Journal #6: Don't Feed the Trolls: Using Blogs to Teach Civil Discourse

Richardson, K. W. (2008, 5). Don't feed the trolls: Using blogs to teach civil

discourse. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved 7 30, 2009,

from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfmSection=May_No_7_&

Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=3972&ContentID=20817&

DirectListComboInd=D

In Don't Feed the Trolls, Karen Richardson expresses the need for education regarding civil discourse, especially since online communication and blogging have become a widely used tool in the classroom. Blogs and other online communication tools have advantages such as the fact that students can post and share their work with peers and receive feedback. In addition to the positive attributes of online communication and postings, certain problems have also presented themselves. For example, some students spread gossip and post inappropriate messages on others' pages. Mean comments are left on blogs and social networking sites, and negative messages are also posted regarding teachers and schools as well. Some suggestions for teaching civil discourse include reviewing the rules, putting the rules into practice, encouraging students to monitor their activity, and being a model of civil discourse.

How might teachers show students the connection between the rules they follow every day at home and at school and rules of civil discourse online?

I think that teachers could give students scenarios and concrete examples of things that happen in the real world and in virtual interactions that are similar and call for similar, responsible action. For example a teacher could act out a disagreement with his or her students and show them how disagreements are different and similar when carried out online and face-to-face and why both situations call for civil discourse and what that looks like.

What might be some challenges of teaching civil discourse?

Despite a teacher's attempt to help students see the connection between online communication and the real world, some students may fail to take their online action seriously. They may fail to see the consequences of their actions because they are not as tangible as face-to-face interactions in which they take part in. When group discussions regarding civil discourse are not enough to make the connection for a student, further discussions perhaps on a one on one basis may help. Other challenges might include students who, even though they see that their actions might be inappropriate, continue to abuse online communication tools because they like the attention, whether it is positive or negative, that they receive because of it.

Journal #4: Interactive Boards

Interactive boards, commonly referred to as "Smartboards" look somewhat like projector boards but are much more interactive and engaging. With interactive boards, the teacher can not only project what he or she sees on the computer up on the screen, but the teacher or students can also change the screen by touching the screen itself. Many times this feature is used so that instead of the teacher being the center of attention, the students can become more of the focus of the lesson. When reading posts from users of Classroom 2.0 who were discussing uses for their Smartboards several people mentioned educational games in which students jump out of their seats to touch the right answer. For example, a fifth grade math teacher wrote that his students "LOVE" to play math games on the board, instead of sitting at their computers and clicking through the games with a mouse. This same teacher also explains that it gives the teacher a great way to explain the searching process and how to navigate the Internet. Another user posted suggested going to interactive websites which are full of image galleries that help her students build vocabulary. Other teachers love the interactive flip charts that can be found on interactive boards called ACTIVboards. According to other users, this purpose, in and of itself can also be a problem for some teachers. When they start to use interactive boards, some teachers find that classroom management becomes more difficult. One teacher found that she had a problem controlling the noise level and activity in the room when using the board. In addition to playing educational and interactive games with the interactive boards, some teachers use the boards in order to develop graphic organizers with the class. The board is convenient and engaging in this aspect because the teacher and students can add to the organizer by writing or drawing right on the board. The teacher can also add computer graphics and content as well.

Journal #3: Assessment Made Easy

Zucker, A. A. (2009, June/July). Assessment Made Easy. Learning &

Leading with Technology, Retrieved July 21, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfmSection=June_July_No_

8_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4333&Content

ID=23577&DirectListComboInd=

Assessments Made Easy describes the Denver School of Science and Technology’s (DSST) use of a one-to-one student laptop system, the benefits that the teachers and students have because of the system, and the gains that the school has seen since the inception of the one-to-one program. The author of the article, Andrew Zucker (2009), asserts that it is likely not solely the use of one laptop per student that has led to the success at the school, but also the dedication and quality of the administration and teachers, the curriculum, and other factors that have made this school so successful (p. 21). The laptops, along with the administrators’ and teachers’ thoughtful use and innovation have proved to be a great success at DSST. The laptops are often used for computer-based assessment and immediate feedback. Teachers and students alike benefit from this method because the laptops are able to grade multiple choice and short answer questions, which saves the teacher time and allows him or her to focus on other tasks, and it also allows the student to have immediate feedback while the subject at hand is still fresh in his or her mind. In addition to testing, the students often use the computers for word processing. They are often able to edit their work in class with their teacher or receive editing much sooner than they would be able to if they had handwritten their work.

Do technology gaps such as income and access to technology at home affect student success with programs such as this one?

Technology gaps can often have a great affect on students, leaving those who have fewer resources less technologically savvy and with fewer resources for research and so on. By participating in so much work at school that deals with technology, however, that reduces the necessity to have these technological tools at home. Those who are less fortunate or who are at an economic disadvantage are able to somewhat make up for that lack of experience at home during their day at school.

Would it be realistic for all schools to try to implement this type of program or would the training and equipment be too high a cost?

I think that this type of program and technology implementation is realistic if schools do not expect to implement it over night. I feel that a good plan would be to phase in the computers and technological tools necessary over time and train the teachers in groups or have a group of teachers trained who would then be responsible for the professional development of the rest of the school. Although there would be considerable cost and work involved in getting a program like this going, it seems from DSST's results that it is well worth it.

Journal #2: How Teenagers Consume Media

Robson, M. (2009, July 13). How teenagers consume media:

the report that shook the city.Retrieved July 22, 2009,

from guardian.co.uk Web site: http://www.guardian.co.

uk/business/2009/jul/13/teenage-media-habits-morgan-

stanley

Although Michael Robson’s article may not be the most scholarly, as it does not seem to be based on any actual survey or monitoring of teenagers’ usage of media and technology, however it is interesting. It gives good insights into a firsthand teenage perspective on media and technology. After reading the article, I am under the impression that in general, teenagers in the UK would like to have the cheapest, most easily accessible technology, and they do not want to put up with advertisements. Additionally, most teenagers seem to be very willing to illegally obtain their media through such outlets as music and movie downloading sites. It also seems as though teenagers are very aware of what they need and what is worth their money. According to Robson (2009), they do not often have Internet capable cellular phones or excessive cable television subscriptions because it is simply not necessary. I was happy to see this opinion, as my impression of some teenagers has been that they want they biggest and the best, regardless of whether or not they need it.

Why might this article have “caused a stir” once it was published by Morgan Stanley?

I feel that people generally assume that material is written and published by people with some kind of credibility. For example, doctors write medical articles, financial analysts write finance articles, and journalists generally understand the conventions of writing and checking the facts of their writing. The fact that this article was written by a fifteen year old boy with little training and background in the field of technology could have caused some to have question Morgan Stanley's decision to publish his writing. In addition to being written by a fifteen year old, the article may also have been criticized for stating that certain brands, carriers, and devices are better or more popular than others without actually doing a survey or study.

Are there aspects of the article that might be inaccurate or representative only a certain group of teenagers?

A few aspects of Robson's article may accurately apply to teenagers, but may only apply to a certain group of teenagers, those that Robson is exposed to at school and in his social group. It is likely that he and the teenagers that he is interacting with all fall into the same social class and live in the same area. Because of this, the information that he presented might only pertain to this group. For example, wealthier children might take advantage of more advanced and expensive gaming systems and television cable networks because they feel that they offer more and they can afford them.

Journal #1: Do Your Teachers Need a Personal Trainer?

Owens, A. M. (2009, 6/7). Do your teachers need a personal trainer?.

Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved July 20, 2009,

from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/

LLLLIssues/Volume3620082009/JuneJulyNo8/36814o.pdf

In Do Your Teachers Need a Personal Trainer? Aileen Owens discusses a partnership between the Duquense University Instructional Technology Department and Mt. Lebanon School District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This partnership arose when the district’s instructional technology coordinator and author of this article, Aileen Owens, realized that although she and the teachers in the district were achieving positive results from their work together, their process was flawed; it was time-consuming and labor-intensive. When Owens approached Dr. Carbonara at Duquense University about a solution the result was what became the Student Internship Program for Instructional Technology. Students who were highly trained in educational technology spread out and acted as interns throughout the district based upon the teachers' needs. The interns created lessons with the classroom teachers, who provided and helped with the integration of the classroom content. Both the teacher and intern clearly benefit in this circumstance. The classroom teacher's lessons are augmented with the use of technology and the teacher also learns valuable technological skills; and the intern creates and implements lesson plans and lessons that he or she is then able to put in his or her portfolio.

Might there be any drawbacks to a program like this?

I imagine that there might be some teachers who feel that the district is better suited for another system or way of integrating technology into their classrooms. Some might feel that the preservice interns are not well-suited to take on this role because they have not yet had experience teaching in the classroom and so they might not know as well as someone who has already had classroom experience how to integrate the lessons with technology. I also feel however, that after seeing the students work, they would likely be pleased with the outcome and see the evidence of the students' vast experience in technology and their knowledge of curriculum, lesson planning, and classroom management as well.

What method is used to match teachers with their preservice interns?

According to Owens (2009), students are matched to "teacher needs" (p. 15). The article does not, however, give insight into what process is used to match students. If it is the teachers' needs that are most highly considered, the teachers are most likely given questionnaires or some sort of survey on which they can respond regarding their technology wants and needs in the classroom. The interns, or preservice teachers, are then likely placed according to what grade level they are going to teach upon receiving their credential and what their area of technological specialty is.

Social Bookmarking (NETS 1, 5)

#1 The National Archives: "Documented Rights" Exhibit

The National Archives' Documented Rights exhibit is composed of many documents, stories, court cases, and other resources that document the struggle for equality and civil rights for all in the United States. The exhibit has five different sections which highlight different phases in United States history. It begins with a section titled "Let My People Go," which describes the slave trade in the nineteenth century U.S. and the issuance of the emancipation proclamation. The exhibit also shows copies of original documents such as the emancipation proclamation and photographs of Abraham Lincoln, writs of habeas corpus, and letters and photographs explaining personal stories of slavery, the slave trade, and also of those who tried to help in ending slavery. The second section of the exhibit, "Broke At Last," discusses and documents the continuing struggle for personal rights and freedoms and discusses the issue of segregation. "This Land is Your Land," is a section focusing on women's suffrage in the late 1800s and early 1900s and also discusses Native American citizenship and the relocation of Japanese Americans. This section of the exhibit includes primary sources such as petitions for women's suffrage, photographs of parades and a photograph of Susan B. Anthony, as well as her record of conviction. It also displays photographs of and letters from Native Americans and Japanese Americans who were fighting for personal rights. The fourth section is titled "A Change is Gonna Come." This section largely discusses Martin Luther King Jr. and the work that he and others did in order to advance rights for African Americans in the United States. It shows primary sources such as court documents, photographs, and publications by Martin Luther King Jr. and others such as "Heed Their Rising Voices," which was placed in the New York Times. Lastly, there is a section in the exhibit called "We Shall Overcome," which describes some of the accomplishments that have been made and in the fight for civil rights and equality and aspects of the fight, such as the landmark court case, Brown v. Board of Education, including some of the original case documents.

Primary sources are a valuable tool to use in order to give students a better connection and understanding of what they are learning. For example, when students learn about the history of the United States and slavery primary sources can better connect them to history by showing them plans for slave ships and how people were held, photos and letters from slaves discussing their lives and feelings, as well as copies of the Emancipation Proclamation. Using primary sources also shows students that they do not have to learn and acquire knowledge solely based upon what their teacher and others tell them, they can find the source of the information themselves and decide what they think about it.

# 2: NEA: Achievement Gaps

Achievement Gaps
According to the National Education Association (NEA), although the term "achievement gap" is often used to refer to the gap in scores between minority or low-income students and their white, more affluent counterparts, there are many groups that are likely to suffer from achievement gaps. The NEA proposes that the groups who are likely to exhibit achievement gaps include racial and ethnic minorities, such as American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, African Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos, english language learners, students with disabilities, boys at some points, as well as girls, and students from low-income families. Additionally, the NEA has found that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students may suffer from achievement gaps as well.

Becoming a Culturally Competent Educator
The first suggestion from the NEA that I identify with as fitting in with my teaching style is to aid in the organization of a cultural competence committee. I feel that it is very important to examine and reflect the teaching practices, policies, and resources that are put in place at a school and that that is best done by self reflection and also by getting others together who are more knowledgeable in the area than you might be and discussing positive attributes of a program and possible changes that might work to benefit the school and the students. I am a very collaborative person and have gained a lot in my professional life from working with many people. This is a very important idea and practice to bring into schools and the classroom itself. The second suggestion for becoming a culturally competent educator that I feel fits my teaching style is building and using a network of helpers and experts both at school and in the community. I have found that it is very easy for me to appreciate others' areas of knowledge and expertise and it is very beneficial to see what those around you can offer and add to a classroom and school community. A third section of the listed suggestions which I feel fits my teaching style deals with networking with those people who are involved with students in order to learn more about and implement initiatives for students who are linguistically, culturally, racially, or ethnically, diverse. I enjoy learning about other people and the students that I work with and involving the people who are close to them in their school work and the process of learning and teaching.

#3 Stop Cyber Bullying

The quiz on cyber bullying was enlightening because it made me realize how many ways kids can take advantage of each other and exploit each other through technology and over the internet. I try to be a thoughtful person and have never felt a big need to make fun of others or make other people look badly and this was reflected in my score of 1 on the cyber bullying quiz. I will admit to forwarding conversations or emails to others without their permission; not necessarily to make someone look bad however. I remember doing this in high school in order to get advice about a boy or a friend with whom I was having trouble.

The cyber bullying website is designed in such a way that instead of focusing on parents' and teachers' power to censor and control their kids' use of technology and the internet, it works to inform adults about the reasons for cyber bullying and also to empower students to be informed about technology and how their use of it affects themselves and others. I found the website's description of the four different types of cyber bullies, their motives, and ways to address their bullying very helpful. For example, the "Mean Girl" bullies are described as females who typically bully other females as an ego-based way of looking for entertainment, and that this type of bullying grows when admired, or others stand by and let it happen. According to the website, it stops once the girls do not find the entertainment that they are looking for. This information can be used by teachers in the classroom when confronted by varying types of bullies and cyber bullies.

#4 Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

In the "Subject Access" section of Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators I found a link to children's literature activities that I think would be very useful in the classroom. The page was sorted by grade level, under each of which was many links to stories and activities for each story. The website also had stories separated by genre such as fairytales, mythology, and Hispanic literature. In Kathy Schrock's "Teacher Helpers" area, I found several areas to be very useful, including the assessment and rubric information section. In this section, there are several guides, articles, organizers, and other resources relating to assessments and rubrics, both general and subject-specific.

As a new teacher I feel that Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators will be extremely helpful in giving me ideas for lessons and building my classroom environment, such as making bulletin boards and implementing useful and fun projects. The website also offers useful tools such as clip-art and ideas for assessment and rubrics that I can get ideas from when building my own.

#5 Multiple Intelligences

My top three intelligences:

Naturalistic: 75%

Interpersonal: 69%

Intrapersonal: 63%

Although I was expecting some of my scores to be a bit higher, such as bodily-kinesthetic, I was not surprised to find that I received high scores in these categories. Throughout my life and experiences in school I have found that I do well with work in nature, enjoy science and scientific work, such as experimentation and observation. I also know that I am both very interpersonal and work well in groups and know myself and what I need to do in order to succeed very well.

I watched the video Multiple Intelligences Leave No Child Behind which highlighted the Key Learning Community school in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has made it it's mission to gauge each student based upon his or her strengths according to Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory. They help to make each student aware of his or her strengths, guide them to hone in on these strengths and help them find career paths in which they might excel, and also help them build their other intelligences. I also learned how detrimental the constant testing that the No Child Left Behind Act can be on a school such as this, or any school, for that matter. While students are constantly being tested (in a non-authentic way) they are losing a lot of valuable instruction time with their teachers and peers. They Key Learning Community takes the students' strengths into account throughout the teaching and assessing process; and although they must perform the standard assessments for the state, they use authentic assessments such as online portfolios and exhibitions in order to assess student progress.

#6 Teaching Tolerance

Grade Level: Early Grades

Subject: Language Arts

Topic: Conflict Resolution

Lesson Title: Lessons from Goldilocks

Lessons from Goldilocks describes how storybooks and art can be used to teach children about respect, responsibility, and other positive behaviors and characteristics. This is done by first discussing with the students that there are things that people do that are responsible and irresponsible and what those things look and feel like. After the teacher and students discuss these points, they apply what they've learned to the work that they do in class and also to every-day happenings. For example, when the class reads Goldilocks and The Three Bears the students talk about the character of Goldilocks and whether she acts responsibly or not and why. The teacher also applies this to the students lives by having them examine their actions, giving examples of things that they do and see which exhibit responsible or irresponsible actions. One of the things that stood out to me about this lesson is that it is not just one isolated lesson, it is an ongoing process that is integrated into the curriculum as well as the students' life and interactions.

#7 Multicultural Education and Equity Awareness

I was shocked about many of the statistics that I found in the EdChange Multicultural Education and Equity Awareness quiz. Not only did I have to guess on most of the questions, the majority of my guesses were wrong because I underestimated the degree to which inequality exists in our society. One of the questions that most shocked me asked "According to a study by the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, what percentage of physicians reported witnessing a colleague giving reduced care or refusing care to lesbian, gay, or bisexual patients?" to which the answer is 52% I expected that there would be some discrimination found, however I am astonished to find that more than half of the physicians reported that they had seen this occur. I cannot imagine feeling such hate for a person that I would go as far as to deny them care and possibly cause them harm or death by doing so. This makes me wonder why physicians who do this feel justified in their actions, or if they do. Along the same lines, I was surprised and saddened to find that 84.5% of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students reported that their teachers "never" or "rarely" respond to homophobic remarks made by their peers. As a future educator, I find it incomprehensible to hear or know that a student is making demeaning remarks about another student and not taking some course of action. In my opinion, school should be a place where students feel safe and taken care of; if these statistics really represent how this population of students is being cared for, the schools in which they are enrolled are not doing them justice.

#8 Netiquette

After reading "The Core Rules of Netiquette" and receiving a perfect score on the netiquette quiz I feel like I have a better idea of commonly used netiquette terminology and accepted practices. If we would like our students to be have like angels o:-) while using the internet and interacting with others, we should take it upon ourselves to remind them of common sense ideas such as treating others as they would like to be treated or as it is stated on the netiquette site, "Remember the Human." We also must inform them of what is and is not acceptable practice, as interacting with people online can commonly feel different and much more distant than interacting with someone in person, making it much easier to say things that you would not say in person.

Nice to meet you!

Hi classmates! I’m Natalie Goldfarb. I consider myself to be from Fallbrook (north county San Diego) although I wasn’t born there. I was born in Rawlins, Wyoming, lived there for about a year and then my family moved to Tacoma, Washington. We lived there for two years, and then moved to Fallbrook when I was about three years old. I wish that I had had more time in both Wyoming and Washington, but really enjoyed growing up in quaint little Fallbrook. I attended a private elementary school, Zion Lutheran Elementary, and public school from junior high on at Potter Junior High School and Fallbrook High School. After high school I got my undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of San Diego. I consider myself extremely blessed to have a twin sister. During our childhood we were usually in class together and continued that tradition by attending USD together. In the fall I’ll be starting the part-time multiple subject credential program.

As far as technology goes, I’m a recovering PC. Well, by now I guess I could say I’m all Mac. I swore by PCs and then two years ago I had to get a Mac for work. Watch out PC users out there… once you go Mac, you never go back. On a daily basis I depend on technology a great deal. I work for a literacy company and since we’re spread out all over the country we stay connected by using online databases, video and phone conferencing technology, as well as all of the usual word processing stuff. When I do word processing I usually use Office 08 for Mac.

The CSUSM mission statement to me, sums up many of the reasons that I’d like to be a teacher. Social justice and equity in schools is something that is gaining more attention, but in my opinion, has yet to fully take root and be evident in many schools. It is a goal of mine to demonstrate this in my future classroom and school. I also find it very important that CSUSM promotes education that is student-centered. Although common sense tells us that that’s what education is all about, I feel that some educators have taken accountability to a whole new level, forgetting about the students and worrying too much about their test results. By making a conscious effort to provide student-centered education I feel that we will be more likely to look at the whole student and his or her needs. The mission statement did have an impact on my decision to come to CSUSM. It was evident in my interview that the university holds strong to it’s standards and values and wants each student to take ownership of the mission.