This year I am teaching grade 6 at the same middle school that loops the students, so I get them for two years. How will teaching grade 6 students differ from grade 7 in relation of their knowledge of technology? Essentially I will be doing a “field study in reverse”. I want to start the year better by creating more activities that builds the community in my classroom and online as well. I want to avoid as much as possible, the attitude craziness in grade 7. I want to build on the premise that “It takes a community to raise a child”—that everyone in the school will have an impact on each of my students as well as online communities will too. I STILL want to expand my blog to be more interactive. Students will be able to comment on each other’s posts and get ideas. In order to do this, though, I do need to make sure I do some “netiquette” lessons. That’s where my field study comes in. Having taught the grade 7’s how to use a wiki and how to be respectful there, I want to see if teaching the grade 6 students how to behave online will change their attitude towards each other and towards online activities.
My Inquiry question independent of the technology based on pedagogy:
*How can I create an effective community in my classroom?
Sub-questions:
*How can I create a community of responsible learners on the web? How can my students be responsible and respectful digital citizens? (What does this look like to them?)
Activities and Analyzing the Data:
Pre Activity: Intro to Technology Survey (Data Source)
I wanted to see where the students were at in relation to technology. I made this survey in the summer and re-evaluated the survey just after school began. I made some changes, luckily, before I had the students do the survey (eg. Name and division).
I like that Google Docs compiles the question answers for me in a handy table. It is easy to see what the results are to guide my practice. I wish that I had paid more attention to what ALL the results were. I only looked at specific questions at the beginning of the year that were important to me at the time such as "Does your family have a computer?" "Does your family have internet?" "Do your parents have email and what is their email address?" I was relieved that all the students knew how to get onto the internet as they had to find the survey link on my blog! I did have to show a few how to type this address in as they were typing it in the Google search engine box. I should have revisited this survey once I began my unit.
Looking more carefully at the data, and knowing the students better, most of their answers didn't surprise me. I definitely know that most students cannot type what they need to type in an hour. Also, it is interesting how many of my students use gaming on their computers! The one student who does have a blog uses it for an online game site. (Interesting, very interesting!) I also found it interesting that I really like how the last question asks what the students want to learn this year in relation to technology--wiki, video, podcasts, blogs, presentation software and digital photography-- are all up there in their highest ranking. These are some of the things I do already plan on implementing in my classroom.
What really surprised me was that 25 students said that their parents do not supervise them when they are on the computer. This is most interesting. It made me wonder whether or not the parents had a "net nanny" program or that they are not paying attention to what their kids are doing or looking at on the computer. I'm very glad that I mentioned to my parents at my parent meeting some tips for internet safety in the home. This, however, is going to be more of a focus at future meetings even though the students, now, are more aware of how to be a safe and respectful digital citizen. I was relieved that the students who do have facebook are followed by their parents.
This survey was very helpful in gaining data to guide my practice for this unit and even the rest of this year.
1. Does your family have a computer? 29 Y2. Does your family have internet? 29 Y
3. If you have a computer, what type of computer is it? 27 PC 2 Mac
4. Do you know how to get on the internet? 29 Y
5. What do you use the computer for?
Online Gaming-17
Schoolwork- 15
Email-12
Surf the Net-11
Facebook -9
Youtube/Videos-4
MSN-4
Skype-2
Google-1
6. Do you know how to use a search engine to find information on the web? 18 Y 11 N
7. If were given an hour to type an assignment at school, could you complete it? 24 Y 5 N
8. Do you have an email address? 23 Y 6 N
9. Do you know what a blog is? 23 Y 6 N
10. Do you have a blog? 1 Y 28 N (Made by Weebly)
11. Do you know what a wiki is? 13 Y16 N
12. Do you have a wiki? 0 Y 29 N
13. Do you have a computer in your room? 7 Y 22 N
*14. Do your parents supervise you when you are using the computer? 24 N 5 Y
*15. Do you have a facebook account? 10 Y 19 N
*16. If you have a facebook account, are your parents your friends? 10 Y
17. Do you have a twitter account? 1Y
18. If you have a twitter account, do your parents follow you? 1 N
19. Do you know what cyber bullying is? 24 Y 5 N
*20. Have you used a presentation software such as powerpoint or keynote to show your research? 11 Y 18 N
21. Did your previous teacher have a classroom website? 6 Y 23 N
22. If they had a website, did you use it? 5 Y
23. Do you know how to use a digital camera? 29 Y
24. Do you have your own digital camera? 17 Y 12 N
25. Do you know how to edit photos? 13 Y 16 N
26. If so, what editing software do you use?
Photoshop -5
Picknik -4
Picasa -2
iphoto - 2
27.What would you like to learn more about this year regarding technology?
Wiki -11
Video-11
Podcasts-9
Blogs-8
Powerpoint/Keynote-8
Digital Photography-7
Skype-7
Photo Editing Software-6
Garage Band-6
Jing/iShowU-6
Comic Life-6
Typing-5*Covered in computer arts
Word Processing-5
Internet Search Skills-4
Garage Band - 4
Email-1
Pre Activity: ISTE Rubric (Data Source)
We wanted to have another way to see where the students were at using technology but on the ISTE standards scale. So we decided to use a rubric, since the language was difficult for them to understand. Using the online rubric maker was a first for me. It was easy to use and you could customize your rubric easily; however, saving the rubric was hit and miss. We had to redo it twice because of an error. When using technology, always have a backup! We used the student version of the ISTE standards and made it into "student friendly language". I found that this rubric was really vague when I was trying to use it with my students and hard for me to explain to them. These were the results:
A. Most marked that they were responsible online: The average mark was 3: Accomplished I sometimes make safe, responsible and positive choices online (eg. I only give out personal information online to people I know in real life, I usually write dow where I get my information and make sure I give credit, I try to be respectful to others online and I ignore any negativity I see).
B. Most hadn't worked in a group setting online: Average mark was a 2: Capable, but 16 students had not worked online
C. They seemed to follow the rules online: the average mark was a 3: Accomplished I sometimes follow the rules to be a safe online user (eg. I use the safety rules of the internet at school but I do not always at home or at a friend's house)
D. Most were a leader when using the internet: Average mark was a 3: Accomplished I sometimes share my knowledge of how to use the internet with my peers and the online community in a positive way (eg. I usually make positive choices when online and try to encourage my peers to do the same, if I notice poor choices online I will ignore them).
Two of my students were quite honest in this regard that they didn't always use the internet with an adult watching and were not a positive leader online. I just wish the rest of my students were brutally honest this way. A lot of them wrote down that they were experts when it came to being responsible and leaders online. I am wondering if this was true? Since I haven't had the chance to quite finish my unit, I am going to ask the students to look at the marking sheet they did, and comment as to if what they marked was true or not. I will get them to mark themselves again now that we have gone through all the digital citizenship lessons and see if they have a better understanding of where they are now.
Lesson 1: Cyberspace World
In this lesson, "the students were to consider the concept of cyberspace as a place and learn that it can be defined as real people communicating through computers to the internet"cybersmart.org. We brainstormed different ways the students could be online. They were to create a map showing their different paths into cyberspace and create a legend that showed what the symbols represented on their map.
They realized that x-box gaming was actually playing online with people all over the world. Some online games were actually created overseas and they were actually playing with other people there too. My International student emailed and skyped with her dad while others who had relatives in other countries like the United States or England did the same. Other students found this activity hard because they didn't really go online. Their maps were much more condensed. We discussed; however, that researching about other countries or searching on Google could lead us to places all over the world. I think that this was really an eye opening activity to many students who didn't really think about the intricacies of the internet and where it can take you even when you are just sitting at home in Canada.
Lesson 2: Understanding Your Acceptable Use Policy
In this lesson, students understood our school district's Internet usage agreement and put it into "student friendly" language. We had sent home the policy earlier with our information package for parents and students and parents had to sign that they had read and agreed to all terms. I wasn't too sure about this, as there was a lot to read and understand. Students got out their highlighters and we went through each policy step-by-step, word-by-word. Students highlighted the most important words and we A/B partner shared what they meant by this and some examples that they could think of to help them understand the policy better. They then got some scenarios to apply the rules to. Most were straight forward, but a few fell into the grey area--some parts could follow the policy while another part could not. Students then brainstormed what they thought were the most important parts of the Internet policy. I then took their ideas and compiled a list of our "Top Ten Netiquette Rules". I sent this home to parents and posted it on my blog.
Lesson 3: Digital Security
In this lesson, we learned the do's and don'ts to online safety. We watched a video on online safety and brainstormed what they should do and not do online. They then had to create a comic of online do's and don'ts. It was interesting that 22 students did their comic on pop ups, 4 on private or personal information, 1 on posting on the school website, 1 on reading the fine print and 1 on websites. It showed me what they really got out of the lesson and what impacts them the most on a day to day basis.
Lesson 4: Private vs. Personal Information
In this lesson, students learned what types of information is private and what is personal. They learned that this is important to be safe online. They brainstormed a list of both. During art, they created a collage to show only personal information. Twenty-seven students understood this concept and the importance of it. Only two still had private information on their collage.
Lesson 5: Messaging Manners
In this lesson, students learned the importance of using "messaging manners". They watched a video called "Think Before You Post". They jigsaw shared what messaging manners they would have in four different scenarios: email, message board, instant messaging, and chatting. The part of the lesson that found the most helpful was that I asked the students to write on the bottom of the page why this is important or what they learned. It really showed what the students were getting out of the lesson and if they got the big idea about being a respectful digital citizen when sending messages online.
Lesson 6: Cyberbullying
In this lesson, students reflected on questions such as "What is cyberbullying? What forms can it take? What are some possible effects of cyberbullying? Why do cyberbullies bully? What can you do about cyberbullying?" It just so happens that our school had booked "Justice Theatre" the day before I did this lesson! What perfect timing. The students were able to see a "real world scenario" about cyberbullying to give this lesson some context. We watched a great youtube video that has kids talking about different times that they were cyberbullied and what they did about it. My class answered the questions above as they watched. They pair shared and we discussed the answers as a class. I gave them a scenario sheet and they understood what to when we brainstormed in class and for minor offences, but most still didn't understand the severity of it when presented in a real world context when the police need to become involved.
Lesson 7: Digital Literacy
In this lesson, students wrote down guidelines for evaluating and trusting online resources. They went in partners to the computer lab and evaluated three websites I had given them the links for. Based on the checklist, the students wrote which website they thought was the most authentic and why. I did this lesson just before the students had to do online research for Science. I thought this may help them to get correct information.
Lesson 8: Digital Law-Copyright Information
I also showed the students the Creative Commons website, where instead of just searching Google images, students can rightfully use photos that the creator has given them permission to use. It was so great that this came up in LTT the same time as I needed to use it in my classroom.
Lesson 9: Digital Health and Wellness
At the end of the unit:
This is where I am at and I still need to:
-revisit the rubric and see where the students are in relation to the ISTE standards
-have the students create a presentation through comic life using creative commons photos to show their learning towards becoming respectful digital citizens
-I have started the students on the wiki, but I need to see how they will behave. Will they be respectful? How will they treat each other in a private online community?
- Have the students share on the blog-Will they be respectful? How will they treat each other in a public community?
Reflecting on the Discoveries:
- What are your key learnings in response to your inquiry question? I learned that students in grade 6 think they know a lot when it comes to anything related to technology (and school in general!) They think they know what it means to be respectful, but when they are faced with the real life situation online, they may not quite know how to respond in all aspects. I think that they know what it takes to make a great community in real life and that they are ready to try to make a community online--both private and public. I think that through this series of lessons, the students learned the big picture--they became more insightful and more mature on how to behave online.
See the video clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWvOCE_jImA
- Why is this learning is important to you? I think that this learning was important to me because I want to give the tools to be respectful to others online. I want to take preventative measures to train the students rather than consequences of poor behaviour that will stick with them the rest of their lives. Hopefully by giving these skills to the students, they can observe, be active participants and create online communities that will promote respectful and responsible behaviour.
- What significance does this learning have for your students? I see this learning through out this unit was giving the students skills that they will use in many aspects of their life both now and in the future. The way they behave online shows how they treat others in real life. They can be both one and the same.
Reading and Responding to Literature:
"Cybersafety in the Classrooom" by Kevin Butler www.DistrictAdministration.com June 2010
This article advocated the importance of teaching students digital citizenship. It talked about incorporating lessons into our curriculum. It also had lots of websites that showed lessons that I can use in my classroom right away. One of those websites was www.cybersmart.org. This website had reproducibles and lesson plans that showed step by step how to teach different aspects of digital citizenship. What an amazing site! I used most of these lessons to decide what I would teach for my field study. If the students didn't understand a concept, there were at least 3-4 other lessons I could use to supplement the ones I already taught.
It also talked about involving parents in keeping their children safe. It suggested to have a parent meeting to give parents feedback on how to keep their students safe online. During our parent meeting we made sure we went over our district web policy. On my blog, I also share videos with the parents that our students watch in class about digital citizenship.
"Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behaviour" By Mike S. Rible Gerald D. Bailey and Tweed W. Ross in the International Society for Technology in Education www.iste.org
This article advocates for the ISTE standards being a starting point in teaching and learning about digital citizenship. That is where I started from when I wanted to create this unit. The rubric we created is centred around the ISTE standards. It also stresses the importance of creating digital citizens not only in school but out of school as well. It talks about nine principles that "make up being a digital citizen: etiquette, communication, education, access, commerce, responsibility, rights, safety, and security". These principles guided my lessons by using policies, studies and modelling appropriate behaviour for students during my field study. I like how the article talks about each guiding principle what it is, what appropriate behaviour looks like, what inappropriate behaviour looks like and what strategies we can use to teach them. It is also interesting how it encourages the teaching of technology in by giving opportunity to learn in different forums both in and out of school (eg. blogs, wikis, google docs, online forums...etc) which is what I aim to do after this unit is complete. "Education is the teaching of the overall citizenship to learn to live together with fellow citizens.."
"Monitoring Technology Misuse and Abuse: A Five -Step Plan for Creating a Digital Citizenship Program in Your School" by Mike S. Ribble and Gerald D. Bailey T.H.E Journal August 2004
With the growing concern of abuse and misuse of the Internet, this article talks about five steps to see if technology is being misused in your school. It has a series of questions to answer to focus on the important parts of a digital citizenship program in the class/school. From the list of concerns that were presented, I saw that the most important things to focus on in my classroom to guide my field study were: "downloading movie/music files from the internet, using a cell phone at school, using proper posture while at the computer, plagiarizing online information, and failing to find accurate or credible information online."
