Upon reflection of the George Couros “Innovation and Technology” professional development day, one main theme permeated throughout the learning experience. In one word, responsibility! We learned about and discussed several innovative aspects of technology and the day culminated in our group setting up individual Twitter accounts.
We learned the “what to”, “how to” and “why to” regarding social media. All of this is simply useful and relevant to our technological needs. However, what was most prevalent in my mind as the day progressed was the responsibility of it all. When contemplating all the various types of technology our students use throughout their days for various reasons, I kept wondering, “Are we being responsible for teaching social media responsibility first before we provide our students with pretty, shiny tech toys and accounts?” For all of the fabulously innovative and educational things we can accomplish with technology, the first and most important thing we can do is be responsible. Big toys require big responsibility. Clearly, issues such as cyberbullying have necessitated us to take a good look at what our students and children are using social media for. I am most pleased that George is addressing this and asking us to ask ourselves, “What should come first, our Smarts or the Smart Board?”
Ann Melnyk
Fort Rouge School
Cluster Group 1971
I couldn’t agree more that we need to be “smart” when it comes to implementation of… well, not just technology, but any educational programming actually. It means we as teachers need to consider our options for rolling out particular strategies or tools with thoughtful consideration to both our students and the pedagogical practices we see as most fit.
However, I don’t think that means that we necessarily have to completely address every possible scenario they might run into on the Net before getting there. We don’t do this kind of training for most things. Experience, they say, is a great teacher. And in some cases this is certainly true: teaching, driving and I would add the Internet to that list as well.
You are also bang on with your comment about RESPONSIBLE use. This is a critical piece of any online educational experience. When we look at responsibility, an important thing to consider is that it’s a shared one. Administration, teachers, parents & students have a responsibility when accessing or addressing the use of these tools. I think all stakeholders should consider that the lessons learned live on the Internet are more valuable and unforgettable than the lessons learned from a textbook or video about a character’s experiences on the Internet. This is not to say, don’t provide lessons or safe havens for our students. Do that as well as a scaffold for learning. Students may or may not be aware of, and we may not be comfortable with the perceived and real dangers lurking on the internet. However, it really behooves us to provide “real” situations in which to practice how to both behave, and addresses issues that arise when using the Net. I agree, a certain amount of preparatory work should probably be done but ultimately in order understand that environment, you need to be in it.
Thanks Ann for targeting responsibility – it’s huge! And thanks Keith for reminders of how to responsibly build opportunities for students to learn safely. Allowing students to learn about and actively engage in social media while having supervision and guidance in an educational setting will help create savvy users of social media when they’re in an isolated setting.
So excited to read your reflection. Responsibility is a critical piece in everything children use and receive. Teaching how to be responsible has become, for various reasons, a very important focus. Students need to be asked and be asking themselves if they are taking responsibility for their learning, their attitude, their choices. This is hard, but not impossible, to do in such a fast paced, digitally connected world. Pencils, paper and books are not enough any more though. They are a part of the puzzle and as educators in this world, I think that we have a responsibility to see and use ” digital pencils, paper and books” just as readily as other tools. Of course with this comes the professional responsibility to make sure that the amazing learning experiences are first… the rest will follow. Great word Ann!