I went online to try to get started thinking about some criteria to include in the rubric. Here are some possible suggestions:
ayout of text and elements,
visual appeal (including graphics and photos),
ease of navigation and flow,
mechanical aspects (broken links, grammatical errors),
relevance of content to students and/or staff.
Am I on the right track???
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Anyone See Dr. Phil???
Dr. Phil had an intriguing, yet tragic show on a couple of weeks ago that exposed the first ammendment right to free speech and the necessity to draw the line somewhere. The mother of a young teen, Megan Myer was on the show. Megan, became friends on MySpace with a teenage boy who befriended her, told her how beautiful she was etc. Now the catch is that the boy was actually her friend's mother, posing as this young boy, who was trying to see if Megan was speaking badly of her daughter (Megan and her daughter were friends at one point). One day, this "boy" who Megan trusted and thought was her friend, turned on her and began saying horrible things about her. Tragically, Megan killed herself because of the devasting things this boy had said about her.
The Mayor, along with a first ammendment lawyer were on the show too. The big issue that was brought up was where to draw the line with this type of online bullying and the identity fraud supposedly committed by the mother of Megan's ex-friend. It was a very interesting episode and it raised a lot of good questions that need to be addressed to prevent future "Megan's" from resorting to a tragic end. Don't worry, I took in the episode with a grain of salt, being that it's a talk show and they tend to exploit people and their problems. However, I do think there is validity into investigating how laws can be instituted and changed to protect innocent people.
My "a-ha" moment came while I was watching the episode and heard the mayor disclose that there are no laws protecting Megan or others in her situation because that would infringe upon the "accused's" constitutional right. Are you kidding me? Why is it that the victims are "victimized" over and over again? Where is their justice? Why does the law, in Canada or the US, protect the accused or guilty at the expense of the victims? No wonder why vigilante justice is appealing to some people! (Not to me, but to some people!!!)
This is not the end of stories like Megan's.Another man was on the show and he was being threatened online while played PS2 or Xbox (forget which one!). Racial slurs and threats of violence against him and his family were being made while he was playing. He contacted Microsoft and they told him that until there were 10 complaints made against that person, nothing could be done. Shameful! So who protects him and his family? I guess an option would be for him to quit playing, but what about his rights?
I could go on....In closing, it was an eye-opening episode that highlighted not only the dangers online, but the reality of the lack of justice for those persecuted online!
The Mayor, along with a first ammendment lawyer were on the show too. The big issue that was brought up was where to draw the line with this type of online bullying and the identity fraud supposedly committed by the mother of Megan's ex-friend. It was a very interesting episode and it raised a lot of good questions that need to be addressed to prevent future "Megan's" from resorting to a tragic end. Don't worry, I took in the episode with a grain of salt, being that it's a talk show and they tend to exploit people and their problems. However, I do think there is validity into investigating how laws can be instituted and changed to protect innocent people.
My "a-ha" moment came while I was watching the episode and heard the mayor disclose that there are no laws protecting Megan or others in her situation because that would infringe upon the "accused's" constitutional right. Are you kidding me? Why is it that the victims are "victimized" over and over again? Where is their justice? Why does the law, in Canada or the US, protect the accused or guilty at the expense of the victims? No wonder why vigilante justice is appealing to some people! (Not to me, but to some people!!!)
This is not the end of stories like Megan's.Another man was on the show and he was being threatened online while played PS2 or Xbox (forget which one!). Racial slurs and threats of violence against him and his family were being made while he was playing. He contacted Microsoft and they told him that until there were 10 complaints made against that person, nothing could be done. Shameful! So who protects him and his family? I guess an option would be for him to quit playing, but what about his rights?
I could go on....In closing, it was an eye-opening episode that highlighted not only the dangers online, but the reality of the lack of justice for those persecuted online!
My Students and Facebook
I teach a wonderful group of grade 8 students. We are located on the central mountain in Hamilton. About a quarter of my students do not have access to a computer at home. So I posed the following question earlier this week: What's the big fascination with Facebook/MySpace? Most of the students responded with common reasons such as, "It's easier to communicate with my friends and relatives in other countries", "It's easier to send a message than to talk to them on the phone". I was floored at that last response. No wonder my so many of my students do not understand cursive writing, nor can they do it themselves. The ability to communicate with the technology that we have today has rid our students of the basic ability to write. I wonder how they will learn to sign their names in the future? Perhaps, by that time, we will have resorted to some sort of fingerprint scanning system for authentic identification!
Good online safety sites
http://fc.bryanisd.org/bhs/InternetSafety
This website is from a highschool (available for parents) and deals with on line safety tips and helps to educate the parents on popular mediums like MySpace and FaceBook. I know my parents of my students would definitely benefit from this information.There are also some pretty interesting statistics on this site as well:
60% of teens have gotten an email from a total stranger! Wow! The more shocking stat is that 63% of those teens have actually responded to those messages. Their curiosity, at that age with this technology, I feel is at an all-time. I can understand the appeal to respond to someone who you don't know, when you have the computer to hide behind. As appealing as it may be, the dangers are lurking for these teens!
http://www.commonsense.com/internet-safety-tips/tips-for-parents.php
This page deals with Internet Survival Tips for Parents and Teachers.
http://www.commonsense.com/internet-safety-tips/age-and-stage.php
This page ( a link from the last one ) is titled "Internet by Age and Stage" and goes through different age groups and what their activity level should be like on the internet.
Quite useful for parents!Further Resources and Helpful sites from commonsense.com:
http://www.commonsense.com/internet-safety-tips/further-resources.php
This website is from a highschool (available for parents) and deals with on line safety tips and helps to educate the parents on popular mediums like MySpace and FaceBook. I know my parents of my students would definitely benefit from this information.There are also some pretty interesting statistics on this site as well:
60% of teens have gotten an email from a total stranger! Wow! The more shocking stat is that 63% of those teens have actually responded to those messages. Their curiosity, at that age with this technology, I feel is at an all-time. I can understand the appeal to respond to someone who you don't know, when you have the computer to hide behind. As appealing as it may be, the dangers are lurking for these teens!
http://www.commonsense.com/internet-safety-tips/tips-for-parents.php
This page deals with Internet Survival Tips for Parents and Teachers.
http://www.commonsense.com/internet-safety-tips/age-and-stage.php
This page ( a link from the last one ) is titled "Internet by Age and Stage" and goes through different age groups and what their activity level should be like on the internet.
Quite useful for parents!Further Resources and Helpful sites from commonsense.com:
http://www.commonsense.com/internet-safety-tips/further-resources.php
Sunday, January 13, 2008
"Educational Benefits to Online Learning"
Check out this site for more benefits to online learning:
http://resources.blackboard.com/scholar/general/pages/ictraining/Online_Learning_Benefits.pdf
http://resources.blackboard.com/scholar/general/pages/ictraining/Online_Learning_Benefits.pdf
Online Learning
"Online Learning: Secondary Students' First Experience"
http://www.csse.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE26-4/CJE26-4-Tunison.pdf
- discusses the notion of "virtual schools" and the benefits of having no geographical boundaries
- school is always open, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- more emphasis placed on practicing and doing, preparing them more for today's changing technological society
- study done to look at the experiences of EOLL (early on line learners)
- found that with respect to communication tools available in on line learning (chat rooms, email, bulletin boards), students preferred email (to get help from their teacher, it was private, they could communicate with other students
- students preferred the bulletin board more as a means of socialization and getting to know each other bettter
- I thought it was interesting that the study stated that the bulletin board "empowered" the students to become teachers to help each other with problems they were having
- with respect to the use of chat rooms, students thought it would be best served if a teacher intervened to ensure it's proper and appropriate use; rarely used, and had to "plan" a time to be in it
- the article goes on to discuss the benefits and concerns with on line learning
- an important conclusion it does make is that adequate support must be in place for EOLL
- they also found that more student collaboration was necessary, as many of the students were content to work independently
- online learning enables and requires students to be self-directed learners
I can relate to the students in the study, because this is the first on line course I have taken. The last week has been a bit stressful trying to make sure I'm on line at certain times, making sure I'm posting my blogs, finding relevant material, etc. But, as with most things, it's getting easier. I've learned a lot this past week and my comfort level in communicating in this on line course is increasing. Onwards and upwards!
http://www.csse.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE26-4/CJE26-4-Tunison.pdf
- discusses the notion of "virtual schools" and the benefits of having no geographical boundaries
- school is always open, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- more emphasis placed on practicing and doing, preparing them more for today's changing technological society
- study done to look at the experiences of EOLL (early on line learners)
- found that with respect to communication tools available in on line learning (chat rooms, email, bulletin boards), students preferred email (to get help from their teacher, it was private, they could communicate with other students
- students preferred the bulletin board more as a means of socialization and getting to know each other bettter
- I thought it was interesting that the study stated that the bulletin board "empowered" the students to become teachers to help each other with problems they were having
- with respect to the use of chat rooms, students thought it would be best served if a teacher intervened to ensure it's proper and appropriate use; rarely used, and had to "plan" a time to be in it
- the article goes on to discuss the benefits and concerns with on line learning
- an important conclusion it does make is that adequate support must be in place for EOLL
- they also found that more student collaboration was necessary, as many of the students were content to work independently
- online learning enables and requires students to be self-directed learners
I can relate to the students in the study, because this is the first on line course I have taken. The last week has been a bit stressful trying to make sure I'm on line at certain times, making sure I'm posting my blogs, finding relevant material, etc. But, as with most things, it's getting easier. I've learned a lot this past week and my comfort level in communicating in this on line course is increasing. Onwards and upwards!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Use of Blogs in Education
For some more ideas on how to use blogs in the classroom, visit:
http://www.pembinatrails.ca/program/technology/uses_of_blogs_in_education.htm
http://www.pembinatrails.ca/program/technology/uses_of_blogs_in_education.htm
Blogs are everywhere...
I've been pretty sick this week, spending two days at home curled up on the couch. However, it allowed me to realize how many references I've seen to blogs: Sports Desk (TSN) allows their viewers to join them in the current banter on the hot topic of sports, wedding websites (of which I've been scouring since I'm getting married in the summer) permit brides-to-be to share heart-warming engagement tales and tips on where to find the cheapest vendors, professional sport team websites allow you to chat with your favorite player. Before January 7, I honestly never paid much attention to the simplicity of sharing your ideas and thoughts via a blog. You learn something new every day!
Why not book clubs for adults???
As I was reading Patricia's message, I began to think of how easy it would be for adults, not just students, to use blogs as part of their book club. An adult, on-line reading response journal, in a way! Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's being done, I just never thought of it! My friends and I, when we somehow find the time, have a book club. The difficult part always seems to be staying on task and actually sharing our ideas, thoughts and questions about the book. Having the opportunity to post your thoughts and read those of others is a great way to discuss the book without actually having to clean your house and have people over! Now if I can only get my friends on board with the world of "blogging"! Look out Oprah and your fancy little book club!!!
Great Article
I found a great article from:www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/02/blogs.phpIt's called "Writing with Weblogs".
I once had a student that was communicating with Robert Munsch (successful and popular children's author) online, sharing her ideas about some stories she had written. Had it not been for the opportunity for her share her writing online, she would have never have had the chance.
With respect to encouraging student writing, the article states that "students will write when they have something to say, when they have an audience, and when they get feedback."I completely agree with Goulb's philosophy. It's sometimes challenging as a teacher to get your students to write a personal journal entry in their "notebooks", let alone a creative writing assignment or essay on a topic of their choice. I find that often students write what they think their teachers want to read, not necessarily what the student themselves believes or thinks. If the students have an audience of their peers or an "unkown, cyber" audience, that may contribute to more authentic and quality writing. When students hand in a writing assignment, they have to wait to get it back. Children nowadays are used to, and expect, instant gratification and results. I think the the immediate feedback they would receive is a great incentive to encourage publishing their written work online.
The article also provides some insight on the challenges of assessment. This is a great read and the site (www.techlearning.com) provides additional digital writing resources.
I once had a student that was communicating with Robert Munsch (successful and popular children's author) online, sharing her ideas about some stories she had written. Had it not been for the opportunity for her share her writing online, she would have never have had the chance.
With respect to encouraging student writing, the article states that "students will write when they have something to say, when they have an audience, and when they get feedback."I completely agree with Goulb's philosophy. It's sometimes challenging as a teacher to get your students to write a personal journal entry in their "notebooks", let alone a creative writing assignment or essay on a topic of their choice. I find that often students write what they think their teachers want to read, not necessarily what the student themselves believes or thinks. If the students have an audience of their peers or an "unkown, cyber" audience, that may contribute to more authentic and quality writing. When students hand in a writing assignment, they have to wait to get it back. Children nowadays are used to, and expect, instant gratification and results. I think the the immediate feedback they would receive is a great incentive to encourage publishing their written work online.
The article also provides some insight on the challenges of assessment. This is a great read and the site (www.techlearning.com) provides additional digital writing resources.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Greetings!
Hello everyone! My name is Christine Garbarz. I teach grade 8 for the HWCDSB. I've also taught grades 5 and 7. At my school, the access to the computer lab is limited (1-40 minute period a week, unless you can coax a colleague for their time slot!).
Personally, I'm taking this course to rev up my computer skills. Technology is changing so quickly, and the students often are teaching us how to use certain programs. So I would like to boost my confidence using computers in the classroom and be able to create a tech-friendly environment. I'm hoping this course will help!
Looking forward to chatting with you all soon. I should add, however, that I do have a bit of anxiety about some of the assignments I've read about.
Personally, I'm taking this course to rev up my computer skills. Technology is changing so quickly, and the students often are teaching us how to use certain programs. So I would like to boost my confidence using computers in the classroom and be able to create a tech-friendly environment. I'm hoping this course will help!
Looking forward to chatting with you all soon. I should add, however, that I do have a bit of anxiety about some of the assignments I've read about.
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