Comments for Teachers (started week 6)

Dr. Scott McLeod

dear parent

teacher

administrator

board member

don't teach your kids to read

for the Web

to scan

RSS

aggregate

synthesize

don't teach your kids to write

online

pen and paper aren't going anywhere

since when do kids need an audience?

no need to hyperlink

make videos

audio

Flash

no connecting, now

no social networking

or online chat

or comments

or PLNs

blogs and twitter?

how self-absorbed

what a bunch of crap

and definitely, absolutely, resolutely, no cell phones

block it all

lock it down

keep it out

it's evil, you know

there's bad stuff out there

gotta keep your children safe

don't you know collaboration is just another word for cheating?

don't you know how much junk is out there?

haven't you ever heard of sexting?

of cyberbullying?

a computer 24-7? no thanks

I don't want them

creating

sharing

thinking

learning

you know they're just going to look at porn

and hook up with predators

we can't trust them

don't do any of it, please

really

'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids

can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two

can you?

My Comment:

"Dont teach your kids this stuff. Please?" is a wonderfully written piece of work. The media's perception on technology is faulty in many ways. Yes, it can be used for mischievous purposes, but to deny your child the learning experiences technology has to offer is a crime. For those of you who think technology is ALL evil and refuse to allow your child to use these tools to better their education: They will eventually use technology.... It may be pushing the combo #6 button on their new McDonalds touch screen registers, even though I ordered a #4...but they will use technology.... And thats perfectly fine. Your child can serve my child his Big Mac with onions that he specifically said to take off.... I will not let my child suffer because of my ignorance!

Should Orange County (FL) Public Schools have a social media policy for educators?
[This is the text of an e-mail I just sent the 7 board members for the Orange County (FL) Public Schools.]
Dear OCPS School Board members,
Greetings from the freezing state of Iowa!
I read with interest the recent Orlando Sentinel article on educators, students, and social media. Before you forge ahead with any policies that target any specific technologies (whether they be cell phones, messaging formats, or online social media tools), I would encourage you to read my short blog post on this:
No Facebook for you!
The key point of the post is that tools and technologies both change and actually are irrelevant to the underlying issue of inappropriate teacher behavior. If you feel as a board that your existing policies are insufficient (and I would be surprised if what you need already isn't in place), I hope that at least you will not frame them in terms of specific technologies (per my reasoning in the blog post).
I would be happy to discuss this with some or all of you if so desired. All my best.

My Comment:

I am a student at the University of South Alabama.


It is true...these tools and technologies are irrelevant to the underlying issue of inappropriate teacher behavior. Students should not be denied the possible benifits of using these tools. The problem is with the teachers tho. Its not that every teacher has a secret agenda when communicating with students via facebook, or any other media device, the issue is how to use these tools properly. I will be entering the teaching world in a few years and I hope to see something positive come of all this. Thank you for you words Scott!

The Future of Print, Part 3

My Comment:

This video was amazing! Maybe todlers shouldn't use this. (agreeing with the post by Tina) They may just chew it up. Never the less, it is a great idea!