Internet Safety

We have created an Internet Safety class in our high school. We have 5 students who were able to schedule their time on short notice, about 2 days before the second semester began. These 5 students have done a ton of work. They have become iMentors through the iSafe.org program. They have developed lessons about cyberbullying and predators. These lessons have been given to our 3rd grade classes by the iMentors. The students have planned a community night where they will deliver instruction to parents and community members. A contest was created as well. Students in grades 6 through 12 will be able to win an iPod Shuffle for the best product that promotes Internet safety. Students can write, create a slide show, movie, song, podcast, etc. The class will choose the best of each grade level. 7 prizes will be awarded. 3 assemblies will be conducted by the iMentors and local officials including the police. iSafe.org has been a tremendous help. Most of our material has come from iSafe.org. Our local police agency has some great resources as well.

I hope to share with you the outcome of each of the activities above. It has been a scheduling nightmare at times, but well worth the effort.

If you have any activities you have been involved with please comment below. I'd love to hear about them.

Please visit the Sidney iMentors blog and wiki. We are looking for other students who have become iMentors or who want to let fellow students know about Internet safety.

It Just Gets Better!

A weeks vacation really helps! Jumping back in has never been better! This past week has been relaxing as well as enlightening. Every where you look you can see the influence of the Internet. It's all around us! How long before it becomes an integral part of education?

The comment, "education moves slowly" is very frustrating to hear. Yet I read that comment or hear it in a podcast all the time. Why? Will it take web 4.0 hitting us in the head before most of us even look at web 2.0?

This past week has been tragic and has caused us all to take pause and evaluate many things, including our childrens' safety online and in reality. If you pay attention you will see how the Internet has played a significant role in all of this. The major news outlets heard about it from the VT website. Police are perhaps getting their best evidence by searching Internet and e-mail records. Students and parents were able to communicate immediately via the Internet. Cell phones were a life line to many.

That reminds me, cell phones, hhhmmm..........good or evil? I think that we can really turn around the typical response to cell phone use in schools. Why not use them as a major communications tool. We can instantly communicate with our students using technology. There are several tools available. A five minute search revealed many tools available to send sms messages to mobile phones. Is anyone out there using one? What a concept...........a cell phone used for good not evil.

I also ran into another website ustream.tv. I have many ideas for using this. Check this out! More on this later. I need to play.

How Savvy Are They, Really?

I am sitting here listening to David Warlick's podcast. He is discussing podcasting with a group of teachers. One of the attendees has sparked a thought that has been popping up every now and then. That thought is; How much do my students really know about the Internet and all that goes with it?

It has crossed my mind a lot recently because I have been using podcasting for over a year and blogs and wikis for about 3 months. Each time I have introduced these topics I ask my students if they have ever heard of them. Each time they respond, "no".

The most recent time they shocked me with that answer was this past week. I had posted to my blog about cyberbullying. I basically asked them what they thought of the Ryan Halligan story that I linked to. They were to read and then post about it themselves. Each answer or comment I received was the same. They have never heard of cyberbullying. The second comment was even more revealing. A few said that teachers are just making too much of this.

Are we? I do not believe I am in the most progressive school, but we are not the least progressive either. Sometimes I think we give our students to much credit, especially when it comes to technology. There is still so much we can share with them.

This is perhaps the biggest challenge we face. When do we lead and when do we follow. Most teachers have trouble with that. I have always shared with my students that I like to learn too. They feel comfortable teaching me. It wouldn't have happened though if I didn't initiate it.

I think we need to talk with our students. We need to know their level of tech-savvy. Do not over estimate them. Join them in discussion. You'll be amazed at what you learn.

The technology has again delivered teacher insights from around the world to my living room. This is too cool!

Social Networking

If there is one thing that I get from the Web 2.0 tools is the network. Teachers are no longer an island. We can share ideas, ask questions, and experiment with fellow educators and other profressionals from around the world. The really great thing is it can all be done in real time.

There are tools everywhere. Most are free. I just joined my first social network. Stop Cyberbullying.ning.com. You can join and have access to resources and people who share your interests. I joined, posted a comment, viewed some excellent resources, and in a matter of hours received a response.

It is extremely gratifying to know that people do share. I'm not sure where all of this is going to end up. David Warlick has some apprehensions about social networks. I'm not sure hwere I stand on all of this. I haven't been involved long enough. You can be sure though that my opinions will be shaped by my experiences in the near future.

My suggestion to you is this. Get involved. Join the network! Don't be an island!

Podcasting Wikis and Blogs Oh My!

I have become the biggest fan of wikis. They can do so much and be integrated with just about every curriculum. I have created several wikis in the past 2 months. I have tried several wikis. The one I like best is WikiSpaces. They are giving away 100,000 free wikis to educators. They are at approximately 24, 000 today. Once you sign up you can create several different wikis.

I like WikiSpaces because it is easy to use. Teachers today will not use something they have to struggle with. You have to give them reasons as to why they should give up their time to learn something new. Let's face it successful classroom teachers are busy and an added activity better be good. A wiki is such an activity.

The important reason to use a wiki is that the students love them. My first wiki was created for my students in my senior media class. The students' first activity was to search for and critique a podcast that they liked. They used the wiki to display their critique. One of the students critiqued a podcast called Wicked Good Podcast. One day after the review was posted on the wiki, the podcasters from Wicked Good Podcast found it and responded to their review. My students were shocked, the lights went on all about the classroom, and they realized the power of this form of media. I don't think I've experienced an educational moment like that one in a very long time. It was great!

I have created a wiki for our teachers. We have a program called MIT, Monday Instructional Technology. Our teachers can sign up for different classes relating to instructional technology. I use the wiki to deliver the instruction. It will also be used to share our collective discoveries. This is also a tool that will be used as follow up to the training. Something that has been missing in most teacher development courses.

Other wikis I have created are for special programs or activities. I believe wikis can be used for just about any activity. Use them for a simple presentation or as an ongoing classroom web page. The ease of use and the options that you have make it a great tool for your classroom.

My other wikis are sidneyisafe, techpodzone, and psucast. Please join and share the wealth.

Internet Safety

We have created a class for 6 to 12 11th grade students who we think would benefit from an iMentor program through iSafe Inc. iSafe is a non profit organization that helps to deliver Internet safety programs to schools and communities.

The iMentor program trains students to present safety materials to students at all levels, parents, and the community. We currently have 5 students taking the class. They have become certified iMentors and have presented to our entire 3rd grade class.

The work they do involves creating lessons, organizing events such as assemblies, and delivering Internet safety materials to our parents and community. To help them complete these activities iSafe has wonderful materials available for free. They provide lesson plans, videos, handouts, posters, and digital materials including documents and songs.

The Sidney iSafe iMentors and developed an iSafe blog and an iSafe Wiki. Check them out and let us know what you think. We would love to have other schools teaching Internet safety either through iSafe or in other ways to collaborate and develop both of these resources.

Students with Blog Overload!

Once in a while you have to get back to reality! Won't it be nice when web 2.0 is mainstream? I have been preparing a lesson for teachers about blogging. What a wonderful time to share. I have so much to share with my colleagues and so little time.

I am going to use Google Notes as my lesson plan. I have a notebook full of web 2.0 tips and tools. I have been using a Google Notebook to record every new useful tool or website I have come across over the last 2 months or so. What a list! If anyone would like to see my notebook email me through my profile link below. Leave your gmail account.

I have a big concern though, about using some of these tools! What heppens to the teacher who has 5 preps a day? I have 1 and spent about an hour a day on my class blog. A bigger concern would be for the student who has a blog to participate in for every class?

Has anyone experienced this? I would like to hear from you.