As someone who works at an elementary school, bullying is a topic that is an issue that seems to grow every year. When I was in school, it certainly happened frequently. I think most people can say they were embarrassed or bullied by someone else at some point in their life. However, the playing field, so to speak, has changed. Instead of bullying happening when you're at school, where you could possibly try and avoid a run-in with another student, it can happen any place and any time with the help of technology. Most students in upper elementary, middle, and high school have social media accounts. While based on the reading From the Sandbox to the Inbox: Comparing the Acts, Impacts, and Solutions of Bullying in K-12, Higher Education, and the Workplace, bullying is just as prevalent in childhood and adulthood, as well as the means for which it is delivered. Cyberbullying has not replaced face to face bullying. "In the K-12 studies, studies providing data on both traditional and cyber forms of bullying suggest that traditional bullying is more widespread," with noting that "cyberbullying represents one quarter to one third of all school bullying" (Faucher, Cassidy, Jackson). As a teacher and a mother, I am in the camp that thinks bullying in all forms is the same thing. The means from which it is delivered is different, but it does not change the outcome of the feelings of the bully's target. Although I believe it falls under the umbrella of bullying and there is general awareness and protocols educational settings should take to address the overall issue, I do believe that one must look at how to combat the act of cyberbullying a bit differently.
If we educate about bullying, kindness, empathy, being an active participant, teaching against bystanding, we are teaching children about the wrong and right of this behavior. We are educating them on what not to do and what to do if they are bullied or a bystander while someone else is bullied. That is the first step. Then we must examine the outlet and means by which the bully is bullying their target. Faucher, Cassidy, and Jackson point out that "many students are unwilling to report the bullying or cyberbullying to adults, particularly to school officials, for a number of reasons, including fear of repercussions such as retaliation or having restrictions imposed on their access to technology, as well as the belief that adults will not understand, will not believe, or will not be able to help." I think that in the four years since this article was published, technology use in school has increased, as well as the age of students who now have handheld devices. I know my own school has become one to one since this article was written. The Digital Citizenship Project is one way to continue to build upon educating students about bullying by adding a deliberate layer of instruction that focuses on the use of bullying through the use of technology (cyberbullying). I think checking out their site for educators (see below) is a great way to look into responsible, meaningful ways to tackle the topic of cyberbullying.
Exploring this site, along with the other resources from this module, led me to learn about Trisha Prabhu. She is the inventor of ReThink. Since learning about this impressive young lady and her product, I have watched several TED videos of her speaking. Her being moved to create something to combat cyberbullying due to the suicide of a complete stranger is moving. She has a video specifically addressing teenagers. I believe this video could easily be shared with middle and high school students in school. It explains to them why they may act impulsively online and the impact of impulsive online behavior. I think it is just as important for students to understand the why, as it is for them to understand how to change that. Below is the video of Trisha explaining why she was moved to create ReThink and what she has discovered on her journey to help others. The fact that she herself is a teenager also helps middle and high school students understand the importance of the issue. The message they have received before rings truer when being delivered by someone their age. I made my 12 and 14 year-old watch this video.
Although the video is for a teenage audience, I do believe teachers and librarians could share the site ReThink with parents and caregivers. ReThink has many resources and information on the subject of cyberbullying. After learning about ReThink, I have added the app to my own children's phones. The app was completely free through the App Store on their iPhones. By viewing the site with elementary age students and sharing the information with parents/caregivers, librarians and teachers can educate them on the issue, while giving them a means to help stop it. Trisha says that this is more than a product or a piece of technology. ReThink states it is "a push to end online hate and raise responsible digital citizens." As future and current librarians, we are advocates for helping students become responsible citizens when they are navigating the digital world.
Resources
Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the Sandbox to the Inbox: Comparing the Acts, Impacts, and Solutions of Bullying in K-12, Higher Education, and the Workplace. Journal of Education and Training Studies,3(6), 111-125. doi:10.11114/jets.v3i6.1033
Orech, J. (2012, August). How It's Done: Incorporating Digital Citizenship Into Your Everyday Curriculum. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from http://www.techlearning.com/
This week's module had a vast amount of tools and resources to explore. I played around and explored many different one's that were in listed under Resources to Explore for Blog #6 in Module 8 for SLIS 761. After viewing the various blogs, sites, and YouTube's Tech Fifteen channel of Dr. Heather Moorefield-Lang, I finally decided on Wakelet for this week's blog. While I loved exploring many sites (especially Digital Public Library of America and Knowt) and ended up being convinced by Dr. Moorefield-Lang that I needed the Google Keep app immediately, I ultimately chose Wakelet because I wanted to explore a tool I was unfamiliar with that I could use as a platform for my digital curation assignment. I was planning on using Google Docs since I use everything Google at work, but Wakelet popped up a few times in our resources and was listed as one AASL's Best Websites for Teaching in Learning 2019, I thought it may be a more interesting way to curate my findings. I also think that I need to try new things in tech since I want to become a school librarian. Richard Byrne has a great introduction video on using Wakelet that I included below. Wakelet is a free resource, which makes it even better!
Joining Wakelet is simple. Once you go to the home page of Wakelet, you can click one of the tabs across the tops (I selected the For Educator tab) or just click the Sign up, it's free! green tab in the center of the page. Once I clicked on the Educator tab, I signed up via Google. You have the option to sign up via Google, Microsoft, Facebook, or by email. Once you are in, the site prompts you to select a minimum of two images/topics that interest you. Once that is done, you continue and are ready to create a collection. Step by step visuals of this process are displayed below.
Step One:
Step Two:
Step Three:
Wakelet is also a wonderful free resource to use within a school. As Richard Byrne pointed out in his video, you can add collaborators to a collection of your choice. If you are a librarian and are collaborating with teachers on a research topic or project for students, this would be a great way for everyone to share findings and resources. Wakelet is available as an app as well, so you can always have access at your fingertips. The librarian and teacher can then share the resources with students via the link. If your school district's technology department allows it, you could create collaborative student Wakelet pages where you are the head administrator. Students could collaborate on an assignment, while you would have access to monitor their progress and give feedback. By the teacher creating the Wakelet for the students and adding them as collaborators, she has the ability to make sure the page is closed to the public and being used with fidelity. As a teacher, it would allow me to see the process students use when completing an assignment and how I could conference with them about their work and collaborative abilities. I feel that Wakelet can be a useful tool for librarians, teachers, and students by allowing them another way to work collaboratively via a digital platform.
Resources
"Best Digital Tools for Teaching & Learning", American Library Association, October 29, 2014.http://www.ala.org/aasl/awards/best (Accessed October 18, 2019) Document ID: 68ad61df- 576d-3054- e54d-91a5471bc18c
Byrne, R. (2007, January). Free Technology for Teachers. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.freetech4teachers.com/
Byrne. (2019). How to get started using wakelet. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59_2iSENXEQ&feature=youtu.be&disable_polymer=true
Digital Public Library of America. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://dp.la/
Heir, T., Dr. (2016). A Summary of the Evidence on Inclusive Education. Retrieved from https://alana.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/A_Summary_of_the_evidence_on_inclusive_education.pdf
Moorefield-Lang. (2018). TechFifteen. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/user/TechFifteen
As those of us in the education field are aware, the
inclusion of all students is of utmost importance in helping to ensure that all
students become the successful person they are meant to be. When we look at the
whole child and address all their gifts and needs on an individual level, then
we can look at the wonderful mix of talents in our classrooms and pull each
gift out in a harmonious learning environment. One of the most amazing classes
I ever taught was co-taught with a special education teacher. She had a
self-contained mentally disabled class, which also included one student who was
in a wheel chair and had limited use of her arms and hands. Having an inclusive
class was something we both felt would be beneficial to our students. Since it
was going to be the first time at our school where a self-contained class mainstreamed
for a block of ELA daily, we had to be ready to meet any challenges head on.
The principal supported our idea and was completely on board. This was in 2002,
so while inclusion is something we are all familiar with and believe in now, we
had our share of road blocks at the time. Our principal had a ramp built for my
mobile, and we embraced the experience with as much preparation and love as we
could. It went better than we ever dreamed and after that, it became something
that the classes strove for at that middle school. All of our students not only
learned the ELA standards, but they learned how beautiful and wonderful our
diverse world is through truly being together in a classroom community. When we
received this blog assignment, I was excited to explore assistive technology. I
ended up finding one I already had, that I was unaware of! It is also a tool
that would have helped my student with limited mobility in my co-taught
inclusive 8th grade ELA class.
The first thing to point out before I go any further is to remember
that assistive technology is only as good as the teacher implementing it with
students. Also, inclusion does not happen merely by using assistive technology.
Inclusion is an ideal that educators must strive for and seek through their
teaching, modeling, and their classroom learning environment. Simply having
students mainstream for a class period with no thought or preparation or plan
is not inclusion, it is integration. The chart below, found on page 3 of A Summary of the Evidence on Inclusive Education, does a wonderful job of giving
a visual and explanation about the ways differently abled students may be
receiving educational services (Heir, et all 2016).
The assistive technology tool I discovered after this week’s
readings and looking at the Assistive
Technology Classroom site, which was recommended in the reading by Edward
Cummings, is Google’s Voice Typing! I had no clue this even existed. My school,
like many these days, uses Google Chromes and Google Classrooms with students.
If you are at a Google based school, you have access to this. EXCITING! Voice
Typing is pretty clear cut. You can access it through a Google Docs. When you
go to create a Google Docs, you simply select the tools tab and scroll down to
select Voice Typing. The video below is the one I saw first that explained what
it is and the basics of what it does.
After watching the video, I went to Google’s Accessibility
Site, which is loaded with different tools that we have access to as a
Google based school. I scrolled down to Google Docs and Voice Typing is a
selection. From there, I learned even more about using it. I will admit, it is
trial and error at first. You have to learn a few commands, but it is fairly
easy to get used to. Once on Google’s Accessibility Site, select the Products and Features tab.
Next, simply scroll down to Google Docs and select the Voice typing in Google Docs tab.
As a teacher and future librarian, I think this assistive
technology tool is useful for all students. Finding technology that can help
others who are differently abled, but teaching all students about it and using
it as a class helps us have a class that is inclusive. This assistive
technology tool is something that is transitional, in that it can be used beyond
the classroom and into the world and adulthood. Anne Marie Perrault stated that
librarians should “take steps to support and empower students as they engage in
the transition process” (2011). I think Google Voice can be empowering to our
students. Not only can Google Voice help my students who may have some mobility
issues with their hands or arms, it also helps my students who have severe handwriting
issues and could be a tool for their IEP received through OT. Google Voice also
would be helpful to all my students when working on presentation and
communication ELA standards. You have to speak clearly and crisply, just like
you would during a presentation. I think Google Voice would be an interesting
way to have students see how their public speaking skills are going. What a
great way for students to self-assess and reflect. As an ELA teacher, Google
Voice allows me to address many needs of all my students. Dr. Copeland said “our
students need us to help them understand how their differences make them
specially able” (2011). What a wonderful thing to consider when looking at
assistive technology. Does it meet the needs of students and help them hone
their gift? I think exploring Google’s
Accessibility page is a wonderful way for educators who have Google based
schools to find new assistive tools that could benefit students in their
classes.
References
Copeland, Clayton
A. “School Librarians of the 21st Century.” Knowledge Quest 39.3
(2011): 64-9.
Cummings,
Edward O. “Assistive and Adaptive Technology Resources.” Knowledge Quest 39.3
(2011): 70-3.
As a literacy instructional coach at a 5K-6th
grade school, I am constantly on the lookout for ways to engage students while
keeping the rigor and integrity of our curriculum standards. After teaching ELA
in 6th and 8th grade for many years, I understand the
stress of meeting standards on state testing. The best way to ensure great test
scores is to have a classroom environment that is engaging to every learner
while teaching your subject standards. Technology offers us wonderful
opportunities to extend our teaching by allowing students to inquire,
integrate, communicate, and create in ways they haven’t before. Not to mention,
technology is a large part of our world today. If we are preparing students to
be college and career ready global citizens, then technology in the classroom
is something to be embraced. Easier said than done. 😬
Technology
has changed in so many ways, it can be intimidating. As teachers, how can we
make sure we are teaching to the standards when implementing new tech? Not all
tech is created equal. This is where a technology integration model comes in -
one that is specifically targeted at those in education. One model that is easy
for those of us in the education field to understand is the RAT Model, which
was developed by Dr. Joan Hughes. “The model leads you to understand if digital
technology is functioning as replacement, amplification, or transformation in
educational practice” (Hughes 2010). In education, we know all about acronyms
to help us remember new initiatives and concepts. RAT is easy to remember and
easy to interpret. The graphic below was featured on the blog, Instructional
Design by Kelly 21st Century Learning Examples, Ideas, and
Discussion (2016). It gives an easy visual of how the R.A.T. Model works.
Instructional Design by Kelly 21st Century Learning Examples, Ideas, and Discussion (2016)
It is
important to note, as with all things in education, this is not a cut and dry
model. Sometimes tech and implementation in the classroom may touch on one or
more levels. Many factors determine exactly how teachers implement tech in
their classrooms. This goes beyond the classroom and reflects on the school and
the school district. What is being provided in terms of tech and in terms of
professional development? Example: I have 3 Google Classrooms for 3 different
grades that I currently work with for our school Genius Hour. Using Google
Classroom with the students I interact with every single day for Genius Hour
enhances and engages all of us through multiple facets. However, I have been
trained in using it, have received multiple follow up PDs, and have an onsite
Google trained tech coach. I get a lot of support. How I may rate Google Classroom
using the R.A.T. Model is going to be different than a teacher who has it, but
without the external supports. To truly try out the R.A.T. Model without any
preconceived bias or experience, I selected a piece of tech our librarian has that
teachers are allowed to borrow to use with students. I needed something I had
never done before- enter Dot and Dash. The thought of working with these robots
to implement coding was terrifying. According to Hughes, “To assess a
technology’s contribution, one considers an instance of technology use and
assesses is systematically in terms of three broad themes: instructional
methods, student learning process, and curriculum goals” (2010). These
dimensions are fluid and are not a checklist. I found the thematic dimensions a
great starting point to dig deeper into the technology I was targeting. The
dimensions helped me wrap my head around what I wanted from Dot and Dash, while
keeping the focus on instructional practice. I used the RAT Question Guide provided by Hughes on her site to assess where Dot and Dash would take me and my students.
I had a lot to learn about Dot and
Dash. There are numerous websites, links, videos, and some poor lesson plans
floating around on the web. After viewing, reading, and sifting through them, I
found one teacher video via the Makerspace for Education
site that was posted by Unbox and Learn from Edmonton Catholic Schools on
YouTube that explains the concept of Dot and Dash in an easy to follow way for
a beginner (2015). I also joined the Wonder Workshop Portal, which is run by
the company that created Dot and Dash. If you are going to use or purchase Dot
and Dash, joining is a must. The site is easy to navigate, and most importantly
for a teacher, you can see lessons that include the standards to use for your own
class or get your creative juices flowing. I loved the student challenges on Makerspace for
Education. I highly recommend checking it out if you may be interested in
using Dot and Dash.
With
Hughes’ RAT Question Guide in hand, I examined Dot and Dash. It is important to
note that in the beginning, as a former ELA teacher and a current literacy
instructional coach, I regretted my tech choice. Dot and Dash seemed more STEAM
and coding oriented and at the end of the day, I am all about making sure
student have learned and can apply their ELA standards. However, once I dug
deeper and found valid lesson plans, ideas, and credible resources, I changed
my mind. One of the cross-curricular lessons I explored through my Wonder
Workshop Portal was Dash’s World Adventure by Terri Eichholz. In the screen
shots below, you can see the progression of depth and integration of standards
across curriculums that are being applied. Teachers are varying instruction,
teaching and applying curriculum goals, while having the student completely
engaged in the learning activity.
Wonder Workshop Portal: lesson Dash’s World Adventure by Terri Eichholz retrieved from https://www.makewonder.com/ 2019
As a
teacher new to Dot and Dash, who is trying to figure it out via my own inquiry,
I would say that replacement and amplification take place. I am taking
standards and instructional practice, presenting it in a new digital form that
increases student productivity and engagement. While it would be nice to say
it’s transformative, based on the lessons I viewed and for my personal use as a
teacher, I am on the fence. If I were to use Dot and Dash frequently, then I
would be involving ITSE
Standards more within teaching ELA Standards. With cross-curricular
lessons, I would be involving more teachers, which could be transformative
within the curriculum on a school level. Which leads to a valid point made by Blanchard,
LePrevost, Tolin, Gutierrez “what is transformative for one teacher may only be amplification
for another” (2016). Based on using the RAT Model to see if Dot and Dash would
be useful tech in a school environment, I found it mainly useful for an
elementary school setting. It can be used in science, math, social studies,
science, and ELA. Using these core courses as means to teach inquiry, problem
solving, cooperation, and technology standards to students is wonderful. “A
large body of research supports a connection between increased student academic
growth and student-centered learning activities such as collaborative
information gathering, realistic problem solving, and use of technology to
explore and create new representations of knowledge (Green 2014). Dot and Dash,
according to the RATS Model, has many pedagogical functions that would benefit
teachers and students. This module activity has led me to another question to
explore: Does the RAT Model rely mainly on teachers receiving support/training
on a piece of chosen tech?
References
Blanchard, M., LePrevost, C., Tolin, A., &
Gutierrez, K. (2016). Investigating Technology-Enhanced Teacher Professional
Development in Rural, High-Poverty Middle Schools - Margaret R. Blanchard,
Catherine E. LePrevost, A. Dell Tolin, Kristie S. Gutierrez, 2016. Retrieved
September 23, 2019, from
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0013189x16644602
Dash and Dot. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2019,
from http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/dash-and-dot.html
ECSD, E. (2015, June 23). Unbox+Learn, Dash & Dot
Robot. Retrieved September 26, 2019, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_MbX77wDGI&feature=youtu.be
Green, L. S. (2014). Through the Looking Glass:
Examining Technology Integration in School Librarianship. Knowledge Quest,
43(1), september/october, 36-43.
Hughes, J. (2016, June 24). R.A.T. Model. Retrieved September 20, 2019, from https://techedges.org/r-a-t-model/
ISTE Standards for Educators. (2019). Retrieved
September 23, 2019, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators
Kelly. (2016, March 01). The RAT Model. Retrieved
September 25, 2019, from https://instructionaldesignbykelly.wordpress.com/2016/03/01/the-rat-model/
Wonder Workshop: Home of Dash, Cue, and Dot –
award-winning robots that help kids learn to code. (2019). Retrieved September
24, 2019, from https://www.makewonder.com/
