Social Networking: Does the Benefit Outweigh the Cost?

Social networking can provide so many different opportunities to students as well as teachers. Written works can be shared; commentary can be provided by peers and teachers. Social networking can build a sense of community and prevent the feelings of isolation, especially when considered in a distance learning classroom. For instance, I think we could all agree that this blog provides us with a sense of community and inclusion.

Social networking provides social learning and this opens up new possibilities because interaction can happen with people all over the world. There are no boundaries pertaining to age, location, nationality, and ethnicity. The fact that there are no restrictions may lead to dangers to those who don’t protect themselves. For instance, you may not know the true identity of the person you are communicating with. By providing personal information on the Internet, a person is providing an unlocked entrance into their lives that anyone can enter. Children and teens may not be mindful of this because they lack the knowledge to foresee the repercussions that may occur.

That is why it is a good idea for parents to take the time to communicate with their children about the dangers of social networking. I think it is also wise for schools to implement this into their technology curriculum. The government has already gotten involved by implementing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act which gives children the right to privacy by protecting their identity. The government’s concern with technology pertaining to student involvement should not stop there.

I think with the proper instruction and prevention, social networking benefits outweigh the costs.

If We Didn’t Have the Schools We Have Today, Would We Create the Schools We Have Today?

“Pilots in the early stages of flight crashed a lot of planes, but they also discovered the principles of flight. They came together in learning communities where they could share their experiences and knowledge about what works and what does not work. They developed and evolved principles that make modern flight possible today, including the space program. That kind of learning opportunity is available to us in our schools today.”
We learn from our mistakes as well as others’ mistakes. That’s why having learning communities is so important, because we can voice our concerns and learn about mistakes and solutions already made.


“But if a teacher from the 1800s walked into a classroom today, could he or she substitute as a teacher?”
I love this question because it really makes a person think about the lack of change between schools of today and the schools of the past. Now I say schools because there are some classrooms where progress is displayed, but I feel that is created through the teacher. I think individual teachers are taking it upon themselves to make the progress through using projectors in the classroom, certain websites and software to enhance education, and smartboards among other technologies. I know the school provides this for the teachers and may even have workshops on certain technologies to provide knowledge for the educator, but it is up to the individual teacher to put in the thought and time to implement these technologies when warranted.


The article talked about a teachers’ job will no longer be to teach – but to help others learn, as they model learning through collaboration to solve problems and achieve goals they have in common. I think in order to do this; a teacher needs to be humble. They will have to accept the fact that they don’t know everything and that their students will know things they don’t. Educators will have to acknowledge that the roles will be reversed in certain cases and the students will be the teachers and teachers will be the students. I think that veteran teachers may have a problem with this only because they are so set in their ways of just dictating all their knowledge while the students sit passively and contribute a minimum to the class. Now I know some veteran teachers who are open to change and also willing to put in the time and effort to make a collaborative learning environment, so I do think it can be done.


This article also spoke about education rapidly moving toward new learning environments that will have no teachers or students—just learners with different levels and areas of expertise collaboratively constructing new knowledge.
If this change is made, knowledge can be transmitted exponentially; thereby making significant changes in our world, not just the world of education.

School Web Pages

I think it is important for schools to build a web page. It’s also pertinent for a school to update their websites periodically. It helps parents of current students stay up to date on school information. Providing a school website also offers parents of future students a way to find out about the school. For instance, if a family is moving to a new location they would be able to check the school out briefly by going online and seeing what the school has to offer. Teacher names and credentials, mission statements, and various programs offered through the school are just a few of the things that I think should be included on a school’s web page.

Web Page Building

So I’ve wanted to create a classroom website for a very long time. I love the effortlessness in using the scholastic website. This site also provides recommendations for books and software that can be useful for parents in helping their children academically. I also like the fact that it is password restricted so only those that you permit to have the password can see this website. Scholastic also helps you to embed videos on your classroom website. The only thing I don’t like about this website builder is that you can not change the font in any way. I would like to be able to the change size and color of the font to make it more personal and to accentuate various things on the website.

Creating a Web Page

As soon as I started teaching, I began searching online for various help within the classroom. To me, taking courses was helpful in a technical way, but to be comfortable in the classroom I wanted to learn about other teachers’ experiences as well as their classroom setup. It helped me get different ideas for the classroom and eased the transition for me from being a student to becoming a teacher. I think other teachers’ class web pages are not only functional for the parents and students, but are also purposeful for other teachers.

So when I discovered these classroom websites and how creative and useful they were, I wanted to be apart of that. I had wanted to create a webpage for a very long time and I was unaware that there were websites that offered this function for free. After being shown the scholastic website by Dr. Luongo, I became very excited about all the possibilities of creating a website. Here are some classroom websites that I have found interesting and helpful:

http://www.mrsmcgowan.com/index.html

http://www.megjohn.info/meg.html#class

http://fc.msad47.org/~jbrown/

Web-Based Educational Resources

There are so many online resources that can be very useful for teachers as well as for parents and students. There are websites that can provide teachers with valuable lesson plans or creative ideas for lessons. Websites that offer worksheets are useful especially for a teacher who has limited classroom material. Being introduced to some websites from Dr. Luongo, I am using some of these in the classroom now. I use Starfall.com during centers time. It is very functional website that offers my first grade students time to read on their own as well as various songs to help them remember vowels and chunking rules in reading and spelling. Knowledgebox.com is also an informative website for the students in all subject areas. I am planning on using this website with my students soon. Many websites out there can complement a teacher’s educational plan for their students; it is just a matter of finding what suits your purposes.

Kidspiration

The school where I work has Kidspiration and Inspiration on the student and teacher computers and until now I have never actually sat down and viewed either one. Since I am a first grade teacher I chose to evaluate Kidspiration and I have to say that I love it! There are so many useful tools to use in this software that can really get the students motivated and learning. There are various math activities that can really help the student visualize certain concepts. I think the writing activities available are a real change of pace to the ordinary pencil and paper tools. There are also different science and social studies lessons that can take the students a step further in the curriculum. One of the things I really love about Kidspiration is the audio, which is great for preliterate students. I wish I had a data projector or more computers in the classroom in order to have whole group lessons using Kidspiration, but I am definitely going to start to use this program as best I can in the classroom.

Blogging

Well at first I was a little apprehensive about blogging. I associated it with myspace and facebook and other online communities, which I do not really have much interest in anymore. There was a time when I was younger that I belonged to some online communities, but I felt that I my tastes changed and I just outgrew it.

Let me just say that this class has definitely changed my perspective on blogging. I now see that it can be used for other things besides frivolous chit chat. I have learned a lot from others in this class through our blogs. I also felt the blogs helped me with my webquest. I love that fact that I can share my ideas and educational websites with you all as well. Because of these blogging assignments, I am a much more comfortable blogger now. :-)

More Websites

Here are a few other websites to check out.

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/

http://www.softschools.com/

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/

Website to check out!

Just thought that I would share this site, it's especially good for primary grades. There are so many things for teachers and for students on this website and it's free.

http://www.primarygames.com/

If you click on a subject area at the top of the page and then the curriculum guide on the bottom of the page there are activities the students in your grade level can participate in. This is a good way to incorporate technology in the classroom and maybe it could be used as a reward for the students...some free computer time. Hey it's a reward for the teacher as well ;-) students are staying on task academically while having fun!

Explore the website further, there are many resources for teachers to use.

WebQuests

I was a little overwhelmed by it all when I was reading all of the articles about webquests. After viewing the videos about webquests, I must say that I have a little more direction now. It does seem like it takes great time to create one, but once it is done, you have it for years to come to use with your future classes. And whose lesson plans didn’t feel like it took them forever their first year doing them? Now you have them and can just modify when needed. Well, it seems the same for the webquest. I like the fact that webquests involve technology, research, cooperative groups, and various multiple intelligences based on the final project completed. It involves many facets all rolled into one. I really think that a webquest is what you put into it. You can make it plain and simple, without involving higher order thinking skills or much student participation in their cooperative groups. But then what is the point of creating one? On the other hand, you can take your time and put some effort into making a fun and informative webquest that requires higher order thinking skills on the students’ part.

website evaluation

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/ Discovery Education


I feel it is student-friendly because it is an appropriate reading level and it is interesting. Students can click on the home resources link and then see thumbnail pictures of different areas of study. It is also interesting on the students’ level. There are videos students can watch to further help them with lessons they may be learning in school.

It is teacher friendly because it is very easy to navigate. There are many units of study that can be used by teachers at different grade levels in different subject areas.

I feel that the reading level is appropriate for most grade levels. Parents can navigate the site with children at a lower reading level. From certain areas there are thumbnail pictures that can be easily distinguishable by all grade levels.

The screen loads in a reasonable amount of time. Most of the videos begin to play as soon as the play button is clicked. There was just one video took a while to play because it was buffering.

No, the site does not contain pop-ups. It does however contain advertisement banners which pertain to various things on the site to acquire student involvement in certain types of challenges.

It seems that all the links work.

I do feel comfortable navigating around this site. They have areas for students, teachers and new teachers. All of the information is relevant and helpful.

I found the Home Resources section useful. I would present this site to my students’ parents in order to further their child’s education in a fun and interactive way. I also found the Classroom Resources useful. I particularly like the lesson plan library and the worksheets to go section.

I found the contests and grants banners that were on the website confusing. It was very busy and hard to read so I did not know what it was for.

It does seem to be updated. The copyright on the bottom of the site reads 2008.

It is not required that students use a password or log in to use this site.

Students will not be asked any personal information. If they choose to enter into any of the contests and grants, they may then be asked about personal information.

I would suggest putting an end to the banners of the contests and grants. They are already listed on a dropdown box entitled contests and grants.

National Teachers of the Year Panel

Here is a Charlie Rose episode entitled National Teachers of the Year Panel. It was very interesting and dealt with topics like what an 'ideal' school would look like and improving relations within schools. I found a link to this episode in case anyone might be interested in it.

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9167

Internet Safety

I think internet safety is an important issue concerning children of all ages. When I was younger we had to worry about answering the phone and the door to a stranger. I was told never to tell a stranger that I was home alone. Along those same aspects, children now need to be aware of strangers on the internet. In viewing the internet safety video for young children, I feel that this would be an appropriate video to show to my students since I am a first grade teacher. Sometimes a person can forget that this 6 year old may be at home “chatting” with people on the internet because it was not something I did when I was 6 years old. I do think that parents should be with a young child while they are “surfing the web.” But of course that is not always possible and therefore it is very important that we educate children about the dangers of the internet. When I say “we” of course I mean parents and teachers alike. So I feel this video is geared appropriately towards young children both visually, with its clip art pictures and cognitively, with the teacher explaining in a detailed, slow, calm manner.

Internet safety video (young children)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuaJcjxBK3U

NETS & NJCCCS

NETS:
I definitely think it’s necessary to teach students, at an early age, about basic skills on the computer and provide them with awareness about the internet and its uses. Of course as students get older, their needs of technology increase, therefore they would benefit from learning more in depth skills and tools for presenting projects and such. I believe it’s a necessity to learn the basic skills, social aspects, and technology’s role in research and information access because technology is such a prominent issue in the world, and it will only get larger and more advanced. Because students are learning technology in schools it is wise to have the NETS. I actually was not aware of these standards, but in reading them, it makes sense to have. In order to provide beneficial education in technology, a teacher needs to know what a student should understand by certain grade levels. The NETS, of course, provides this framework. I also like the fact that the NETS address the nature and impact of technology because it provides the students with an understanding of the benefits and trade-offs of technology.


NJCCCS:
As I stated about the NETS, I think the New Jersey standards also provide a framework for teachers to know what the student should be familiar with and knowledgeable about in each subject area. I feel that the New Jersey standards comprise in detail what students should know at the end of each grade level. This is a tremendous benefit to me because I can look at them throughout the school year and be sure that I am covering or have dealt with certain areas with my students. At my school we need to provide the standards that we are encompassing in our plan books. We are also required to display the standards on our bulletin boards next to the students’ work.

Hello Everyone!

This is my very first blog posting. I'm very excited about this class. It is already turning out to be very interesting.