JB3 Class Blog Journal (EME6414 )

It's so strange that the conversation this week in class is about Digital citizenship and activism. I say this because in a conversation on Friday last week I was asked by a co-worker about digital citizenship and my thoughts on it's place in curriculum planning and development and in teaching. And then again today I was in another Global Ambassador meeting for PenPal Schools and the conversation was centered around Digital Citizenship and Activism.  I have long felt that students not only needed and had a voice, but I have also felt that they needed to understand how to use it responsibly in their changing world. With younger and younger users on the internet and social media, students need to know how to navigate the waters. They need to know how to decipher the fact from the fiction, the good from the bad. The need to know when to speak up and when to listen. They need to know how to research and source check. Beyond that, they need to understand what a digital footprint it,...

I have been optimistic yet skeptical about how to use many of these tools in/for the classroom, especially Twitter & Instagram. While I can find myself being able to integrate many of these, the major 'social' media ones seemed to make me very nervous when it comes to teenagers. Every time I get excited, a negative thought and implication comes creeping in. However, just the other day I was messing around on Instagram and came across some accounts for some of my friends who teach at other schools. They were not their personal IG accounts but their 'teacher' accounts. I spent some time looking through their teacher accounts, and some were club or coach accounts, and looked at how they were handling them and what it was they were posting.  The ability to do this gave me more comfort and some ideas. I had no idea any of my friends were using these platforms for their classes. I think I will reach out to more teachers and coaches and see if they are using the platforms ...

Write it down. Take a picture. Cross it off. Post it.  I can see how something like this would be very engaging for a student like me. I am Type A and OCD and a bit competitive so for me any sort of challenge, especially with a list and structure, is going to get my blood pumping.  I've been doing both challenges. The social media tools one, I've gotten almost all of them done at this point and I have come to the conclusion that the few friends and family that previously followed me on Instagram will probably stop after this :)  For the Long Hot weekend challenge, I have been collecting pictures and will be sharing those today in smaller collections. Those have been fun and I have had my children and family help me with those.  While I am still trying to wrap my head around how I can work using Instagram in the classroom (as I believe my high school students would not want me to mix their world with mine), I might be able to use this as a means to have a cheer page o...