Cyberbullying, Internet Safety, and Online Privacy

Last fall, for IST 605 (Reference and Information Services), our class had to design an online library guide on a topic of interest to us.  I chose the topic of "Internet Safety" because it was and continues to be a topic I feel very passionate about as an educator.  My guide can be found here. On the home page of my guide I shared the following analogy:

"The internet is much like a big city--a big city that you wouldn't just drop your children off in and let them wander about unsupervised or without proper preparation."

While I still think this analogy holds true, I can now recognize the fear underlying this statement. At the time, I felt like very little education was being directed at this topic in my children's own school, as I discovered kids as young as third grade with Facebook accounts freely surfing sites like YouTube and Google.  I felt very strongly that young people needed guidance in this area. The solution, it seemed at the time, was to limit, rather than to encourage the use of technology.

Over time however, my philosophy on the topic has shifted to more of the frame of reference that Boyd and Marwick describe in their article "Bullying as True Drama:  Why Cyberbullying Rhetoric Misses the Mark,"

"Interactions must focus on positive concepts like healthy relationships and digital citizenship rather than starting with the negative frame of bullying." (2011)

By teaching students how to navigate this "big city" we call the internet and by giving them guided practice, they are more apt to have positive experiences online.  If we merely limit their interactions with technology and solely focus on "what not to do," we shouldn't assume that they will learn what they should do.   We need to prepare them for the authentic lives they have ahead of them.  

As a school librarian, there are numerous ways to help students create positive interactions online.  The following AASL Standards could be used to frame these lessons:

• 1.3.5:  Use information technology responsibly. 
• 3.1.6:  Use information and technology ethically and responsibly. 
• 3.2.2:  Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions.
• 4.3.4:  Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.

An example of a lesson focusing on the positive application of technology would be a lesson that asks students to blog about a curricular topic and to respond to the blogs of their classmates in a positive and responsible manner.  By setting rules and modeling positive interactions, students learn what it means to interact responsibly online.  Students could participate in discussions on a classroom Ning or collaborate together on a class Wiki. Helping students think about how technology can assist them throughout their learning process, helps them become more informed users of technology as well.

Google Earth in the Classroom

Google Earth

Google Earth offers educators numerous opportunities to virtually transport their students around the globe!  In many sixth grade social studies classes, students research a foreign country throughout the year and then write up a traditional standard report about they have learned.  As a way to better engage and familiarize students with the countries they are researching, why not have students build off of their classroom country research to create virtual tours of their countries using Google Earth?  Students could highlight important cities, landmarks, important historical locations as well as tourist destinations.  These virtual tours would then be shared with their classmates as a way to share what they have learned and to excite others to explore their countries.

Common Core Standard Addressed:  

• 6.SL.5 [Speaking & Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas]:  5. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.   

AASL Standard for 21^st-Century Learner Addressed:

• 3.1.4 [Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society]:  Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and access.

QR Codes in Education

QR or "Quick Response" codes have a lot of potential for creating exciting lessons in education.  Imagine the fun kids would have learning the Dewey Decimal System by participating in a scavenger hunt, armed with iPod Touches and QR code clues hidden in books throughout the library!

QR codes are the perfect tool to help students explore their interests (in the moment) and to follow a line of inquiry.  What if QR codes were embedded into select fiction and non-fiction books and could link your students to author web sites, related videos, or even other works by the same author housed in your library's collection?  For example, a child signs out a book on space exploration and is excited to read about the potential for life on Mars.  Rather than losing that interest, a QR code built into this book now brings the child to a NASA video of the latest mission by "Curiosity" the Mars Rover and from there he can pursue other related interests. 

I am sure there are many other more creative ideas out there, so please share!

Prezi

The following is a Prezi  I created for a fourth grade biography project I worked on during my elementary school library fieldwork last spring.  I found this neat idea on a blog by called Library Stew.  The idea is that each of the different characteristics of the biography genre are represented by a different food (which kids love) that you mix together and form a "stew" or "trail mix." 

I adapted the idea, dressed in an apron and chef's hat and shared this Prezi to introduce what each of the foods we were going to put together in our "stew" represented.  Kids loved the project, but they especially loved creating the stew and remembering what those ingredients represented (black raisins will never be the same).  This was my first Prezi, and I have to say that once I got the hang of it, it was very fun to make and present.  It definitely seemed to sustain children's attention better than a PowerPoint would.

WebQuests

To be perfectly honest, I thought WebQuests were..."so four years ago."  

When I first started working as the computer lab instructor at a local elementary school back in 2008, I worked with a couple of classroom teachers who were excited to find and use WebQuests with their students.  A number of these WebQuests were very engaging--incorporating various forms of digital media and prompting students to synthesize the collected knowledge; the majority of others however were no more than "follow these links and fill in this worksheet with the answers you find" types of tasks (lower order thinking). And then, WebQuests kind of just went away.  The focus then shifted  more (from what I could tell) to incorporating SMART Board participatory learning in their classrooms.

Out of curiosity, I went to Twitter, and conducted a search under the hashtag '#webquest,' and 15 Tweets were returned.  Then I searched for '#SMARTBoard' and over 50 Tweets were returned. Hmm...


In some ways, I think WebQuests are great for younger students because an educator can evaluate and select resources that are both relevant and age-appropriate, and at the right reading level for their students as opposed to sending them out to Google and hoping for the best.  On the other hand, as students get older, isn't having students evaluate and select sources that are appropriate exactly what we want to teach them to do for themselves?  Does pre-selecting the resources the students will use limit or bias their learning?  Does following a set of prescribed links foster technology literacy?  Is it authentic?

I do like the idea of educators coming together across the curriculum to collaboratively create a WebQuest that engages their students in researching a topic (i.e., poverty or innovation from multiple perspectives such as literature, science, social studies, math), and incorporating higher order thinking and Common Core Standards into their analysis.  I can also envision students creating
To be perfectly honest, I thought WebQuests were..."so four years ago."  

When I first started working as the computer lab instructor at a local elementary school back in 2008, I worked with a couple of classroom teachers who were excited to find and use WebQuests with their students.  A number of these WebQuests were very engaging--incorporating various forms of digital media and prompting students to synthesize the collected knowledge; the majority of others however were no more than "follow these links and fill in this worksheet with the answers you find" types of tasks (lower order thinking). And then, WebQuests kind of just went away.  The focus then shifted  more (from what I could tell) to incorporating SMART Board participatory learning in their classrooms.

Out of curiosity, I went to Twitter, and conducted a search under the hashtag '#webquest,' and 15 Tweets were returned.  Then I searched for '#SMARTBoard' and over 50 Tweets were returned. Hmm...

In some ways, I think WebQuests are great for younger students because an educator can evaluate and select resources that are both relevant and age-appropriate, and at the right reading level for their students as opposed to sending them out to Google and hoping for the best.  On the other hand, as students get older, isn't having students evaluate and select sources that are appropriate exactly what we want to teach them to do for themselves?  Does pre-selecting the resources the students will use limit or bias their learning?  Does following a set of prescribed links foster technology literacy?  Is it authentic?

I do like the idea of educators coming together across the curriculum to collaboratively create a WebQuest that engages their students in researching a topic (i.e., poverty or innovation from multiple perspectives such as literature, science, social studies, math), and incorporating higher order thinking and Common Core Standards into their analysis.  I can also envision students creating WebQuests collaboratively as a class to share their learning and knowledge with other students.  For example, older students could research Internet safety and put together a WebQuest to share with younger students and both would benefit. 

What do you think? What's been your experience? 

How did I not know about this?

There have been many instances in my life where I found myself saying, "How did I not know about this?"  I admittedly don't know about a lot of things, but there are some things, once discovered that seem like they would have been so hard to miss!

This week, I had this experience while exploring the International Children's Digital Library!  This free (again, how did I miss this?) online resource connects children to over 4,600 books in over 60 different languages.  Whether students are ESL (English as a Second Language) learners, or a class is exploring other cultures or examining folktales from around the world, this site has countless potential uses in elementary school libraries and classrooms!

The interface is so child friendly to use with its simple (pictorial) search buttons and features that allows children to drill down to resources by specific language, targeted age, type of character, length of story, keyword, and even by the color of the cover (if that is all they can remember about the book they've read and are trying to relocate it).  Many library OPAC's could take cues from this well designed children's site!

For my Information Technologies in Educational Organizations class this week, we were asked to read and briefly annotate three books found on the site and share them using a social networking site such as Goodreads.  Here are the three stories that I found beginning with my favorite one:

Title:  Taming the Taniwha
Author:  Tim Tipene
Illustrator:  Henry Campbell
Publishing Date:  2001
Publisher Location:  New Zealand
Publisher:  Huia Publishers 
Languages available:  English & Maori


Tama, a young boy is trying to deal with a very mean "taniwha" at school who steals his lunch and rips up his paintings.  Tama seeks the advice of his extended family about how to tame this mean-spirited creature.  In the end, Tama learns that sometimes even the meanest taniwha (a Maori reference to a mythological monster) needs a friend.  This is a sweet tale of how one boy deals with a bully.  This book is from the country of New Zealand where the indigenous Maori tribe often refer to a mythological monster of the sea they call the "taniwha."  The beautiful artwork and the beautiful lesson will quickly make this book a favorite!

Goodreads Review:  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/432389999 

Title:  The Boy Without a Name [El nino sin nombre]
Author:  Idries Shah
Illustrator:  Mona Caron
Translator:  Rita Wirkala
Publishing Date:  2007
Publisher Location:  United States
Publisher:  Hoopoe Books
Languages available:  English, Dari, Pashto (Audio available in English & Spanish)

This fairytale tells the story of an boy whose parents were told by a wise man not to give him a name.  The wise man explained that their son was very important and that one day he would give him a gift only after he gives him his name.  It is a story that shows the rewards of patience and obedience.  One of the unique features of the book is that the text is written both in English and Spanish on each page.  For classrooms with both English and Spanish speakers, this book may be a fun way to partner read, or assist struggling ESL readers.  There is also an optional audio version that can be played along with the book which is engaging and draws the reader into the story.

Goodreads Review:  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/432392336

Title:  Don't Do That! A Child's Guide to Bad Manners, Ridiculous Rules, and Inadequate Etiquette
Author:  Barry Louis Polisar
Illustrator:  David Clark
Publishing Date: 1994
Publisher Location:  Silver Spring, MD
Publisher:  Rainbow Morning Music
Languages available:  English

For parents looking to invoke better manners in their tween-age children, this book is, ahem, not for you.  If your looking to have fun with your child, or looking for a way to get a 10-13 year old reluctant reader to enjoy the rewards of a humorous book, then this might just be the book you are looking for.  Don't Do That!, is a funny tongue-in-cheek look at everything from table manners to nose etiquette, as well as sage advice for "What to do when your parents do dumb things."

Goodreads Review:  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/432395468

RSS Feeds vs. Twitter

A year or two ago I set up my Google Reader account with RSS feeds from various library, technology, and education-related blogs and websites.  Everyday for a week or two I would diligently log into my iGoogle site (remember those) which my Google Reader "fed" into.  I would try to scan the headlines, and read a full post or two, and then that feeling of information overload set in!  I felt as though I just couldn't keep up just as Craig Burgess described in his post, "Are blogs still relevant?" (http://geniusdivision.com/2012/06/20/are-blogs-still-relevant/).

Then came "Google+" and "Google Chrome" which started phasing out the iGoogle site (it will no longer be available after November 1, 2013).  I sort of walked away from my Google Reader and honestly didn't miss it.  

Enter the "mobile everything" phase.  I found if information was on my phone I would read it...anytime, anywhere.  I found that I could enter my Google Reader into my mobile FlipBoard app, and suddenly reading the RSS feed headlines became fun again. So what made me stop? "Push" or lack there of.  

Twitter is quick, brief, and it pushes the information I want right in front of me by way of notifications on my phone.  Do I read every Tweet?  No way! But I can search for hashtags related to subjects that interest me (at that moment) and have them "pushed" to me without searching out feeds, and updating my aggregator.  In addition to the push technology and the ability to search with hashtags, Twitter also has something RSS feeds do not...people!  The "social" nature of following people versus a blog has wider appeal to me.  

Perhaps I am not using RSS feeds to their full current potential out of a lack of better understanding, but for this busy graduate student and mom, they have long since died on the vine!