Web Safety is a scary topic...
Porn sites, sexual predators, cyber-bullying, online identity theft, unwise or compromising photos all over the internet, and the like. The list of dangers on the internet seems endless. It almost makes me long for the good old days of just TV and libraries.
Almost.
To quote a famous philosopher, "There is nothing new under the sun." Bullies and sexual perverts have always been there and always will be. Identity thieves are not going to go away. And compromising information made public (think "gossip") will always be a problem. The issue is that the internet makes it so much easier to be a victim, not to mention an perptrator. The solution is to be ever more vigilant.
The first weapon of defense is a "net nanny." These internet monitoring programs can be downloaded and installed on any computer, and some of them are free. We use K-9 Blue Coat, a program that was developed for the workplace but which has since been made available for free by the creators. (Unfortunately, it does not work on Macs at this time.) My kids hate it. I love it. I am the only one with the password, and if they want to access YouTube, they have to come to me. Same with social networking sites. Or any other site on the list--unless I choose to exempt a category or a particular site. With teens in the house, especially boys, it's invaluable.
Now for the hard part: we have to educate our kids and educate ourselves about the dangers that surfing the web can pose. And then we have to take action. Monitoring who our kids are communicating with, keeping up with our credit reports, safeguarding our passwords and personal information are only the beginning. As teachers, we have to be especially vigilant with our students' online activities, not to mention their personal information.
The thought of buying umbrella insurance is not welcome, but I have decided it's necessary to protect me and my family from any missteps, perceived or real, with regard to web safety and the like. After all, I might know about the "brown recluse spider" who is a sexual predator, but what about the "black widow spider" who is waiting for a chance to sue me for all I'm worth?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Educational Assessments: What's the big deal?
What are educational assessments? Do we really need them?
Throughout the history of education, we have struggled with not only how to get to students to learn, but also how to determine whether they have learned anything at all. In other words, we have struggled with assessments. Assessments, simply put, are intended to assess whether or not a student has learned the material and to what degree. Not all assessments are created the same, however.
In the "olden" days, teachers assigned material to be read and studied and then spit back out on tests in rote form. Memorization was king, and creative thinking was discouraged. Over time, this changed. In my earlier student days, I had many tests which tested not only factual knowledge but also the ability to apply that knowledge using original thought, such as a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Papers were part of the equation as well. But are these the only choices?
Absolutely not! Today we are encouraged to use a variety of ways to assess student learning, and current technology can play a big part in that. In addition to the typical posters, in-class debates, dramatizations, etc., that creative teachers use, why not allow the students to put together their own videos? Power point presentations, digital photo tour brochures, newspapers using desk-top publishing, blogs, online games that reinforce skill sets, and the like are other ways to engage the student using current technology as well as to assess their mastery of the material.
But are these assessments really necessary? And how often? In my opinion, they are absolutely necessary--the sooner the better. If a student does not understand a lesson, how is a teacher to know? For that matter, how is the student himself to know without being required to apply that knowledge? Assessments not only reinforce the material, but they catch students' problems before they become disasters. For example, if the goal is for students to understand a grammar concept in addition to vocabulary, the lesson should be taught and an assignment should be given to reinforce the lesson. The teacher should then create an assessment to see if the students understood and learned the material. The assignment might be as simple as a game, and the assessment might be as simple as asking the student to create their own game, crossword, or story.
What if we were to kick it up a notch and use technology? Maybe the students could write the story on a computer, add pictures, and then publish it. Or maybe they could use a blog to set up a quiz for other students to take. The same concept of assessing the students by means of a quiz or writing assignment has then become much more interactive for all.
In the end, the students are supposed to be learning. Assessments determine whether or not this is happening. Or they should. If everything rests on a single exam at the end, what happens to the student who didn't realize he didn't understand a concept until too late? The best assessments not only should test the students' knowledge and understanding of the material, but they should reinforce it and put it all together.
Throughout the history of education, we have struggled with not only how to get to students to learn, but also how to determine whether they have learned anything at all. In other words, we have struggled with assessments. Assessments, simply put, are intended to assess whether or not a student has learned the material and to what degree. Not all assessments are created the same, however.
In the "olden" days, teachers assigned material to be read and studied and then spit back out on tests in rote form. Memorization was king, and creative thinking was discouraged. Over time, this changed. In my earlier student days, I had many tests which tested not only factual knowledge but also the ability to apply that knowledge using original thought, such as a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Papers were part of the equation as well. But are these the only choices?
Absolutely not! Today we are encouraged to use a variety of ways to assess student learning, and current technology can play a big part in that. In addition to the typical posters, in-class debates, dramatizations, etc., that creative teachers use, why not allow the students to put together their own videos? Power point presentations, digital photo tour brochures, newspapers using desk-top publishing, blogs, online games that reinforce skill sets, and the like are other ways to engage the student using current technology as well as to assess their mastery of the material.
But are these assessments really necessary? And how often? In my opinion, they are absolutely necessary--the sooner the better. If a student does not understand a lesson, how is a teacher to know? For that matter, how is the student himself to know without being required to apply that knowledge? Assessments not only reinforce the material, but they catch students' problems before they become disasters. For example, if the goal is for students to understand a grammar concept in addition to vocabulary, the lesson should be taught and an assignment should be given to reinforce the lesson. The teacher should then create an assessment to see if the students understood and learned the material. The assignment might be as simple as a game, and the assessment might be as simple as asking the student to create their own game, crossword, or story.
What if we were to kick it up a notch and use technology? Maybe the students could write the story on a computer, add pictures, and then publish it. Or maybe they could use a blog to set up a quiz for other students to take. The same concept of assessing the students by means of a quiz or writing assignment has then become much more interactive for all.
In the end, the students are supposed to be learning. Assessments determine whether or not this is happening. Or they should. If everything rests on a single exam at the end, what happens to the student who didn't realize he didn't understand a concept until too late? The best assessments not only should test the students' knowledge and understanding of the material, but they should reinforce it and put it all together.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Educ 517 reflections
Do students need access to technology in the 21st century? If so, why? If not, why not?
First of all, we need to define "technology." Technology for my purpose here means anything to do with computers and beyond. That means I'm not talking about overhead projectors, copy machines, mechanical pencils, etc.
The basic answer to this question is "Yes!" Students do need access to technology in the 21st century. However, there is a huge variance in degree of access as well as type of technology. In my opinion, every student should have access to and knowledge of how to use a computer to create word documents. I don't think, however, that every student needs his own computer in the classroom or even at home. If this were a requirement, then every school district would somehow be responsible to come up with the funds to provide them to the students who could not provide their own. In Nebraska, for example, the state constitution explicitly states that every student must be provided a public education with no cost whatsoever to the student. Nebraska schools can no longer require students to purchase school supplies beyond a basic notebook and pen. Yes, that means that school districts must provide everything from crayons, glue, construction paper, hand gel, and boxes of tissues to scissors, colored pencils, and anything else the students at one time had to provide for themselves. If computers were required, those, too, would have to be provided by the school district. This would be ridiculous, in my opinion!
That doesn't mean, however, that schools should not have computers in them at all. On the contrary, I think that all schools should have some sort of computer lab if at all possible. Students in our country need to have a basic working knowledge of how to manipulate information in a document as well as how to access information on the internet, especially for research purposes. If a school district cannot afford to have a computer lab, then they should apply for grants. The next level is to provide a computer in every classroom, again by whatever means are available. I believe that computers in the classroom aid the teacher to keep up with not only grades, communication between faculty members, communication with students and with parents, and professional development needs, but they also provide a link to the internet, which can greatly enrich the curriculum by bringing in information resources from all over the world.
Requiring schools to have computers does not lessen the need for good teaching, however. Computers are merely a tool--albeit a very valuable one--that open up a world of learning that would otherwise not be available. While a computer also cannot replace a good library, some schools simply do not have the resources for an extensive book collection. Computers are so much more affordable now than in previous years, and they can help bridge the gap between what a school has in its library and what a teacher would like to offer in the classroom. Students also need to be prepared to enter a world in which computers dominate. Even those who work at McDonald's have to be able to use their computers! Public libraries everywhere have computers, and students should be required to use them if their schools do not have a computer lab that is accessible.
Computers are too valuable a tool to ignore in education. Neither are they a panacea because, after all, they're just a tool. We can argue until we're blue in the face about how much technology is enough and how much is too much. In the meantime, each school district needs to address this issue and come up with a solution that they find is reasonable and achievable.
First of all, we need to define "technology." Technology for my purpose here means anything to do with computers and beyond. That means I'm not talking about overhead projectors, copy machines, mechanical pencils, etc.
The basic answer to this question is "Yes!" Students do need access to technology in the 21st century. However, there is a huge variance in degree of access as well as type of technology. In my opinion, every student should have access to and knowledge of how to use a computer to create word documents. I don't think, however, that every student needs his own computer in the classroom or even at home. If this were a requirement, then every school district would somehow be responsible to come up with the funds to provide them to the students who could not provide their own. In Nebraska, for example, the state constitution explicitly states that every student must be provided a public education with no cost whatsoever to the student. Nebraska schools can no longer require students to purchase school supplies beyond a basic notebook and pen. Yes, that means that school districts must provide everything from crayons, glue, construction paper, hand gel, and boxes of tissues to scissors, colored pencils, and anything else the students at one time had to provide for themselves. If computers were required, those, too, would have to be provided by the school district. This would be ridiculous, in my opinion!
That doesn't mean, however, that schools should not have computers in them at all. On the contrary, I think that all schools should have some sort of computer lab if at all possible. Students in our country need to have a basic working knowledge of how to manipulate information in a document as well as how to access information on the internet, especially for research purposes. If a school district cannot afford to have a computer lab, then they should apply for grants. The next level is to provide a computer in every classroom, again by whatever means are available. I believe that computers in the classroom aid the teacher to keep up with not only grades, communication between faculty members, communication with students and with parents, and professional development needs, but they also provide a link to the internet, which can greatly enrich the curriculum by bringing in information resources from all over the world.
Requiring schools to have computers does not lessen the need for good teaching, however. Computers are merely a tool--albeit a very valuable one--that open up a world of learning that would otherwise not be available. While a computer also cannot replace a good library, some schools simply do not have the resources for an extensive book collection. Computers are so much more affordable now than in previous years, and they can help bridge the gap between what a school has in its library and what a teacher would like to offer in the classroom. Students also need to be prepared to enter a world in which computers dominate. Even those who work at McDonald's have to be able to use their computers! Public libraries everywhere have computers, and students should be required to use them if their schools do not have a computer lab that is accessible.
Computers are too valuable a tool to ignore in education. Neither are they a panacea because, after all, they're just a tool. We can argue until we're blue in the face about how much technology is enough and how much is too much. In the meantime, each school district needs to address this issue and come up with a solution that they find is reasonable and achievable.
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