The Power of the Web

This week's essential question is, "What makes the Web so powerful?"

A popular term for a major accomplishment of the web is "democratization of information".  It is so much easier now to find information than it was when I was a child (provided you have access to the internet - something that is being "democratized" itself).  When we sat talking around the dinner table a question would come up, and my mom or dad would walk over to the reference books on the shelf or the encyclopedia upstairs.  If those books didn't have an answer, we'd pretty much just wonder.  That wonder has it's own value, but it's amazing how differently we work today.  I can't remember the last time we couldn't find an answer for a question we were thinking about, and what's more, we can find many answers from a multitude of perspectives.  This is a very powerful tool for a curious mind.

The other major power of the web that I'd like to discuss is the ability to create connections between people.  You are not limited in your acquaintances by geography or social class (though the issue of internet access is still relevant), but can sort begin relationships based on any interest or issue.

This is incredibly powerful, and like many sources of power it has been used to do great good and terrible evil.  For example, people who are isolated because their situation is rare, stigmatized, and/or misunderstood can find companions around the world.  Families of children with cancer/autism/progeria, etc. make find comfort, support, strategies, treatment, hope, and most importantly a sense of belonging and being understood.  What a gift! On the other hand, those who would abuse children can also find encouragement and accomplices.  Terrible. 

One can go a long way to becoming a global citizen by seeking out and learning all sorts of perspectives and outlooks on issues of worldwide concern (morality, environment, education, you name it...) Equally, however, one can choose to listen to only the most comfortable and non-challenging of voices, becoming ever more insular and potentially polemicized.  

One hopes that the balance of all this power -- access to untold variety of information and individuals of every kind -- is for the good.  In the end, it depends on the person.

Thanks for the photo found through creative commons.

Empathy and Education

This week's essential question is, "Whose responsibility is it to teach students to be safe online?"

Our class focused on "cyberbullying", "sexting", and inappropriate behavior by students, educators, and others.  There are so many issues surrounding behavior on the internet and different modes of human interaction that it becomes overwhelming.  Kids can get themselves into trouble through thoughtless actions and they can cause irreparable harm to others without even realizing it.

The main thing I took from our discussion was this: Restrictions and punishments are poor tools for keeping kids safe.  The true answer to cruelty and carelessness lies in early and continuing education, and that education must include training in ethics and compassion, not just technological savvy.

This is (I believe) a part of elementary school curriculum, where we are taught how to take turns, share, and treat others well.  In high school (my area), however, it is a very controversial topic, and as someone who grew up as a member of a religious minority, I am certainly wary of "morality" being taught by schools.  Many argue that is beyond the scope of education, or at least public education, and I definitely see that point.  Yet it is clear that the content of our curriculum, and just as significantly what we leave out, sends a strong signal about our values. 

As a science teacher reflecting on all that science has wrought in the world, I wonder if we are being careful enough to teach students about how to judge and act as compassionate global citizens.  This goes beyond knowledge, beyond skills and higher-level problem solving abilities.  Some excellent scientists have been terrible people.  There are a great many things that are possible, even revolutionary; some could cause disasters, while others could prevent tragedies.  Science has been used to do amazing amounts of good while also making possible the instant murder of millions.  Science has increased our power, both to do good and to destroy.

It is similar when we examine the role that access to the internet has on students.  It gives then access and power.  As students move further into the virtual world, it becomes increasingly difficult to control and monitor with whom they interact. We need to send them out prepared to deal with everything they'll find and yet time is required to prepare them -- time we no longer have before they're out in the wide, wide world. 

Thanks for the photo found through creative commons.

Copyright revisited

This weeks essential questions are, "Do we as a global society need to rethink copyright laws?" and "What's our role as educators in copyright usage in schools?"

After our second class on copyright I feel confident that copyright law is complex and ambiguous, but I get the gist as it applies to educators in Thailand and the United States.

Another interesting question, however, is the adequacy of copyright law in the developing global society. Reading a fan site for the TV show "Lost", I ran into an interesting copyright debate. In essence, a popular vlogger (video blogger) named Seanie B read aloud the work of others without crediting them. One blogger, a freelance writer who uses a creative commons copyright notice on her website, asked him address the situation, which has now escalated into copyright infrigement claims, deletion of his YouTube account, and a whirlwind of reactions from the online fan community.

The situation highlights touches on many of the issues seen in the use of new media, the global audience for online work, and the public understanding of copyright.

Some interesting issues include:

1) Confusion over the copyrighting of ideas (theories about what the show might mean) versus the author's words.

2) The harm done to the orginial author, especially considering the important of "buzz" around one's online work and how this might influence paid positions for a freelance writer.

3) The wide range of physical lcoations of the involved parties (bloggers in the US, tipped off by a reader in Germany, berated by readers from Brazil to Kuwait, etc.)

4) Confusion regarding the source of copyright infringement (assuming that ABC is targetting the vlog for use of copyrighted images and screencaps, etc.) and feeling that "COPYRIGHT SUCKS" and is a fight against "the man" or some similar monolithic evil.

5) Personal attacks against all parties involved, including comments such as:

"Seanie I am missing you’re video’s little buddy. that Erika b--ch is just trying to steel you’re spotlight doesn’t she know that anything on the internet is FREE that is what the internet is for. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Hope the video’s are up again soon buddy."

6) The idea that anything online is free from copyright (as seen above).

7) The interesting (and brief) use of "Been Caught Stealing" by Jane's Addiction in the video exposing Seanie B's alleged copyright infringment and whether that constitutes fair use or infringement in its own right.

Overall, I found reading about the situation very interesting in light of our copyright discussions, and think it highlights the need for education about copyright in school. In particular, it would be positive to move beyond the sense of fear and oppresion that surrounds copyright. We could try to help students see the value of attempting to balance the rights of creators and users of content. However copyright evolves, it is most likely to be successful if people understand and buy into its purpose.

Copyright conundrum

This week’s essential questions are: “What is Fair Use?” and “What is the purpose of Copyright?”

Copyright laws seek to give ownership protection to those who create a new work. “Work” is defined broadly to include images, video, words, dance, and more. In this way, creators of original works are entitled to control who copies their work and to be paid for it. It is meant to advance the arts and sciences because people (and corporations) are more likely to devote time and energy such creations if they can support themselves or make a profit.

The topic is incredibly complicated, and copyright rules vary from country to country. I was surprised to learn that within the US system and many others, there are almost endless circumstances under which there is no clear answer as to whether or not you’re in violation of law. As copycense.com points out, much of the information available is not accurate. Some companies want more protection than they are legally entitled to, and are not above “educating” the public in such a way as to increase their profits.

I read a multitude of sources about what kind of use is allowable for educators. In Thailand, where I teach, it seems clear that teachers are not in violation of Thai law for the “reproduction, adaptation, exhibition or making available by a teacher for teaching” as long as it is not for profit. However, as Teflpedia points out (in a neat article on the educational uses allowed by difference countries), Thailand is also one of the few countries to impose jail terms for copyright infringement!

Much of the information I came across focused on the US system of fair use (other nations have similar concepts such as fair practice) which evaluates four criteria. Very briefly these are, 1) how you use the work and if you “transform” it, 2) you much of the work you use, 3) what kind of work it is, and 4) the effect your use has on the work’s market and value. This article has a useful summary table and this site has a checklist of pros and cons for trying to gauge fair use.

Many teachers use recently broadcast videos, poems, or articles in their classes. Luckily for me, the few videos I use have been purchased from PBS or similar for classroom use. I can direct my students biology news online; there isn’t much I need to save from year to year. My primary use of copyrighted material is of digital images. At first I felt pretty confident that using the occasional image in the context of an original powerpoint presentation qualifies as fair use. However, this nicely organized article from UMUC suggests that such use is valid only for 2 years.

Using images in biology is extremely helpful in visualizing complex systems and processes. It would hurt my students considerably to remove them. So, what are my options? I have been using creativecommons recently, so hopefully I can, with time, find adequate replacements for the copyrighted images. (Not likely - it narrows the images for "teacher" from about 40 million to 200.) I might try finding and contacting the owners of some of the best images for permission. What about the two year limit? Is that a guideline, a suggestion, or a law? What is my moral obligation? How much time can I afford to invest in this?

A further dilemma is whether to allow my students to use the powerpoints for review. I can post them on the closed network provided by the school, but the number of copies and distribution then goes beyond my control.

I was also interested in the use of old, released standardized tests, but did not find much information. I did, however, find this extrememly interesting article about fair use of current (not yet released) standardized test questions.

I want to do the right thing. I want to give proper consideration to the creators of the work. I want to give my students the best possible tools for learning. I want to feel confident in my understanding of the spirit of the law and the specifics of how it applies to me. So far, though, the whole thing just makes me uncomfortable. We have another class on copyright; hopefully that will get me closer to figuring this out.

Thanks for the image found through creative commons.

Rating RateMyTeachers

I have been aware of the site ratemyteachers.com since I taught in Virginia almost 10 years ago. One of my students told me to check it out. I found a place where students (or anyone) could reverse the power and grade their teachers on clarity, easiness, and fairness as well as whether or not they're "cool". They can also write anything at all in the comments area, though there is a feedback system for removing inappropriate comments.  This site, and others like it, are considered somewhat controversial.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a site like this? How does it affect educators and students?  How valid and valuable is the information?

Let's begin with students, at whom the site was originally directed.  

Students who are going to have a new teacher can look at the feedback from other students in order to know what to expect.  This is a reasonable desire, although one that is a source of disagreement among educators in regards to students.  Each year teachers can ask their colleagues about the class "coming up", run over their class lists, and find out what to expect.  In some ways this can be helpful; it can help get the class off on the right foot if teachers can anticipate and address the particular needs and personality of a class.  It has pitfalls, as well.  It prejudices a teacher against kids who were "trouble" for a colleague, even if the students have matured or interact differently with different teachers and might not have had a conflict at all.  Some of my teaching friends absolutely refuse to hear any "gossip" about their incoming students in order to give everyone a "fresh start".  Students getting insider information about their teachers (online or elsewhere) have the same possible goods and evils; they may get a better start or they make incorrect assumptions to their detriment. 

On a related, but less important note, one questions the formatting of the information (but this applies specifically to ratemyteachers and perhaps less to other sites like askthealumni.com)  What can one take from a 3.7 clarity rating, or a 4.5 for easiness?  It's difficult to say, since students differ on what is "clear".  Also "5" is supposed to be the "best" score, but not all student or teachers want a very easy course.  I had students give me 5, 5, and 5 for easiness (wanting to be nice) and others 5, 5, and 1 (wanting to be nice but also respect the challenge of the course).  If you actually asked these students how difficult the course was I highly doubt that they would actually disagree to such extremes.

This leads me to a very important point, which is the overall validity of this data.  I got along well with the highly-motivated, friendly Biology students mentioned above. (And who wouldn't?  They were a wonderful group!)  I really appreciated their positive feedback, but I also recognize that the students who are motivated enough to add rankings are most likely to come from the extremes -- the love the teacher or they can't stand her.  This type of optional feedback system will rarely give a full or balanced picture to prospective students.

Next there is the question of how accurate students are in their evaluations and whether what they "like" is synonymous with what they need (a quality education).  Again, I must refer to my own experiences.  A colleague of mine teaches analytical writing in his classes.  It is very difficult for students, and despite his unfailing patience and support, they sometimes "hate" him for giving them low grades even though they tried, or for making them write draft after draft.  I could not count the times his students have come back, years later, even seeking him out online, to thank him for teaching them to write.  How often they say "I didn't appreciate it then." "Your class saved me in college." "I didn't realize how much I had learned."  What would ratemyteacher have shown for him?

In another case, a teacher I knew had extremely high marks on ratemyteachers.  He was a handsome new hire and the students had a great deal of fun in his class, joking with him and listening to music.  It later emerged, for other reasons, that he had not actually graded any of their assignments for over a semester, had fallen asleep during class more than once, and had not covered most of the curriculum for their high-stakes exam.  

All of this is not to say that the information is utterly without value.  I think that sentiments that are frequently repeated, especially over multiple classes or years, especially in comments that seem measured and fair (not just squees or flames), can absolutely be of use to students.  It just requires a great deal of careful judgment.

What about educators?  How useful is this information to us?  All the same cautions and limitations apply, and yet there is great value in honest anonymous feedback from our students. 

Ratemyteachers has made recent changes to try to bring educators into the site.  They offer educator accounts with which you can leave comments for your students.  

Unfortunately, however, I do not feel that optional, public sites like ratemyteachers are the appropriate forum for students to give feedback about their teachers.  I have used paper surveys or surveymonkey to ask students for more detailed feedback including open-ended responses.  Other teachers ask students to write letters to the incoming students for the next year.  I usually ask for feedback several times in a course.  I find it especially useful after the first unit to get a sense of how the class is responding.  The students appreciate that their feedback can be considered in time to help them, not just next year's class.  I can also explain the rationale for any aspects of the course that may be unpopular but necessary.  The data is better because all students participate, and the students take it more seriously in subsequent surveys.  

This type of data might be more useful for prospective students as well.  My university has published such data (called The Critical Review) for decades.  It has been a great help to undergraduates.  Such a system might or might not be workable in earlier education, where there is less choice in course selection and enrollment, and students may be less mature.

This leads me to one other great danger associated with sites like ratemyteachers, and to a lesser degree and form of anonymous feedback -- vicious and libelous comments. Educators always need an open mind and a thick skin to best deal with tactless comments, angry mutterings, or overheard hallway conversations.  But public, permanent, anonymous feedback is more intense and can be brutal.  Questionable comments I've seen on ratemyteacher range from the relatively harmless "I've seen that man eat an entire jelly doughnut in one bite.  I think his jaw can separate like a snake." to spiteful comments (which are sometimes removed) about appearance, wardrobe, intelligence, and so on.  This is a topic I hope to discuss in more depth in a post related to cyberbullying.  

Thanks for the photo found through creative commons.