However, I feel that I am constantly caught between a question of privacy and safety, and that of authentic publication and interaction. For the most part, my students work in a closed, password protected wiki that only our members can see. But occasionally I long for a wider audience for my students. A few years ago we created a gorgeous Webzine and I obtained parent permission to make the wiki public and shared the address with our school. That was a neat experience for the kids because other people were able to see their work.
Check it out : http://EaglesWebzine.wikispaces.com
However, there was no interaction, there were no comments, as there would be on an webzine. And there was no opportunity for participation in a real online community, dealing with authentic and current topics and issues.
Sometimes I wish that I could teach my students about modern language arts skills by participating in live online forums, discussion boards, and creating our own public blog. It would be a wonderful learning experience if we could read articles on Slate.com and respond with our comments. Or if we could publish or own timely blogs documenting this election year and link it to other public sites. However, as they are only 8th grade students, there is some opposition based on safety concerns, which I completely understand. The tension of being authentic and real, and being private and safe, seems to be constant.
I comfort myself by thinking that they are, as students do, learning in a gradual release of responsibility model. That they are not quite at the fully independent experience level yet, and that they are gaining enough out of what we do. And I dream of more possibilities!
Ah LOVE your wiki! That was so awesome! And you did this a few years ago? How did you know of wikis? (I am only asking because before taking these online courses this semester, I had never heard of such a thing!)I see where you are coming from in regards to safety concerns. Perhaps one day there will be a class on Internet safety and appropriate language for students. Maybe this could be apart of technology classes? I hope that this will happen so that teachers do not have to teach students proper Internet etiquette, although it never hurts to be taught more than once!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Melissa :-) I actually learned about blogging in a class offered by my district about 7 years ago. I was using that for years when I took one of Erica Boling's classes about 3 or 4 years ago. She used wikispaces for our class, so I started playing around with it. My husband, who is a Network Admin, also mentioned them to me. He keeps me up to date :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen using the internet, it is important that the students have an account and strict privacy settings. This can avoid some problems. The Webzine seemed like a great resource to use. This allowed students to view other student’s work. I agree with you that it would be a great opportunity for students to be exposed to online forums, public blogs, and other online discussion boards. However, I do agree that there should be safety restrictions. Students can learn about different perspectives and see what/how students from other countries respond. This will make the students more globally aware. Unfortunately, some of these online discussions boards are public and therefore there could be inappropriate information on them. The only suggestion I have is that if you are going to use these websites, make sure they have good privacy settings and are monitored. You should also get school and administrative permission.
ReplyDeleteWhen using the internet, it is important that the students have an account and strict privacy settings. This can avoid some problems. The Webzine seemed like a great resource to use. This allowed students to view other student’s work. I agree with you that it would be a great opportunity for students to be exposed to online forums, public blogs, and other online discussion boards. However, I do agree that there should be safety restrictions. Students can learn about different perspectives and see what/how students from other countries respond. This will make the students more globally aware. Unfortunately, some of these online discussions boards are public and therefore there could be inappropriate information on them. The only suggestion I have is that if you are going to use these websites, make sure they have good privacy settings and are monitored. You should also get school and administrative permission.
ReplyDeleteJennifer H.
I think that with the age group you are targeting, the experiences you have been providing them with online technologies is sufficient for their age. I think that as they get older and into high school that more authentic online communication on public sites will occur (hopefully). Although, I believe that students safety and privacy will always be a concern for teachers and parents. As Melissa said, you can never teach proper Internet etiquette enough and this may help alleviate some of the worries. In the meantime, it is important students build a foundation of knowledge using the technologies that you are helping to introduce them to before they embarking in the unknown cyber world.
ReplyDeleteThis is a problem that so many teachers experience and one that I am sure to encounter once I have a class of my own. I think that it is so important to protect students from online dangers but at the same time this overzealous need to be safe prevents our students from meaningful interactions and conversations. Have you thought about using a website such as ePals, where you can connect with another class from around the globe? Although this would still limit the audience your students had it would invite more people to view and comment on their work. You can choose the class you want to work with and even talk to the teacher before hand. It might give you a little of the freedom your looking for.
ReplyDeleteKash,
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of Webzine and it sounds like a great idea to expand the exposure of your students' work. You sound extremely proud of your students' work. The internet can be a Web 2.0 tool to provide your students with the larger audience that you desire. However, it is our obligation as educators to protect our students' privacy and to assure their safety. Have you considered working with a teacher from a different school, maybe someone from this class, to expand your classroom and satisfy the needs of your students while protecting their safety? If your students want to publish their work they can do it on their own through their own social media tools or on edmodo.
Robert
Hi Kash,
ReplyDeleteI certainly empathize with your frustrations of privacy vs. publication when it comes to working with middle schoolers and technology. It seems that your model of integrating blogs, wikis, etc. is using a gradual model to build responsibility in the global tech world. Have you considered allowing students to publish work on a site like teenink.com? Or, you could have the students make pseudonyms for themselves (maybe literature-based, just for fun!) for posting online in a public forum.