The School Board and Technology

A school board according to Encarta World English Dictionary (North American Edition) is a local body overseeing schools: in the U.S , a group of people elected or appointed in each county or local school system to make decisions about education in public schools.

Quite a mouthful but there's more. In order to examine the role of the school board with technology support, I'd first  like to examine the roles and responsibility of the school board.

Roles and Responsibilities

Local school boards function as legislative, executive, and quasi-judicial agencies. They must develop, implement, and assess policy; institute sound employee relations; conduct open meetings; recognize and conform to the legal mandates imposed by state and federal laws; and govern within the limits of a delegation of state authority. Additionally, the board has an obligation to assess its successes and failures; inform the public of all deliberations and decisions; promote accountability; avoid abuse of power; enhance public understanding of its mission; conform to standards of ethical behavior; provide a framework for setting goals; and develop strategic plans for the accomplishment of those goals.

Finally, school boards provide leadership for the local school system, adopting a unifying vision and mission, soliciting and balancing the participation and input of members of the community, and advocating on behalf of the educational needs of children at the local, state, and national levels.

Educating the School Board about Internet in Schools

Although a school board consists of persons with varying educational backgrounds, I believe it is vitally important that school boards be introduced to, and be made aware of the technology programs and tools being used in schools.  Just recently a team of Elementary teachers in my county were charged with making a Technology Presentation to the school board. This was designed to serve two purposes - to exhibit the web tools and sites being used in the advancement of the children's education and to give the new incoming board an idea of just how important technology is to the schools in the district.

To say it served its purpose would be an understatement. The Board Members were quite impressed with the high level of technology that was being used in the schools and I was quite pleased to see two of our Web 2.0 tutorial tools - Slideshare and Photo Story - being used. I do believe that this presentation had a positive effect on the board. There were persons on the board who did not think students should be as exposed to technology in the classroom as they were, and it served to stop these negative thoughts right in their tracks. Embedded in the presentation were students' artifacts showing the practical use of the web in class to enhance learning. Suffice it to say ,that this inclusion  stopped the naysayers right in their tracks.

Board's Role in Technology Planning

   There is now a new board in place - they were inaugurated last evening - and I do believe the approach to technology in schools will be very different. There should be a concerted  effort  on the part of the board to make sure that more Web 2.0 tools are integrated in the classrooms geared at enhancing learning.     I was privileged to have a conversation with one member who has a 'powerful voice' on the board and he is determined to bring back to the High and Middle schools a lap-top program where every child has a lap-top for classes. Some schools are so privileged but there are still a few who are not as fortunate. He stated that the presentation gave him a renewed focus to seek as much funding as possible to assist in this venture.

 There are school boards who believe, as I do, that technology should play a vital role in meeting the needs of the wide range of abilities, disabilities, cultural backgrounds and ethnic populations present in school districts.

 School Boards should ensure that technology is appropriately and equitably integrated into instruction and management and used by all students and staff as an integral part of school improvement and student success. If the board has the best interest of the schools in mind; they should focus on students performance and achievement, increasing staff productivity and also ensuring the efficient day-to-day operations of the school system.

Open Up or Block Internet in Schools?

The above signs have become the usual on some school computers as administrators strive to protect their students from the ills of cyber-world. The question (which is very emotional for some), is whether or not internet sites should be blocked in schools?The answer can be very conflicting at times because in the act of doing what is best for students, good websites are also blocked and this can be very frustrating for educators.

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires all school libraries receiving certain federal funds to install and use blocking or filtering software; to prevent students from viewing material considered harmful to minors; however some studies conclude that blocking access to web pages that are directly related to the state-mandated curriculums and by restricting broader inquiries by both students and teachers.
My school district uses a web filtering software known as Lightspeed. Lightspeed is used to help filter offensive sites. Periodically the filter misses websites that should be blocked and sometimes block sites that should not be blocked. Teachers are encouraged to submit websites they feel need to be blocked. Elementary filtering is much more restrictive than those employed in Middle and High schools or in administrative centers. Although there is a system in place to block sites considered 'harmful' to students, there are also policies and procedures institutions can adopt to protect/sanction students' use of the Internet. I'll share a few with you.

• Internet contracts must be signed by parents and students each year before students can access the internet.
• Students must have an Internet license on file before they can use the Internet.
• Students who abuse privileges will be restricted from using the internet.
• Chat lines and Instant Messaging are prohibited (for safety have these blocked)
• Students should observe all copyright regulations regarding internet use.
• Students should have NO expectation of privacy regarding anything they do on a school computer system.
• Using school computer equipment or Internet facilities implies consent to search computer-related equipment.

Research Findings  
In my research on this topic I found to my chagrin that there are websites available that gives explicit instructions as to how to unblock a blocked site.
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/how-to-access-blocked-web-sites/

Really!, and then we wonder why our Net-Gen kids are outsmarting our efforts? There is a lot more sites like this one and students are using it to get through these blockages. I also decided to poll my students to see how they felt about the blocked internet sites.  My question was simple - 'Should the Internet be blocked in schools?' I got conflicting responses, it was almost a tie - 47% felt the blockage was a 'good' thing while 53% felt that it was ''stupid'. Three statements stood out for me and I'll share them with you. One young man - typical 4th Graders remarked that his favorite game site was blocked and 'that ain't cool'. The next two statements really resonated with me because these were 4th grade students. One young man stated that he was fine with the sites being blocked because some sites pose as a threat to children endangering their welfare by corrupting them and the wider community. He went on to say 'child porn' which is illegal was accessible and so the internet unsupervised was not the place for a child.  I was stunned! I thought 'Here was a child who is being guided by a responsible parent, wow!'.  Another stated that objectionable content found on Myspace and Yahoo have no place in the classroom and so should be blocked. I did a double take at this point - objectionable content? and this was the 4th grade - no wonder he is one of the students I'm accellerating.



Computer Access in the Homes

 It makes me very sad that there is not more close supervision in the homes re Internet use. This is becoming more evident in the type of posts students are making for example the fake Myspace posts damaging the educator's image. https://blackboard.vcu.edu/@@/F2E7EE38D2B48EF3C6232CDC37F85E1F/courses/1/ADMS-647-C91-2010Fall/content/_2579593_1/Layshock_NSBA_summary.pdf  Many of them were done form home computers since these sites are filtered on school property; yet parents have the nerve to talk about infringing on their child's 1st Amendment rights. Many more persons need to be sanctioned with internet censorship to stop this wanton free reign. Internet Censorship is control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet.
The law requires that schools develop an Internet Safety Policy and use protection measures that block and filter internet access to material that is obscene or harmful to minors. I believe by extension parents should also be covered under the law to ensure that their children are not open to these sites at home either. A law such as this will force parents to be more responsible and actually supervise their child's use of the internet.. A resource that is available to parents who are concerned about their children's use of the Internet is 'The Parents Guide to the Internet' published by the U.S Department of Education.

The Teacher's Role
  No matter what guidelines or software filtering packeges are adopted by schools, teachers need to exercise good classroom management in supervising students access to the Internet. Parents also share responsibilities with the schools in assuring that their children learn how to become responsible users of this medium. In my classroom, I have an Internet sign-in form at each computer; students sign their names, date, time and site being accessed on this form. I also monitor them physically as you know how 'fast' students hands can move on a keyboard.

Social Networking - Serving its Purpose?

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/ defines a social network as a social structure made up of individual or organizations called 'nodes' which are connected by one or more specific types of interdependency. The two networks at the focus of this narrative  is http://www.myspace.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/ .

Facebook is a social network service and website.It is intended to connect friends, family and business associates.

Myspace is also a social network service that allows you to create a profile page that you can use to meet new friends. Both networks have been found in the middle of libelous and slanderous situations in the education system, administrators especikally have found themselves at the mercy of the Net-Gen kids as they weave their way in and our of cyberspace blazing a trail of libel and mayhem. Libel is defined as the publication in words, photos, pictures or symbols of false statements of fact that harm another's reputation.Many social networking cases are reacted through libel and many times the 1st Amendment is cited but it is being clearly indicated; that the 1st Amendment will not protect them from libel. Students have been insulting teachers for centuries, but the Internet has raised the level of insult from crude blackboard drawings to posts potentially available to scores of people who sign on to blogs or social networking sites.

 In my research and readings I found many such instances that had my hair standing on end. The lengths students will go through when they despise a teacher.There were many more incidences found connected to Myspace than Facebook regarding educators. In one such incident a principal sued four students for creating a fake profile on Myspace. He deemed it as 'demeaning and demoralizing'. He sued for defamation of character, stating that his reputation was damaged, he was humiliated and the profile affected his ability to earn. The 1st Amendment was cited in this case because of the 'free speech' component. It is being realized though the free speech DOES NOT  protect you from the culpability of your actions.
Appeals Court to hear Myspace Case
 In Pennsylvania, a District judge ruled against a middle school student who created a Myspace page mocking her school principal as a pedophile and sex addict. Again the 1st Amendment was brought forward stating that her actions were protected because they were non-threatening, non-obscene and a parody. The judge viewed the case in three categories:

• Were the 1st Amendment rights violated by the school?
• Were the district's policies unconstitutionallly vague or overboard?
• Did the school violate the parents parental rights?

The judge rejected all three arguments citing Tinker V Des Moines Independendent School District (1969) which in a nutshell states that 'students and teachers do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the school gate'. Myspace was not considered political speech unlike the political protest censored by school officials in Tinker. Absent material and substantial disruption of the learning environment, interference with the educational process, or the creation of a harmful condition in the school, student 1st Amendment rights shall not be abridged. Undifferentiated fear or apprehension on the part of school officials is not enough to abridge these protections. Although the Supreme Court has made it clear that students possess 1st Amendment rights, it has consistently held that student speech and press activities are not immune from control by administrators and teachers. Based upon reasonable pedagogical concerns, school principals and teachers may restrict student 1st Amendment rights when content is considered vulgar, obscene or libelous, whether the content is expressed orally or in writing (Bethel School District V Fraser, 1986 Hazelwood V Kuhlmeier , 1988).
One administrator who sued a student for libel because of information posted about her on a fake Myspace page; commented that social networking sites are very dangerous as there are no restrictions. The only avenue open to holding these students accountable is to sue them.Social networking sites, such as MySpace, market themselves as places in cyberspace for people to meet and communicate, often connecting using clever aliases. But, law enforcement officials say, children who join these sites may be putting themselves in harm's way . People  should know the difference between using social networking for a good reason and for things that would be hurtful. It was very sad for me to see how many students use these sites to tarnish the images of educators - I had to wonder 'Who's next? will it be me or a known colleague?
 It was comforting to see that there were some active 1st Amendment organizations dedicated to protecting student rights recognize that in the Internet age, it is even more important that students understand the possible consequences of their speech. The popularity of social networking sites including Myspace and Facebook is increasing. One attorney stated that it would be tragic if schools prevented students from blogging. A better approach he claimed would be to teach them how to blog well, how to understand their rights and that of others and the principles surrounding journalism.

School Policies

    My school does not have a policy on social networking sites. This is so because these sites are blocked to everyone using the school's network. As soon as you try to log into these sites you get a message that says 'ACCESS DENIED'  This effectively deals with this type of problem on school property but you never know when it will surface somewhere else. There is also an internet policy in place governing the use of specific internet sites that both parents and students have to sign to. Although cell phones can pose as grave a problem as the computer, in my elementary setting, there is hardly room as a 'No Cellphone Policy' is strongly enforced.

Recommendations

I'll leave you with a few tips on how to spot a fake Myspace profile. This will save administrators and other users, the grief that you go through when your life is thrashed through a fake profile.                               

• Begin by looking at the number of friends the Myspace profile has.
•  Next look at the pictures. If the pictures are professional or if you just see body parts, odds are good it's a fake Myspace profile.
• Another give away of fake Myspace profiles is the comments section. Fake profiles don't bother to send out genuine comments, so they will have comments added by "bots" like, "Thanks for Adding Me".
• Always keep in mind that you don't know who you are talking to on Myspace when you meet someone new there and use caution

 To my fellow educators out there; this cyber world is a tough world to live in. We have to be on high alert at all times, live an exemplary live that when the 'fake profile' hits the web; there is someone to say that doesn't sound like something you would do. Remember the 1st Amendment does not make students immune from control by administrators and teachers.

Read more: How to Spot a Fake Profile on Myspace | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4522056_spot-fake-profile-myspace.html#ixzz13oJqAaSy

 

 

Cyberbullying - The Ugly Truth

Cyber-bullying according to http://www.about.com/ is any harrassment that occurs via the internet. Vicious forum posts, name calling in chat rooms, posting fake profiles on web sites and mean and cruel emails are all ways of cyber bullying.  The danger of cyber-bullying is that the bullies remain anonymous. The bully can pick on any victim with much less risk of being caught than in a face-to-face bully situation.

Cyber -bullying and the Educator
As educators throughout this nation, we have to be aware of both traditional bullying and new technology-driven cyber bullying,"
In recent weeks, national news stories have chronicled the cruel phenomenon and its sometimes deadly results.
A lot of schools have character education programs.
Teachers, parents and administrators try to stress personal character, (for example) treating others as you expect to be treated.
Preston Threatt, principal for Manning High School in Clarendon 2, said his staff also talks to students about how to avoid bullying. They offer suggestions such as only going places where adults are around and taking a friend.
Rizzo said bullying usually occurs when the teachers are not around, and that is why they have to rely on student and parent reports.
But not every misbehavior is bullying.
"We're very sensitive to bullying," said Fred Moulton, headmaster at Wilson Hall. "It's not tolerated. Sometimes, (though), kids say and do things to other kids that is not bullying even though it is mean and cruel."
Sumter 2, for instance, defines bullying as "a gesture, electronic communication, or a written, verbal, physical or sexual act reasonably perceived to have the effect of either of the following:
- harming a student physically or emotionally or damaging a student's property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of personal harm or property damage
- insulting or demeaning a student or group of students causing substantial disruption in, or substantial interference with, the orderly operation of a school."The definition takes in face-to-face bullying and also cyber-bullying.
Although bullies in cyberspace are 'cowards' hiding behind their anonymity, their actions can be curtailed. One of the most important things to do is NOT to respond to the bully.

• DO NOT answer emails
• DO NOT  play into the hands of the bully.
• DO NOT respond to the post.
• DO NOT engage in chat rooms
• DO NOT copy what the bully does. IGNORE the bully and get help from parents or teachers.

A cyber-bully is sometimes unaware that there are cyber footprints leaving a trail. Internet providers, the police or school officials can find and prosecute the bully. Anonymity does not mean thet cyberbullies are untouchable - its just a matter of time.
 Federal Law including the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires elementary and secondary schools that receive federal e-rate and technology funding to install and use filtering or blocking technology. My school district uses a filtering software known as Lightspeed to help filter offensive sites.This is in hope that students will be protected from the ever-rising bullies in cyber space.  I'd like to share with you ten ways I uncovered during my research, of how we can  rid our schools of cyber-bullying.

1. Formally assess the extent and scope of thr problem through surveys and data.
2. Teach students that ALL forms of bullying is unacceptable.
3. Specify clear rules regarding internet use by posting signs and posters around the school community.
4. Institute peer mentoring to promote positive interactions.
5. Consult with school attorneys BEFORE incidents occur.
6. Create a comprehensive formal contract specific to cyber-bullying in the school's handbook.
7. Implement blocking/filtering software on the school's computer network. Bear in mind that this Net-Generation can find ways around some of these programs.
8. Cultivate a positive school climate.
9. Educate the community - conduct parenting and teacher workshops on cyber-bullying.
10. Designate a cyber-bullying expert at school responsible for educating the populace on the dangers of cyberbullying.

It was quite alarming to find (in my readings) how widespread this cyber-bullying issue is. One minute the students are the victims and the next minute they themselves become the bullies. Cyber-bullies are just bullies with a new weapon of harrassment. As kids 'harrass' it's called cyber bullying but as soon as an adult is involved it changes to 'cyber-stalking'.

In my readings, I came across some very interesting information as it relates to Cyber bullying.  On the Cyber bullying Research Center website, they listed all the states cyber bullying laws.  They  listed a brief overview of laws and policies existing in each state.  The chart reported under the following categories: (whether or not the states have in place) bullying law, Updated or law proposed, include “cyber-bullying”, include electronic harassment, criminal sanction, school sanction or requires school policy.    More information on each state can be found at http://www.cyberbullying.us/cyberbullying_state_laws.php .  

There is so much to be found out there on cyber-bullying and how it relates to educators in each state. The saddest part of my research for me was the videos I found where children ended their lives because of cyber-bullying. I hope a solution will be found soon to stem this new scourge in our society. http://www.youtube.com/embed/HFsfDLCkfQU?rel=0

Additional information may be found at:

http:www.cyberbully.org

http:www.stopcyberbullying.org

 

Credits for information shared:

http://www.about.com/

http://www.theitem.com/

www.youtube/TeenBullying.com

 

 

Web 2.0 An Amazing Journey

This technology course has been my greatest challenge ever.I was technologically challenged before I began. The Web 2.0 tools that I have been introduced to so far have been amazing. I have been on a roller coaster ride that has given me thrills and scares.
My 'baptism by fire' was <object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YEls3tq5wIY&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YEls3tq5wIY&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>. It had the hairs on the nape of my neck raising in fear. I thought ' Should I run for it?' 'Would I be able to use these tools plus challenge my students in their use?'
Well, that was the catalyst. I'm always up for a challenge and willing to rise to the occasion. My Web 2.0 sojourn began in earnest. I'm thoroughly enjoying my blogging journey. I've learned so much in a short time, it's incredible. I've been using www.glogster.edu to help a group of my students create a digital poster on The Bodies in the Solar System. My colleague Nicole gave me additional information and ideas in her tutorial, to help to make their work more interesting.http://screencast.com/users/Jamaicangirl/folders/Default/media/fa1942b3-79e4-44cc-852f-ce7dd3040916
My colleagues as well as my instructor have pushed me way beyond my limit. The creation of the recent tutorials was one of the greatest challenges  - to prove we understood how the tools worked. At the end of the tutorials, we are all now a group of learned, resourceful and visionary administrators - to - be. We are equipped with knowledge and expertise of some of the greatest web tools.
Let's look at www.slideshare.com no more boredom in the boardroom or the classroom - text and voice working together to lend authenticity and creativity to a presentation. Jing (name reminds me of a Christmas jingle), has enabled us to capture videos and the best part - for free. It has really been our savior in more ways than one. I look back at the many 'captures' I had to do before deciding that one was worthy of being presented to an audience.
I was responsible of producing a tutorial on Photo Story (http://www.photostory3.com/ ) At one point in my production, I got stuck. I went crazy worrying that I could not make good on my promise to show the photostory example.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft8rVlpq_Ms
 But I learned one thing from my instructor. Although he is willing to 'scaffold'my learning in my zone of proximal development; he also wanted me to explore. Explore I did. I began with the Slideshare feature which sent me to research www.zamzar.com for help. It could not provide the help I needed and so I went to http://www.picasa3.com/ and BINGO I struck gold. I was able to change my photo story into a movie that I could upload to Youtube. After that I was home free - able to share my story with my colleagues and my wider cyber family.
 I've had an amazing ride. I'm now able to perform much better at work with technology. I've even shared web 2.0 tools with my school's media specialist, I feel so empowered. I have so many resources at my fingertips; although some sites are blocked by my school district, there are still so many I can still share with my students. Web 2.0 have started me on a quest for more technology - my baptism of fire can only be quenched with more adventure with web 2.0 tools.

Credits for graphics: www.techteachingtools.pbwiki.com

www.teachmathandscience.com

Bob Marley- Three Little Birds (With Lyrics!) VIF 6 - Enjoy

Colleagues we all worked hard on our tutorials this past week and I know we are apprehensive about our grades, so I'm sharing my Jamaican musical Icon with you all. Have a great week. One Love!

Photo Story Example

Colleagues/Dr Watwood,

After much trial and error I'm able to share with you the promised story. Colleagues check out http://www.picasa3.com/, http://www.zamzar.com/ and of course http://www.youtube.com/ saved my presentation. Technology is indeed a challenge. Welcome ALL to the Web 2.0 generation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft8rVlpq_Ms