Cyberbullying

After having looked over these cyberbullying sites, go to your blog and respond to the following questions:
• What online resources and information did you find most useful?
• How can these resources be used in your school to address cyberbullying?
• How do you teach students and staff about cyberbullying?

     I found the "Enough is Enough" website to be an excellent source of general knowledge for educators, parents, and students.  I like how it stressed the importance of the action or inaction of bystanders.  We need to do a better job of educating our students about how bystanders can be a key component of bully prevention.  This site, as well as StopBullying.gov, did a nice job of detailing the steps that students and parents should take when they find themselves the victim of bulling.

Ask the bully to stop and tell someone else that the bullying is taking place
Copy/Print the evidence,
Block the bully,
Report the bully to the website,
Report to school officials
Get the authorities involved.

     For students, I found the FBI site to excellent.  The FBI site for safe online surfing offered an education program for students in grades 3-8.  This should/could be used as a component of our technology curriculum.  Education at an early age is key to future prevention. Integration of the FBI site into our computer classes is already a discussion item between my computer and technology staff and I.
     The NASSP and NSBA sites were full of resources for administration and School Board Members.  Sample school policies were available as well as examples of school climate surveys that can be used to gauge your schools bully prevention program.  We will be using aspects of the school climate survey to analyze the District.  To me, it seems as though there has been improvement in our number of bullying cases.  A school climate survey will hopefully confirm my assumption.
     Our current methods of educating our staff and students about cyberbullying are unorganized and inadequate.  We have had yearly programs where we bring in a guest speaker to address our students. Our beginning of the school year assembly reviewed the school bullying policies with students and staff.  We also stress to staff that they need to be visible to students and actively listening in the halls and wherever students are present.  We are a small school and sometime allow ourselves to be complacent on things of this nature.  This information should help revitalize the bully prevention education in our school.

Research on the Effectiveness of Educational Technology

Assignment 1: After having looked over these educational technology research sites, go to your blog and respond to the following questions:
• Give a brief review of the research you found on these sites.
• What are your reactions to this research?
Is this information helpful in justifying the use and expense of technology in our schools?

The use of online learning in schools continues to increase.  The primary objective is to ensure the availability of high quality education to all students.  Schools need to determine the best format for the online environment in their schools.  Proper use of technology in a one to one environment can lead to improvements in student motivation, engagement, achievement, 21st century skills, and self directed learning.  The instructional practices of teachers will be positively impacted by technology use if there is proper training and infrastructure available.

I agree with these assumptions about the potential impact that technology, one-to-one learning environments, and online learning can have on our education system.  I have witnessed these things in my school with our students that have had the opportunity to take advantage of it.  At this time many of these resources are only available for remedial and advanced studies but we will soon begin to make this available on a larger scale and I am excited to see the results.  For the past 5-10 years, many schools have had the equipment to offer these types of educational opportunities but have allowed it to reach its full potential.    The schools that have piloted these programs are now the examples that we should try to emulate or modify to fit with the needs of our district.

The expense of technology resources cannot be ignored.  It is one of the major aspects that has held schools back from using technology to its full potential.  Many of the resources we have used thus far have been teacher-based, such as smart boards and projectors, online grade books, etc.  It is now time to put the tools available into our students hands with online classes, online textbooks, blended classes, etc.   The investments in technology that schools have already made will be wasted if we do not continue to move forward.  School technology budgets are going to continue to increase.  We need to make informed decisions about our purchases and provide the time and training to implement.

One-to-One Intiative

What are some potential barriers to implementing a one-to-one initiative?

There are number issues to consider as one enters a one-to-one learning environment.  There are 3 big barriers that school boards and other school leaders need to consider before implementation: The stability of the network, the total cost, and staff training and reluctance.  If the network is not stable or dependable the technology will not be used.  Start-up costs are typically easier to figure out than the maintenance and upkeep costs so budgets must be planned carefully.  This is a long-term commitment your school is making so Boards need to consider future sources of funding.  If your school is going to spend the money on this technology then your staff needs to be on board and given training and time to come up with a vision for how their classes will be enhanced with this initiative.  They also need to be involved in the decision making process

What are the benefits to implementing a one-to-one initiative? and…How does the teaching and learning process change when every student has a laptop computer, or mobile device?

The benefits of the one-to-one initiative are numerous.  They include increased access to information, extending instructional opportunities, improving student motivation, using 21^st Century skills, etc.  For some, they can be used to allow students to do remedial work in an online classroom.  They can be used to take AP other classes that are not offered in your district.  The learnining environment becomes limitless.  There will be more opportunities for personalized content for students and online professional development for staff.  Teachers will have to plan differently for their classes if they are going to use this technology to its fullest potential.  Here is where the necessity of training is essential or we risk technology being used as a baby sitter or pacifier.

At this point in time, how would you respond if a school board member asked if your school should implement a one-to-one initiative?

If a school board member asked me if we should implement a one-to-one initiative I would say it should have been done 10 years ago.  After that I would ask them questions to determine what their current knowledge of the initiative is and what their expectations are.  It is important to dispel any misconceptions Board members may have about how the initiative will work, what kind of results they should expect, and the ongoing costs.  For our students to excel in the 21^st Century we will have to put 21^st century tools in our students hands.  Educators will have to give them 21^st century tasks to do with those tools and expect results that meet or exceed our 21^st Century standards.  The one-to-one initiative is a must have for school districts.  It should be very high on the list of priorities for a school board to continue or begin supporting.

Copyright Policies for Schools

Does your school have a copyright policy?
My district does not currently have a copyright policy.  My superintendent and I will be writing one now based on this information.  Our policy will focus on fair use and guide teachers through the questions they need to ask themselves to determine whether their use would qualify.    From what I have seen, our staff already do follow these guidelines.  The gray area would include the practice of having students watch the movie after reading the book.  If the intent was for students to compare and contrast the two, then it is generally perceived to be fair use.  If it is simply for entertainment, then fair use would probably not apply.  Discussing the subtleties of the law should generate questions and thoughts regarding proper use.  The increase in use of Digital content makes this tougher to track in schools, so education of staff is going to be the key.  I think the copyright laws are important and schools should not abuse the fair use principles.  This is also about staff modeling ethical behavior for our students.  

Mobile Devices in the Classroom

The issue of mobile devices in the classroom has been viewed by many in education as a policy nightmare. Do personal mobile devices have a place in our schools besides a locker?  This is an issue that schools continue to grapple with.  The majority of schools around the country answer that question with a resounding no or at least a not yet.  What is keeping us from incorporating this amazing little piece of technology into our schools?  I will explain my 4 concerns, all of which have counter arguments that may eventually change my mind as we answer those questions in the future.

Access for all students –Do all students have access to these devices?  At this point we make sure all of our students have a school issued laptop to use for their educational benefit.  E-Rate requirements limit, to some extent, what the school can purchase and how the students will be allowed to use the devices.  With smart phones, it would only be allowable for them to be used in the school building.   The Bring Your Own Device movement going on in some schools has gained some national attention.  However, not every students phone is going to have the same capabilities.  Then we start getting into the equity game.  Will schools start suggesting which mobile devices students should buy?  Are students without phones, or without the right type of phone going to be left out?

Safety – School technology directors dedicate a lot of time to making sure they operating in a technologically secure environment.  Virus protection software and content filtering software are some of our current methods of controlling and securing our network.  To my knowledge, mobile devices do not have that option. This can be both good and bad.  It may allow schools to have a chance to teach students how to properly use these devices but it may also allow for potentially dangerous and inappropriate use.

Quality of educational software – The educational software available on mobile devices has been increasing dramatically.  We need to ask ourselves the question, “What is it that we really want our students to be doing with these devices?  Are we intending them to be used in addition to or instead of tablets or laptops? How you answer that question is critical.  If your intent is to use it as additional piece, provided by the school, your cost can add up to about $400 per year, per device before purchasing any apps that may be needed.

Teacher expertise – Do your teachers want to use these devices in their classes?  Do they know how to incorporate them into the classroom?  Will the school provide training to teachers for their use?  

At present, I see mobile devices continuing to have isolated or heavily restricted use in our schools.  With funding where it is currently, I don’t see how schools can continue to afford to keep up with the changing technology.   Mobile devices (phones, iPods) are, for most, entertainment and communication devices, not educational devices, at least not yet.