Wednesday, December 12, 2012

More Tech to Try

Need more tech ideas to try?? Why not... Edtech is like Jello, there's always room for ----! If you are willing to dive in, see the info at the link below...

http://syded.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/integrate-that-technology-into-your-classroom/

10 things students should know about their on- line profile

So who cares what you do on-line, right?? Oops! Wrong attitude! You might not care now....but wait til later!

Read the interesting article below taken from:

http://www.teachhub.com/10-things-your-students-should-know-about-their-digital-footprints


10 Things Your Students Should Know About Their Digital Footprints

By: Digital Media in the Classroom
Building a digital legacy is an issue I believe doesn’t garner enough attention in our personal and professional lives. In fact, some of the heaviest users of online tools and social media, are our young students, who are growing up as a generation of visual learners and visual attention seekers. This is in fact the Facebook and YouTube generation, and the reality is that many teens are unconcerned about the dangers of sharing personal information online.

A highly respected education advocate, Kevin Honeycutt, once asked me if any of us from our generation (GenX and before), had ever made a mistake in puberty. He then asked if our mistakes are “Googleable.”

The reality is that our mistakes from puberty are not “Googleable”. But our students’ mistakes are. “They’re on the record you see, ” Kevin continued, “so if they’re gonna do it (live online) anyway, I think it behooves us as educators to help our students shape and build a positive legacy.”

With that in mind, I have developed some important facts and opinions that our students should be completely aware of as they live in their digital world, creating digital footprints along the way.


1.) College admissions and employers do read your online profiles and they do make decisions based upon information they find out about you online. In fact, college’s will make decisions based upon many forms of questionable involvement. Scott Cornwell, College and Career Adviser at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, Missouri said, “I had a case where a parent sent an email to a college suggesting they look at the Facebook page of a student who was applying to the same school as her daughter. The Facebook page showed the other student at a party with alcohol. The mother's goal was to get rid of some of the competition her daughter would have at this selective school. In the end, both the student at the party and the daughter of the mother were rejected (the first in part because of the Facebook page, the second because the college was concerned about dealing with such a manipulative mother for four years).

2. ) As illustrated in the example above, educators and parents do see, read, and hear about your online escapades, even though you go to great lengths to hide them from us. There have been many times I wish I hadn’t stumbled upon a student Twitter or Facebook post, but I have. These experiences, which included foul language,cyberbullying, and basic immaturity, have only reinforced to me that digital citizenship needs to be taught in our schools as early as possible.

3.) Educate yourself on the basics. What does Digital Citizenship mean to you? What should it mean? These are important lessons that students can research on their own. However, wouldn’t it be fantastic to offer some of this education in our schools as well?

4.) Create a profile that says simple, non-specific details about yourself, but that is still identifiably you. Ultimately, we are all personally responsible for our digital reputation, but many of our students, and quite frankly many adults, don’t know how to accomplish this important task.

5.) Create separate accounts so you can consistently remain positive in public online spaces. If you have already developed a full identity online, you don’t necessarily need to “scrub it clean”, but it would make sense to create a professional identity, and limit the amount of personal information you share publicly. Increase your privacy settings on all of your personal information, and publicly share all the wonderful things you are contributing to the world.

6.) Learn from others. Find teenagers, professionals, or reputation resources who are doing things the right way and model your online presence in a similar manner. Read the survey’s that have been conducted and make informative decisions on what personal material is appropriate to share publicly, and what is not.

7.) Keep private information private. Have you heard the saying the “Internet is forever?” You may think you can easily hit delete, and what you sent goes away. But it truly doesn’t. Be aware and learn why the Internet is permanent.

8.) The Golden Rule. Never has this rule applied more than to how you speak to others online. What are you truly accomplishing by saying things behind the veil of a computer screen, that you would never say to someone in person? Treat others as you would like to be treated. Simply put, if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Remember, you can’t truly delete when you SEND.

9.) Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, but be mindful that being careless, too open, too trusting, and realize spending too much time on the Internet, has real consequences.

10.) Build your own positive image and brand yourself in a great way. Say “iAm” to the world. I created a wonderful lesson for my class by asking them who they are as people, not as students. I then asked them to create a short video to show me who they are. It was a great success and I learned a lot about my students in a very positive way.

What does digital citizenship mean to you

Reference: http://www.microsoft.com/security/resources/digital-citizenship.aspx

What does digital citizenship mean to you?

Digital citizenship is usually defined as the "norms of behavior with regard to technology use." It encompasses digital literacy, ethics, etiquette, online safety, norms, rights, culture and more. Microsoft recognizes that good digital citizenship, when you use computers, gaming consoles, or mobile devices, promotes a safer online environment for all.

The visual whitepaper, "Fostering Digital Citizenship," discusses why digital citizenship matters and outlines the education young people need as they explore, learn, and essentially "grow-up" online. This paper also addresses the three types of risks you might encounter in online activities: Content, Contact, and Conduct.

Managing your online behavior and monitoring your reputation are important elements of good digital citizenship. Microsoft recently surveyed teen and parental attitudes, awareness of, and behaviors toward managing their online reputations.

Teens share considerably more information online than their parents and, as a result, expose themselves to more risk; they also feel more in control of their online reputations.

Teens believe the benefits of sharing information online outweigh the risks, with the exception of sharing a physical location.

Teens and parents worry about different things. Teens are most concerned about getting into college (57%), landing a job (52%,) and being embarrassed (42%). Parents worry about fraud (54%), being embarrassed (51%,) and career (43%).

The encouraging results suggest that American parents and teens are actively managing their online reputations—and with an eye toward good digital citizenship.

Below are resources to help you learn more about digital citizenship and protect your online reputation:

Policy background: Digital Citizenship (PDF) http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/F/5/4F551930-CB22-43EC-A054-5E6270AAD2D7/Digital_Citizenship_backgrounder.pdf

Digital Citizenship: Testimonials from the Experts (PDF)

Own Your Space – An Online Reputation That Counts: A Guide for Teens supplemental chapter (PDF)

For educators: Top Tips for Secondary Schools (PDF)

Fact sheet: Take Charge of Your Online Reputation (PDF)

Tips for the disorganized student

Tips taken from the following blog, Teacher's Hub http://www.teachhub.com/8-foolproof-ways-help-disorganized-student


A disorganized student is often described as forgetful and messy. They have a hard time keeping track of their materials and using their time efficiently. These students tend to have messy desks and repeatedly forget their homework. The simplest of tasks can baffle a disorganized student. This lack of organizational skills can be easily fixed by providing students with a few strategies to keep them on track.

Use the following tips to help disorganized students become organized and learn how to manage their responsibilities.

Set up and Stick to a Routine

Establishing a daily routine will help disorganized students feel less frustrated and give them a sense of structure. Provide students with a class schedule that they can reference throughout the day. Place this schedule in their take home folder, tape it onto their desk, and post it in the classroom. If you make it accessible, then this will lessen the student's confusion of what it expected of them.

Clean Out the Clutter

Disorganized students tend to have very messy desks. They will never voluntarily choose to clean them out, so it is up to you to set aside time each day or week for them to do so. Show them specific ways of how to keep their desks tidy. For example, throw away old assignments and materials you no longer use, place small items such as pencils and scissors in a container, etc. Doing so will give them the skills they need to maintain an organized life, and manage their responsibilities.

This tip goes hand-in-hand with enlisting support from the parents. Require that homework goes home each night, and is signed and returned to school every day. This will ensure that students are staying on track, and will encourage students to be responsible for their belongings.

Enlist Help From Parents

Parent-teacher communication is essential when you are dealing with a student who has no organizational skills. Keep parents in the loop daily or weekly by notifying them on their child's progress. Having parental support will show the student that you mean business, and you are working together as a team to help them become self-sufficient.

Create a Checklist

Clearly define expectations by creating a checklist. This is truly the best tool to help students visually see what they need to accomplish and stay on track. Show students how to prioritize their list and check tasks off as they complete them.

Use Memory Aids

Memory aids are a great way to help disorganized students remember their tasks and class materials. Provide students with aids such as sticky notes, rubber bands and timers. Have them tape checklists and class schedules to their folders and desks. Teach students acronyms such as CATS (C=Carry, A= Assignment, T=to, S=School) or PANTS (P=Parent, A=Assignment, N=Notebook, T=Textbook, S=School) to help them remember what to bring to school.

Use the Buddy System

Enlist the help of a classmate to remind the disorganized student of important tasks and student expectations. Pair the student up with a responsible student that you can trust, to help them out when you are busy or absent.

Label and Color Code Everything

The best way to keep students organized is to label and color-code all of their materials. Students who have a lack of organizational skills may feel overwhelmed when their materials are all over the place. Having specific colors for each subject will help students find assignments quickly and effortlessly.

All of these ideas can help transform your disorganized student into an organized one. These strategies will give students the tools and skills they need to manage their obligations and lead an organized life.


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The importance of teacher blogging

Tired of justifying that blogging is a good thing??? Sometimes I feel that way... Read the blog post from teacher hub, reasons to blog are all there!

Now what will I blog about??

http://www.teachhub.com/importance-teacher-bloggers

Edcamps the "unconference"

So what's an edcamp, other than a really nerdy event I would probably like to attend?? Edcamps are "un-conferences" in which teachers come together to create their own professional development and to learn from one another.

Sounds awesome? Well I think it does! Read up on it ... Go to the following link...

http://www.teachhub.com/pd-your-peers-exploring-edcamp-lisa-dabbs

Edchat radio

Now I can even listen to topics that interest educators.... I'm really getting teacher-nerdy now!!!

http://www.bamradionetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=86&Itemid=249