Educators can help by offering a few campus sessions highlighting important points for being a good digital citizen. After discussing the key features, parents and their child/children will be asked to sign a pledge as evidence of their faith in following through on good practices. One such contract can be seen by clicking here.