This week's topic is about social media in school. Schools face some hard decisions about how to plan the access to be provided for their students. Some default to a very strict and very limited access, which means no social media sites. Some schools still block YouTube, some even block Google and Yahoo. Here's a VoiceThread with my thoughts on the "Walled Garden" and some ideas about consideration for schools as they evaluate their particular situation.
The image in the VoiceThread is by Jojo77 and is called Garden at Christ Church, which can be found here. It was found via Creative Commons search.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Friday, March 6, 2015
EDTECH 541 - Internet Safety
The integration of technology into the classroom must include the important lessons involving online safety. The opportunity for anonymity (or misrepresentation) of those who are online opens the possibility for young users to naively stumble into precarious situations. Yes, this puts more responsibility on the educator’s plate to work with students in learning such practices, and on school administration to assure consistent messaging and enforcement of digital literacy policies year after year.
Common Sense Media identifies eight topics that should be included in a school instruction. These lessons are scaffolded by grade level. All lessons include pacing, resources, videos and associated Common Core standards. The four I will focus on are Cyberbullying, Information Literacy, Privacy, and Digital Footprint & Reputation - and tied to ISTE Standards for Students in the area of Digital Citizenship.
Cyberbullying - Whether it’s an attempt to be hurtful or simply to be funny, sometimes what someone posts can have a negative impact on the receiver. Students need to understand that it's not so much the intent that is important, but how the receiver understands it. Facial cues are integral in face to face conversation. It tells us much about meaning. But in typed correspondence, that piece is missing. What might be meant as sarcasm, wit or a joke, may come across as hurtful spite. Students should be encouraged to use emoticons or other cues (e.g., “jk” for just kidding) to indicate intention.
In addition, students should understand and act as upstanders. An upstander is a witness to hurtful behavior and learns actions so he or she can support the victim. Upstanders know that it is ok to stand up for what’s right. (ISTE*S 5d)
Information Literacy - The ability to search for quality, reliable information is a learned skill. It is so easy to “google” any term and receive thousands of results. The problem is that sometimes results surface to the top for reasons other than reliability and accuracy. Students need to learn how to do an advanced search to narrow down specific information, understand clues using solid techniques that help eliminate poor sources, and find resources other than huge search engines to locate information.
The internet is a great platform to share creative work, but that doesn’t mean anyone can use it as part of their work. Students need some knowledge of how and when they can use the work of others. They should also learn how to protect their own creative work. Lessons found in Creative Commons help teachers and students get a basic understanding of what can be a complicated issue. (ISTE*S 5a)
Privacy - A woman named Keri McMullen posted on her Facebook status that she would be attending a concert that evening, as reported by the Sileo Group in a 2010 post. Shortly after she left, her home was broken into, with $11,000 worth of property loss. The investigation revealed that the thieves (caught thanks to in-home video cameras) were high school classmates who had seen the post. They weren’t close friends of Keri’s, but in her desire to have a lot of “friends," she added those with whom she had little personal relationship. Students must learn how to take care about who they share with, and what they share. Online lessons walk students through the process of selecting what to share and when.
Students also need to understand the value of keeping passwords secure. This includes sharing with friends, clicking on suspicious advertising, and identifying phishing in email. Identity theft is regularly in the news, but users can remain safe if they are diligent with password privacy, and change passwords when prompted. (ISTE*S 5c)
Digital Reputation and Footprint - A recent study Reppler study of 300 random employers found that 96% of them used social media to screen candidates. About one-half scanned the candidate’s social media sites prior to meeting the candidate. Sixty-nine percent rejected candidates based on what they saw on social media. We know colleges are using social media in the same manner, especially with highly visible applicants, such as athletes.
Students must learn that once something is posted online, there is little opportunity to remove it. A less than innocent image posted on Snapchat can be saved as a screenshot by the receiver, and shared with others. Regardless of intent, an image or statement can be replicated and share indefinitely, causing embarrassment and harm to others. (ISTE*S 5d)
Consider using the following resources for more information on digital literacy:
Common Sense Media - provides lessons, ratings and other resources for families and schools
Creative Commons - resources to understand, find and use copyright-friendly media
Family Online Safety Institute - resources to educate and engage parents in conversations about media use at home and school
iKeepSafe - tools for schools and family to learn about privacy laws
Sileo, John (2010) Facebook Status Update Leads to Robbery | Sileo Group Retrieved from http://www.sileo.com/facebook-status-update-leads-to-robbery/
Common Sense Media identifies eight topics that should be included in a school instruction. These lessons are scaffolded by grade level. All lessons include pacing, resources, videos and associated Common Core standards. The four I will focus on are Cyberbullying, Information Literacy, Privacy, and Digital Footprint & Reputation - and tied to ISTE Standards for Students in the area of Digital Citizenship.
Cyberbullying - Whether it’s an attempt to be hurtful or simply to be funny, sometimes what someone posts can have a negative impact on the receiver. Students need to understand that it's not so much the intent that is important, but how the receiver understands it. Facial cues are integral in face to face conversation. It tells us much about meaning. But in typed correspondence, that piece is missing. What might be meant as sarcasm, wit or a joke, may come across as hurtful spite. Students should be encouraged to use emoticons or other cues (e.g., “jk” for just kidding) to indicate intention.
In addition, students should understand and act as upstanders. An upstander is a witness to hurtful behavior and learns actions so he or she can support the victim. Upstanders know that it is ok to stand up for what’s right. (ISTE*S 5d)
Information Literacy - The ability to search for quality, reliable information is a learned skill. It is so easy to “google” any term and receive thousands of results. The problem is that sometimes results surface to the top for reasons other than reliability and accuracy. Students need to learn how to do an advanced search to narrow down specific information, understand clues using solid techniques that help eliminate poor sources, and find resources other than huge search engines to locate information.
The internet is a great platform to share creative work, but that doesn’t mean anyone can use it as part of their work. Students need some knowledge of how and when they can use the work of others. They should also learn how to protect their own creative work. Lessons found in Creative Commons help teachers and students get a basic understanding of what can be a complicated issue. (ISTE*S 5a)
Privacy - A woman named Keri McMullen posted on her Facebook status that she would be attending a concert that evening, as reported by the Sileo Group in a 2010 post. Shortly after she left, her home was broken into, with $11,000 worth of property loss. The investigation revealed that the thieves (caught thanks to in-home video cameras) were high school classmates who had seen the post. They weren’t close friends of Keri’s, but in her desire to have a lot of “friends," she added those with whom she had little personal relationship. Students must learn how to take care about who they share with, and what they share. Online lessons walk students through the process of selecting what to share and when.
Students also need to understand the value of keeping passwords secure. This includes sharing with friends, clicking on suspicious advertising, and identifying phishing in email. Identity theft is regularly in the news, but users can remain safe if they are diligent with password privacy, and change passwords when prompted. (ISTE*S 5c)
Digital Reputation and Footprint - A recent study Reppler study of 300 random employers found that 96% of them used social media to screen candidates. About one-half scanned the candidate’s social media sites prior to meeting the candidate. Sixty-nine percent rejected candidates based on what they saw on social media. We know colleges are using social media in the same manner, especially with highly visible applicants, such as athletes.
Students must learn that once something is posted online, there is little opportunity to remove it. A less than innocent image posted on Snapchat can be saved as a screenshot by the receiver, and shared with others. Regardless of intent, an image or statement can be replicated and share indefinitely, causing embarrassment and harm to others. (ISTE*S 5d)
Consider using the following resources for more information on digital literacy:
Common Sense Media - provides lessons, ratings and other resources for families and schools
Creative Commons - resources to understand, find and use copyright-friendly media
Family Online Safety Institute - resources to educate and engage parents in conversations about media use at home and school
iKeepSafe - tools for schools and family to learn about privacy laws
References
Reppler Company (2012) How Employers Use Social Media To Screen Applicants ... Retrieved from http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/infographic-how-recruiters-use-social-media-screen-applicants/
Monday, March 2, 2015
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