A Pennsylvania English teacher is suspended right now based on the posts she wrote on her personal blog for family and friends. The school and students believed that the teacher was completely out of bounds.
They want us to be accessible to students. We are supposed to be "Googleable."
I have a personal blog that is private so only the people I invite can read it. I have the right to express my own opinions. The teacher didn't even use specific names or the school name.
The question really is: How are we supposed to be connected and not cross the line?
Check out the link to the news story: Pa. teacher strikes nerve with 'lazy whiners' blog
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Googleable? Yah, Baby!
Check this out: in prepping for the Google Apps class, I ran across some resource material from one Esther Wojcicki. I had a question and decided to search for more info on her to see if I could find contact info.
Well, just copy & paste the following into your web browser: Palo Alto High School Esther Wojcicki.
Of the myriad of hits, especially check out an interview w/ her @ Goodbye English, Hello Journalism.
Case closed!
Well, just copy & paste the following into your web browser: Palo Alto High School Esther Wojcicki.
Of the myriad of hits, especially check out an interview w/ her @ Goodbye English, Hello Journalism.
Case closed!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Googlable?
I am not always sure what to think about this "Googlable" deal. I believe in the power of networking and, for the last few years I have been immersed in it.
I have two Facebook accounts: one for personal use and another created just for communication with students. I have a myspace account that I forgot about, but lo and behold a quick Google search reminded me that it is still active--now I must remember to go shut that thing down. I have a personal blog that is private, because who needs nosy teenagers reading my personal thoughts? I also keep my English 12 classroom blog public so students can access it any time and get their assignments. As a gamer, I have a Gamertag on Xbox live. Any student who found this out could easily follow me around and find themselves in the same Halo match as me.
In college, I was part of multiple different organizations and projects. Since I was involved in journalism at NNU, I used the internet all the time to track people down and you would not believe the amount of stuff you can find about a person over the internet. I took an entire investigative reporting class that taught me how to use the internet to get almost any information I want about a person.
Even those of you who do not consider yourselves to be Googlable, let me assure you there are traces of you out on the web. Anything from traffic tickets to divorce records are considered public information and can be traced.
Amber Ford is a pretty common name, but when I typed it in with "Idaho" in the search bar I was able to pull up a couple of things that were actually me. Some of the results were connected to my days at NNU, and some were from my post-NNU life.
However, my big thing is that I am not sure how to create any type of "G-portfolio" that highlights Amber Ford as a professional. I don't put any of my teaching materials out for public consumption, but I am not opposed to it. I steal ideas from other educators online, so it is only fair that I provide some of the same resources.
So, I am for being connected via the World Wide Web and as an educator I think it is important to be visible. However, I agree with Heather on some levels because there are parts of my life that I do not need my students to be a part of--that is one of the big reasons I don't live in Homedale. It is a very difficult line to walk, especially considering my age. I have grown up with these things and I have an interest in technology, so it is not weird for me. I just worry about crossing that line and being a part of some crazy "scandal" because a student digs into part of my life that is not their business. I do my best to protect myself by keeping accounts private so students can't look at my accounts unless I allow them to.
I'm not sure what the solution is; I just know that I am connected on the web and that works for me. It doesn't bother me, as long as I remember that anyone can find things out about me and I keep it clean and appropriate. To me, it is all about balancing your responsibilities as a teacher and your personal life.
I have two Facebook accounts: one for personal use and another created just for communication with students. I have a myspace account that I forgot about, but lo and behold a quick Google search reminded me that it is still active--now I must remember to go shut that thing down. I have a personal blog that is private, because who needs nosy teenagers reading my personal thoughts? I also keep my English 12 classroom blog public so students can access it any time and get their assignments. As a gamer, I have a Gamertag on Xbox live. Any student who found this out could easily follow me around and find themselves in the same Halo match as me.
In college, I was part of multiple different organizations and projects. Since I was involved in journalism at NNU, I used the internet all the time to track people down and you would not believe the amount of stuff you can find about a person over the internet. I took an entire investigative reporting class that taught me how to use the internet to get almost any information I want about a person.
Even those of you who do not consider yourselves to be Googlable, let me assure you there are traces of you out on the web. Anything from traffic tickets to divorce records are considered public information and can be traced.
Amber Ford is a pretty common name, but when I typed it in with "Idaho" in the search bar I was able to pull up a couple of things that were actually me. Some of the results were connected to my days at NNU, and some were from my post-NNU life.
However, my big thing is that I am not sure how to create any type of "G-portfolio" that highlights Amber Ford as a professional. I don't put any of my teaching materials out for public consumption, but I am not opposed to it. I steal ideas from other educators online, so it is only fair that I provide some of the same resources.
So, I am for being connected via the World Wide Web and as an educator I think it is important to be visible. However, I agree with Heather on some levels because there are parts of my life that I do not need my students to be a part of--that is one of the big reasons I don't live in Homedale. It is a very difficult line to walk, especially considering my age. I have grown up with these things and I have an interest in technology, so it is not weird for me. I just worry about crossing that line and being a part of some crazy "scandal" because a student digs into part of my life that is not their business. I do my best to protect myself by keeping accounts private so students can't look at my accounts unless I allow them to.
I'm not sure what the solution is; I just know that I am connected on the web and that works for me. It doesn't bother me, as long as I remember that anyone can find things out about me and I keep it clean and appropriate. To me, it is all about balancing your responsibilities as a teacher and your personal life.
GREAT Question!
Wow Heather! I've never been brave enough to do that. In fact, I've pretty much always felt as you do. However, I'm beginning to look at it differently. I'll share a bit of what/who is influencing my thinking.
Below I'm copying a small portion of an interview with Will Richardson who was a high school English and journalism teacher in New Jersey for nearly 20 years and is now an author and an educational-technology consultant. Check the entire interview AND the comments at Change Agent
Q: You’ve written that too many teachers are “un-Googleable.” What do you mean by that and why does it matter?
A: What I mean is that too few teachers have a visible presence on the Web. The primary reason this matters is that the kids in our classrooms are going to be Googled—they're going to be searched for on the Web—over and over again. That's just the reality of their lives, right? So they need models. They need to have adults who know what it means to have a strong and appropriate search portfolio—I call it the “G-portfolio.” But right now—and this is my ongoing refrain—there’s no one teaching them how to learn and share with these technologies. There's no one teaching them about the nuances involved in creating a positive online footprint. It's all about what not to do instead of what they should be doing.
The second thing is that, if you want to be part of an extended learning network or community, you have to be findable. And you have to participate in some way. The people I learn from on a day-to-day basis are Googleable. They’re findable, they have a presence, they’re participating, they’re transparent. That’s what makes them a part of my learning network. If you’re not out there—if you’re not transparent or findable in that way—I can’t learn with you.
Q: Why do you think many teachers are not out there on the Web?
A: I think it’s a huge culture shift. Education by and large has been a very closed type of profession. “Just let me close my doors and teach”—you hear that refrain all the time. I’ve had people come up to me after presentations and say, “Well, I’m not putting my stuff up on the Web because I don’t want anyone to take it and use it.” And I say, “But that’s the whole point.” I love what David Wiley, an instructional technology professor at Brigham Young University, says: “Without sharing, there is no education.” And it’s true. We really have to be—or at least should be—sharing our stuff freely, and in doing so making new connections and working in these communities and networks that can really enhance our own learning. That’s just what the world looks like right now. But it’s just a very different kind of culture and approach to learning than has traditionally prevailed—and still prevails—in schools. A lot of educators just don’t see the opportunities.
Thanks for your great question, Heather! What do the others of you think??
Below I'm copying a small portion of an interview with Will Richardson who was a high school English and journalism teacher in New Jersey for nearly 20 years and is now an author and an educational-technology consultant. Check the entire interview AND the comments at Change Agent
Q: You’ve written that too many teachers are “un-Googleable.” What do you mean by that and why does it matter?
A: What I mean is that too few teachers have a visible presence on the Web. The primary reason this matters is that the kids in our classrooms are going to be Googled—they're going to be searched for on the Web—over and over again. That's just the reality of their lives, right? So they need models. They need to have adults who know what it means to have a strong and appropriate search portfolio—I call it the “G-portfolio.” But right now—and this is my ongoing refrain—there’s no one teaching them how to learn and share with these technologies. There's no one teaching them about the nuances involved in creating a positive online footprint. It's all about what not to do instead of what they should be doing.
The second thing is that, if you want to be part of an extended learning network or community, you have to be findable. And you have to participate in some way. The people I learn from on a day-to-day basis are Googleable. They’re findable, they have a presence, they’re participating, they’re transparent. That’s what makes them a part of my learning network. If you’re not out there—if you’re not transparent or findable in that way—I can’t learn with you.
Q: Why do you think many teachers are not out there on the Web?
A: I think it’s a huge culture shift. Education by and large has been a very closed type of profession. “Just let me close my doors and teach”—you hear that refrain all the time. I’ve had people come up to me after presentations and say, “Well, I’m not putting my stuff up on the Web because I don’t want anyone to take it and use it.” And I say, “But that’s the whole point.” I love what David Wiley, an instructional technology professor at Brigham Young University, says: “Without sharing, there is no education.” And it’s true. We really have to be—or at least should be—sharing our stuff freely, and in doing so making new connections and working in these communities and networks that can really enhance our own learning. That’s just what the world looks like right now. But it’s just a very different kind of culture and approach to learning than has traditionally prevailed—and still prevails—in schools. A lot of educators just don’t see the opportunities.
Thanks for your great question, Heather! What do the others of you think??
Googlable
So, I Googled myself and turns out I am NOT Googlable. Personally, I think this is a GOOD thing. Am I the only one that feels that way?
Thursday, January 6, 2011
first
Just found the "new post" button...
Hello! loving my new brightlink! still is a liitle blurry due to cable, but considering what we've gone through with the previous projector/comp.
It's been great in class!
Hello! loving my new brightlink! still is a liitle blurry due to cable, but considering what we've gone through with the previous projector/comp.
It's been great in class!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
1st timer
Just testing the waters as I am now posting on a blog for the first time, more to come later.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Three days in, and I am in LOVE.
Christmas came early this year in the form of my Brightlink.
I talked about it all year. My kids jumped on the bandwagon and started asking about it. Last week when the cart and laptop showed up it seemed too good to be true.
My overhead projector is now collecting dust in the corner. Good riddance, my friend.
I can already see how this piece of technology is changing my instruction. My classes, as a whole, are more engaging and interactive.
Here are some of the ways I have used my Brightlink so far, and it has only been functioning for 3 days:
1. With my ISAT Language class, we are working through online tutorials and practice tests as a class. Yesterday, we took a test as a class. I broke the kids up into groups of three and they rotated answering questions. They got to control the board with the pen. They could only use the other people in their group to answer the questions. At the end, I scored it and gave prizes to the team who had the most correct answers. That class enjoys doing things together, and the Brightlink is a wonderful tool for that.
2. My seniors just watched Act One of Hamlet on the projector. Because of the shape of my room, the larger display helps ALL the kids see the screen and the computer speakers are louder and of a better quality than my television.
3. My speech kids did persuasive speeches, and they were able to do powerpoints to accompany those speeches. It was great practice for them in using statistics in their speeches and finding ways to display that information.
4. As we talk about mass media in speech, I used the projector to show different commercials and interactive videos and we had the chance to discuss the messages these commercials are sending. Some great discussion came from this material.
5. I could pull up my class blog (http://missfordseniorenglish.blogspot.com) and explain the blog assignment to all the seniors before they started. It gave me the opportunity to clarify different parts of the assignment. The kids even found an error in my post!
Like I said, these are only things I did Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. Other ideas are brewing in my head, but I already feel invigorated by having the technology in my room. I get excited about using it, and the kids are excited about it too. They all beg me for a chance to use the pen and write on the board. At the very least, I am in a better mood simply because this makes things more efficient and accessible. I can find almost any resource I need for my classroom and use it with the greatest of ease.
This love affair will definitely last longer than three days :)
I talked about it all year. My kids jumped on the bandwagon and started asking about it. Last week when the cart and laptop showed up it seemed too good to be true.
My overhead projector is now collecting dust in the corner. Good riddance, my friend.
I can already see how this piece of technology is changing my instruction. My classes, as a whole, are more engaging and interactive.
Here are some of the ways I have used my Brightlink so far, and it has only been functioning for 3 days:
1. With my ISAT Language class, we are working through online tutorials and practice tests as a class. Yesterday, we took a test as a class. I broke the kids up into groups of three and they rotated answering questions. They got to control the board with the pen. They could only use the other people in their group to answer the questions. At the end, I scored it and gave prizes to the team who had the most correct answers. That class enjoys doing things together, and the Brightlink is a wonderful tool for that.
2. My seniors just watched Act One of Hamlet on the projector. Because of the shape of my room, the larger display helps ALL the kids see the screen and the computer speakers are louder and of a better quality than my television.
3. My speech kids did persuasive speeches, and they were able to do powerpoints to accompany those speeches. It was great practice for them in using statistics in their speeches and finding ways to display that information.
4. As we talk about mass media in speech, I used the projector to show different commercials and interactive videos and we had the chance to discuss the messages these commercials are sending. Some great discussion came from this material.
5. I could pull up my class blog (http://missfordseniorenglish.blogspot.com) and explain the blog assignment to all the seniors before they started. It gave me the opportunity to clarify different parts of the assignment. The kids even found an error in my post!
Like I said, these are only things I did Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. Other ideas are brewing in my head, but I already feel invigorated by having the technology in my room. I get excited about using it, and the kids are excited about it too. They all beg me for a chance to use the pen and write on the board. At the very least, I am in a better mood simply because this makes things more efficient and accessible. I can find almost any resource I need for my classroom and use it with the greatest of ease.
This love affair will definitely last longer than three days :)
RM Easiteach
So…what’s it take to inspire and engage our 21st Century learners?
Well, for starters, we purchased an exciting, interactive software package from RM Education that will operate on your new Epson BrightLink. RM Easiteach is a stimulating, whole-class software tool with flexible and dynamic lessons and resources.
You’ll find a variety of training videos on the RM Easiteach Resources page. My training suggestion is that you sit at your computer with RM Easiteach open, watch part of the training video, pause it, and try the process on your own.
In the upcoming weeks, we’ll save class time for you to share your RM Easiteach fresh-finds, tips, and tricks. Who knows? by the end of the year, you may all find yourselves RM Easiteach experts. Cool.
BTW, what have you done with your BrightLink so far?
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