Facebook Friending 101 for Schools Facebook has added an incredible complexity to our lives and relationships for one simple reason: it is in writing. The courts have always put things "in writing" in higher esteem above word of mouth. Now that we are inundated with video, text, and photographs and a set of complex relationships - we end up with things "in writing" that are distributed far beyond our true "friends" into places that get us in trouble. I don't have all the answers but am wrestling with this problem and want to lay out the facts so you and I can become co-travelers on this journey. I speak from experience, however, having two significant experiences under my belt with the school in this arena, know that there are things that I cannot say about situations that come in out what I share. In "the South" we are taught to be friendly from the moment our Mom's tell us as a drooling tot to "say hello because he just said hello to you." Wrong. Let's get this straight. I use my Facebook for my professional life.
Are You Ready for BYOD? Infrastructure | In Print Are You Ready for BYOD? The do's and don'ts of beefing up your wireless network to handle the bring-your-own-device movement. When students and staff returned to school in the Jordan School District (UT) after the 2011 Christmas break, Ron Bird could see that the number of devices on the wireless network had jumped by several hundred compared to pre-vacation levels. "I figured that was just whatever Mom and Dad bought kids for Christmas," says Bird, the district's network and technical services manager. Nevertheless, Bird and his colleagues felt like they were prepared. Bird's experience in Jordan comes as no surprise to Philip Wegner, president of SecurEdge Networks in Charlotte, NC, which specializes in developing wireless networks for the K-12 sector. Many districts around the country face the same issues Jordan did as they launch their own BYOD initiatives. T.H.E. Little by Little Hanover Public School District, Hanover, PADavid Fry, technology coordinator
Forum: It’s Personal – Personalized Learning for Students and Educators Key Questions Right Now: What practical steps can educators take to personalize learning for their students in 2012–13, and how can technology facilitate this? The Big Picture: How close are we to being able to realize the dream of personalized, differentiated, passion-based learning for educators and students, and what still has to happen to make this fully real? Getting Started Video: Watch the Forum Users Guide for a tutorial on how to get started. Notice: Forums have been archived! If you would like a copy of the Forum Archive please contact us..
Digital citizenship reality check: Notes from Nairobi's IGF Asked how they’d rank “digital citizenship” on a scale of 1 to 10 – with 10 representing “very relevant and meaningful” – a youth panel from Egypt, the US, and UK ranging in age from 15 to 22 gave it a 1, two 3′s, a 5, a 6, and an 8. This was in a workshop yesterday involving young people and adults representing the Internet industry, governments, and nonprofit youth organizations from Egypt, New Zealand, the UK, and the US at the Internet Governance Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. The subject we were discussing was whether digital citizenship is relevant and meaningful to youth around the world, including developing countries. The British teen who gave it a 1 said it “sounds distant and abstract,” and people shouldn’t distinguish between citizenship and digital citizenship anyway. Aspects of digital citizenship Consensus a ways off Other highlights & takeaways Related links
Facebook as an Instructional Technology Tool Can the wildly popular social network be used constructively in the classroom? This student’s story says it can. Yesterday, student Kristen Nicole Cardon submitted a comment in response to my post 5 Reasons Why Educators Need To Embrace Internet Technologies in which she explained how she used Facebook in a course she took. I really appreciated her well stated discussion of how Facebook was used in the course and how the approach succeeded (slightly edited in the following excerpt). “In my British Literary History course last winter semester, my professor created a class facebook group which we all joined. This way of conducting class was effective because: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. We shouldn’t discount facebook when it has proven to be a worthwhile classroom tool. Kristen blogs at technologyinexile.blogspot.com, stop by and visit to learn more about her experiences with Facebook in an educational setting, and more. Using braindump, you will pass real test on first try. About Kelly Walsh
One-to-One or BYOD? Districts Explain Thinking Behind Student Computing Initiatives Edina Public Schools had concerns about the economic feasibility of one-to-one computing over the long term, so the nine-school Minnesota district is pursuing what it considers to be the next best alternative: allowing students to bring their own mobile devices to school. Two years ago, Edina considered providing middle and high school students with notebook computers as part of a strategy to increase engagement, personalize learning, teach 21st century skills and take education beyond the classroom. After running a one-to-one pilot, the district shelved the idea when it became apparent that students preferred using their personal mobile devices and that the cost of buying and refreshing notebooks every three to four years would be prohibitive. (For more on the district's early one-to-one efforts, visit edtechmag.com/k12/Edina1to1.) "Right now, what's driving the BYOD movement is a clear move toward digital content as opposed to print content," Rust explains. Steps to Implementation
Trustees Recently we presented an in-service to the Board of Education on The Digital Foundations of Teaching and Learning: Preparing for a Future that is Here Today. An abbreviated slideshare is included below. We also showed some fabulous video clips but we will save those for another post. The presentation was anchored in a metaphor and image of fire. “Technology IS just a tool, like a stick. In Surrey, we are using technology to TRANSFORM teaching and learning. We identified the Shifts that are Impacting Education globally, some of which include: 1. These trends are shaping the transformation of how we teach and how students learn. The BC Ministry of Education describes it as “Learning Empowered by Technology.” The wise use of technology for learning was endorsed in a research paper that examined high performing districts across Canada. So how are we doing that as a district? Here are some of the fire starters we have initiated in the district:
Student Safety in the Age of Facebook Online Safety | In Print Student Safety in the Age of Facebook By Margo Pierce03/02/12 "If one life is saved, then it's worth it." That is the clichéd argument frequently used to justify banning electronic communications, websites, and other forms of technology in schools. But that argument can be turned on its head and also applied to unfettered access. In 2001, the federal Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) tied funding for reduced-rate internet access for schools and libraries to a number of mandates. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are certainly riding strong waves of popularity at the moment, and already they have caused significant changes in the ways and means by which students and adults communicate with one another. "While social networking is the technology of the moment, it may not be the technology of the moment in two years or five years or a decade," says Keith R. "As long as there's been technology, the concern is, 'How are we protecting kids?'"
Which Social Network should you use? Infographic on which to use when. Social Networks are a great resource for businesses, keeping in touch with friends, and education. Social Networks help educators and students learn, stay in contact, connect, share and more. But which Social Network is best for what? Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, the many systems made for education (Twiducate, Edmodo, etc). Here are some articles on different social networks and what they are useful for, as well as some course management systems that include social networking features. Related: CMS rolls out new technology plan Teachers huddled around iPads last week, hoping that by the time school starts Aug. 27, they’ll be half as good at making digital movies as the Washam Elementary fifth-graders whose video report on Lewis and Clark they watched. Digital learning could be the hottest trend in education for the coming school year. In September, almost 4,000 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students will get classroom iPads, while about 20 schools will invite students and teachers to use their own tablets, phones and e-readers. The devices generate the buzz. But in schools around the Charlotte region, the real revolution is the way teachers are using technology to make lessons more creative, challenging, relevant and, yes, fun. “It’s just absolutely crazy what technology can do in the classroom,” said Diane Adams, principal at Providence Spring Elementary in south Charlotte. “It is a very powerful learning strategy,” Adams added, “but we don’t do technology for the sake of technology.” Are textbooks obsolete?