Say it ain't so!

This is it! Our final blog for our class. Gosh - it seems like it was only 10 weeks ago that I wrote my first one ...



Oh, wait. It was.



Our final blog is on the NETS T4 standards,(http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf) which deal with digital citizenship and responsibility.

I posted last week about the difficulty with technology when it comes to knowing what we can or cannot share. For instance, can I legally post a Robert Frost poem? What about lyrics to a song that I want students to analyze?

For this blog, I'd like to focus on the following:
d. develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools

What I envision is eventually opening up what I do with my students to teachers and honors students at different grade levels.

So much of what we do in our classrooms is, frankly, a secret. Our kids come into class, we shut the classroom door ... and they what happens? Well, I'll never tell!

And therein lies the problem! We don't share, at least not as much as we should, what we're having students know and be able to do.

However, so you know: I love when other teachers or administrators come into my classroom while I'm teaching. Even unannounced. Even if I'm having an off-day, all it will do is help me be a better teacher. I've never understood why so many teachers freak out when an administrator pops in.

Also, I've argued since I started teaching at Mason for more collaboration among teachers. The honors freshman, honors junior and AP English teachers and I should be meeting often to discuss what our goals are for our students. And students should be a part of that conversation: after all, they're the clients.

Instead, we seem to muddle through the school year, doing our thing, alone.

I have big ideas, and technolgy like wikis can help me realize those ideas. What if we had AP students commenting on honors freshmen papers that were submitted to their wikis? Having AP students evaluate younger students' papers, knowing now what they know about writing, will help those APers reach the highest level of Bloom's. Or how about having honors freshmen reading sophomore, junior and/or AP-level writing so they can see concrete examples of what is expected of them at each level? Or how about teachers sharing lesson plans/writing drills/literature?

Of course, I want all of this yesterday. And I'm frustrated I can't do it all as quickly as I wish.

But the point of all of this, is to, yes, go ahead and shut that classroom door once your students are settled and ready to learn.

But then use technology to open your classroom to the world. And everyone, teachers and students, will benefit.

I'm Fred, and I'm ignorant

As promised from last week's blog, I'd talk about my being ignorant.

Got about 8 hours? :)

Last week's discussion was on modeling, and to me, modeling for students also means showing them that you fail sometimes, and that failing is a good thing. Failing, or admitting ignorance, can lead to growth.

So the wikis are a chance for me to show off to my students. Hey kiddies! Look what I don't know! And, because I spend so much of my time trying to show them what I do know, it'll bring me back down a bit - it'll help establish another commonality between the students and me.

So three cheers for ignorance!

The NETS T4 standards (http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf) deal with digital citizenship and responsibility. To me, the first part of the standard is a prime chance to show students ignorance, not only from my end, but from many educators, politicians and the everyday Joe out there. The first indicator states the following:

Teachers:
a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources

Of course, much of what occurs online is pretty clear as to whether it's safe, legal and ethical. We've seen this recently with sexting, including the tragic circumstance of Jessie Logan of Sycamore High School, who committed suicide after sending a nude photo of herself to her boyfriend and then was taunted.

But some actions online are more difficult to define. For instance, can a student, on his or her home computer, get in trouble at school for posting negative views on a teacher, including profanity and threats? What about if my students post their favorite music or poems on their wikis? Are they infringing on copyright laws?

It's exciting to be on the edge of this new way of teaching and affecting students, but like any new adventure, there is a level of apprehension, too. It sure would be safer just to continue to teach the way I've always taught ...