Internet safety is a core issue for the young people within our society, and as educators, we have a duty to do everything that we can to both educate and prevent risks on the internet. As teachers, we have both the job to educate students about Internet safety and to prevent unnecessary risk. I think to do that we can boil what teachers need to do down to digital citizenship instruction and good classroom management. Digital citizenship instruction is important because many students come from homes that are not aware of the dangers of the internet, and they get very little guidance at home. As schools, we can supplement that lack of rules and instruction by informing students of the risks associated with things like their digital footprint. We also need to be vigilant when we are letting students use devices within our classroom. Good behavior management strategies that revolve around things like the movement of the teacher throughout the class can do that. I think that when you talk about Internet safety you always have to start with Common Sense Media and their digital citizenship lessons (commonsensemedia.org/educators). Common Sense offers great digital resources to teach students internet safety, and it offers things like reviews of apps to inform about aspects of the classroom. Another site called Net Smarz (netsmartz.org) gives teachers and parents tips to keep kids safe both at home and school. Brain Pop Jr (jr.brainpop.com/artsandtechnology/technology/internetsafety/) also has a good deal of resources to help teach the student about internet safety. When you look at strategies that schools can implement, I think the first is to start with a good internet firewall. Not only does this prevent students from accessing questionable content, but it also makes them stop and think about a resource when it comes up blocked. This can however be tough on schools as there are many resources that toe the line between valid and questionable (Youtube is a perfect example). I think the second strategy is to inform your students. It's not that difficult to take Common Sense Media's curriculum and implement it. The third strategy would be to practice good classroom management. When students get on a device, it's not the time for the teacher to put their feet up. They should be consistently checking what is on the device and moving about the classroom. The tool I choose to explore was Google Expeditions. I am a big believer in VR as a tool in education, but I am also an Apple user, so I only recently gained access to Google Expeditions on IOS. My take on it currently is that it has loads of potential for the classroom, but the implementation can be a bit trickly.
The idea behind Google Expeditions is that students connect a personal device to a teacher device over wifi. When connected, the teacher can lead students through a virtual reality field trip filled with 360 pictures. The teacher connection is important because it gives the teacher the ability to lead the journey and point out points of interest like a tour guide. If students are using a phone size device, they can even put it on a Virtual Reality headset to make the experience much more immersive. The content within the app is amazing. There are not only real places but also virtual trips such as a journey through the human heart. The tricky thing about it though is establishing that connection between the teacher and student device. I tested then in Fulton County schools, and it struggled to make that connection. When I asked the Google Innovator community, they said that it might have to have its dedicated network which could be really difficult to setup in schools. While Expeditions might pose some technical issues, the potential of it and other VR platforms is vast. These can be great ways to support diverse learners as they learn by actually feeling like they are in that place. I would like to see to it have more accessibility features built in, though. I think when we look at the things that are coming to the education they fall in paths that will help our students progress in this complex technology-heavy world. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality both fall in that category. As our world becomes more global, Virtual Reality will let students experience places that they could previously only learn about from a book. It will lead to a deeper understanding and familiarity with the cultures of the world and the challenges they face. Augmented Reality will overlay digital imagery into our real world letting students create and work with products that would previously be too expensive or too dangerous. I think you will also see more and more Web 2.0 tools built on preparing our students for things we are not teaching in schools like coding. Web 2.0 is going to move into a realm that focuses more on students experiencing the real world and creating, and that's a great thing. I think when you look at the challenges schools face the biggest one will be keeping up. Will schools that are tied to curriculum standards and maybe don't have the same financial advantages be able to keep up with schools that have the advantages to prepare our students for this new world we live in. I think you will also see schools struggle with the technology trend of device lock-in. Many technology companies are trying to make it where you use only their products, and making that decision is going to be very difficult. Last but not least, I think schools will struggle with trying to move out teachers that are stuck in the past and are not teaching the skills necessary to be prepared in today's world As far as advantages go, I think schools are realizing that devices are a must to move into a more personalized environment. I have seen even tiny rural schools go the route of one to one. I think you will see internet access become more universal making that excuse a mute point. I also think colleges and universities will begin to teach teachers in a way that focuses on life skills and less on content Well; a man can dream, can't he? |
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April 2017
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