Final Project Reflection and Kim's Keynote Address

In class, we had the great joy of listening to Kim Cofino's keynote address for K12 Online Conference, Going Global: Culture Shock, Convergence, and the Future of Education.

It was an extremely interesting and well-presented address. It described very well the experience of culture shock and the open-minded, independent nature of many Third Culture Kids (TCKs). Finally, it suggested that the life-changing experiences of TCKs could now be available from anywhere through the collaborative potential of the internet.

I completely agree with Kim's description and assessment of the experience of coming to live in a new culture. Like Kim, I have lived in two cultures other than my own, and my impression of all three has been influenced by the sum of my experiences. But Kim's presentation also made me wonder what exactly would have to be done to make a "virtual" culture shock (one that would draw discomfort into tolerance and appreciation to paraphrase (poorly) the speech) effective.

Part of the magic of moving to a new culture is the immersion and the inability to fully escape from the new way of doing things. In the Dominican Republic, showing up 3 hours late is on time - we remember the story of one woman who arrived to a party at the time printed on the invitation only to find her hostess in the shower! When you do something that you've always assumed is "the way it's done", something you've never questioned, and it goes wildly different than expected, the temptation is to look at those around you for confirmation - "That's crazy, right?" But in your host culture, you find everyone is looking at you and thinking (or saying), "That crazy gringa / farang!"

Is this really doable in an online setting? We can be exposed to many other cultures, we can encounter differences. But what humbles us, and changes us, and hopefully, happily makes us more thoughtful, open people, is the sudden sense of being on the outside, the one who's got it wrong, who's not acting 'normal', who's struggling to communicate in broken and accented phrases. My fear is that in a school setting it will be difficult to emulate a "culture shock" experience given that in that key moment, when a student looks around for reactions, he or she will be surrounded still by his or her own culture and the disconnect will be too easily dismissed. Added to that, the sense immersion, of fully living and being in a new culture and place, would be difficult to recreate during "school hours" or even outside of them.

This is not to say that I think it can't be done! On the contrary, I think the possibilities are many, and the goal incredibly important and worthwhile. It is instead that I want to be fully aware of the challenges and aware of the depth of planning and purpose that must be achieved if the experience is to be a success.

Therefore, in my final project, I tried to think of a unit that would take my students (mostly quite comfortable navigating different cultures) beyond their normal experiences and challenge them in a way that might bring about the deep reflection and thought that increases compassion and empathy. I chose the unit on genetics. My hope is that by exploring a specific genetic difference or disease, becoming familiar with the details and complexities of its causes and consequences, and finally collaborating with people for whom it is a daily reality, the students will see themselves and others in a new way. Perhaps, for some, that new perspective will be meaningful and memorable in a way that will take them further toward the goal of being caring global citizens.

Laptops in the classroom

This week's prompt is, "What are ways you manage the use of laptops in your classroom and what additional best practice ways might you add?"

Laptop (and sometimes desktop) management has been a tricky issue for me, and I know that at times my students have gotten away with all manner of distraction when they were purportedly working for class.

I use laptops for various purposes in biology class. They are used for collecting and analyzing data using data-logging tools and probes. Students rarely get off task during a lab situation. Their time is simply too limited and they won't have access to the data-logging equipment outside of school, so they have a high motivation to finish within the allotted time. Many students are also naturally engaged by the hands-on aspect of experimentation. Of course, I walk through the room to check on student progress, but although they may need assistance they will not be distracted by facebook and so on during a lab.

When the students are working on tutorials or simulations, the temptation to browse other sites is greater. First of all, on numerous occasions the simultaneous loading by 20 students of the same interactive activity has caused slowness either from the school's connection or the server for the site hosting the activity. In either case, the hourglass or spinning wheel will quickly bring many students to open another site. Further, there is less intensity associated with tutorials and simulations - they will almost always be available to the student outside of class (the exception being those that require a log-in and password / paid subscription). In this case, I find that an important management tool is the physical arrangement of the computers. I try to circulate frequently to check on their work and look for extra tabs or minimized screens. I also try to have the students seated in a way that allows me to see most or all screens at a glance.

A third situation that involves laptop use is when a student brings a personal laptop to class for the purposed of note-taking and following along with presentations. At this point, the student must bear much of the burden for appropriate use. Aside from interrupting the class by asking the student to "freeze" or put their "hands up" (as sometimes suggested), it is difficult for me to know what their screen looks like. So far the problem has been small enough that this is almost never necessary. While students may be distracted, they are also able to use the computers in very useful ways. Some annotate powerpoints as we go through them, creating a rich and useful document. Recently we were discussing the benefits and drawbacks of immunizations and one student remembered hearing "something about a cheerleader." Within moments, another student (with a laptop) had accessed the story and was able to provide an excellent example that enlivened and enriched class discussion. (Parenthetically, this story is highly complex and intriguing as is the response to it. Many blogs erroneously state that she had taken the H1N1 shot, when in fact it was for the seasonal flu.) This type of unobtrusive and directed laptop use in the goal, but often I have found it necessary to ask students to keep their screens down (or part way down0 during discussion. It's a hard enough skill to really listen to what someone else is saying without the added distraction of the internet!

One best practice I would like to add is the use of software that monitors active windows for where the student has been throughout class. If this was checked even sometimes, it would be enough for students to change how they consider their screens - from private to public.

Overall, laptops are a tool that should be used when appropriate and put away when not needed.

Cyberpolarization and the dangers of getting what you want

For some time now, I have been troubled by a trend toward rudeness, rash and immediate judgement, and general closed-mindedness that I frequently encounter online. Thanks to the an article in the New Yorker, I am able to put a name to one of these trends: cyberpolarization.

The article itself focuses on the "birther consipracy" (which suggests, against the weight of evidence, that President Obama was born outside the US and is therefore ineligible for his office) and a book by Cass R. Sunstein called "On Rumors: How Falsehoods Spread, Why We Believe Them, What Can Be Done."

It speaks to something I found disquieting in class. Over and over, I hear people talking about how they don't visit standard news outlets anymore. They have "customized" their news to show them only what they want to hear. Their RSS feeds are from the sources that resonate best with them, on twitter they follow those people with their interests and views, etc.

As the article / Sunstein point out, "The most striking power provided by emerging technologies... is the growing power of consumers to 'filter' what they see." In the context of technology in education, this is perhaps not too sinister. The "personal learning networks" that are established are healthy, focused and professional. (Or are they completely off the hook here? I have no idea how many people in class actively seek out opposing or contrasting views on the role of technology in education.)

But the people I interact with in CoETaIL are educated and intellectual. Their 'filters' are (one hopes) to make sure that news and advancements in their niche do not go unnoticed. But what about the average person or the teenager? What happens when they can avoid the news even more easily than they can access it? Or access slanted, even deliberately untrue, news items with a particular ideological or political bent? The answer seems clear: an increasing entrenchment of views, a closed-mindedness and narrowness of vision, and a tendency to dismiss not only arguments from the other side, but entire person behind the argument. Many people love commentary and are more likely to click through to stories with a personal or emotional resonance. But, as the article points out, who is going to take the time to investigate and counter every slur against Sarah Palin or Nancy Pelosi, when one or the other is considered "the enemy". The continual reinforcement of one's own views leads to intolerance - in direct contrast to the tolerance and appreciation we would hope to see born of this global online community.

I don't have answers for this dilemma. I am still early in the process of thinking it all out. But it seems clear that the answer cannot be to try to force people into exposing themselves to a range of viewpoints. They have the ability to do what they want, and that will not change. As educators then, and more vitally important than ever, we must educate our students in compassion, empathy, and the value of respectful disagreement, civilized debate, and free (but fair) speech.

Who knows what they're learning?

This week's prompt is, "How can teachers and schools ensure that their students are learning what they need when it comes to Technology and Information Literacy?"

There is a fascinating shift that has occurred in the realm of education. There was a time, and not that long ago, when the specific skills one needed for a career (not attitudes or mindsets, but things like how to use a slide rule and when to use a certain formula) were likely to remain unchanged (or change only slowly) throughout one's professional life. Under this system, it made sense to have teachers teach what and how they were taught, including at the high school level.

But competence in your field is no longer assured by having been up-to-date and competent when one graduated 10 or 15 years ago. Certainly, much basic content will be the same, but even the basics of what content should be learned has changed. While a major area of study for biology at the high school level once involved memorization of long lists of taxonomic classification, this has been much reduced and simplified to exemplify the range of diversity of life. The details are now so easily accessible, so simple to look up, that their memorization is a waste of time that could be spent learning more involved theories and concepts. This does not even cover the changes in methods and techniques in research. Much that was unthinkable a generation ago, especially in terms of DNA technology, is now within the grasp of a graduate student. Such sea-changes are to be found in other fields as well.

These changes now happen many times within a single educators career, and it seems unlikely that (if civilization survives its unprecedented pace) that changes will happen any slower for quite some time. So, what can we do to make sure that are students are learning what they need to know, especially in the field of IT?

The answer is simply that, alone, we cannot. The only way to stay current post- information revolution, is to be in constant contact and collaboration with a wide array of colleagues and "experts" in various education, subject-specific, and IT niches. There is simply too much to know and it changes too fast to go it alone as an educator.

Below, I include this video of a flock of starlings because it makes me think of some of these ideas. Alone, these birds could not conceive these shapes and patterns even though each is a part of it. Their sensitivity and response to each other does not seem limiting so much as creative and liberating.

How do we get 21st century learners?

This week’s essential question is, “Whose job is it to teach the NETs and AASL standards to students?”

Reading the technology standards from ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards for students and AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner was very interesting. Although they approach the standards from different angles, with ISTE focusing on specific types of technological experiences and skills by developmental level and AASL centering on overall skills and dispositions of the ideal learner, they both emphasize the importance of developing judgment in students. This applies to the content of their work as well as their use of technology, in selecting tools and using them ethically.

Many of the ideals promoted by these documents are in no way limited to technology, and it is certainly our job as educators to provide these types of experiences and instruction. Young people (at least, those with a privileged background such as attend our school) are working with information technology from very early ages. They know many ways to approach innovations in technology, but this does not guarantee the development of good judgement, or even competence in skills. Even in the exploration of the simple capacities of IT, students may only consistently develop proficiency in those areas that interest them. They know endless details of Warcraft and iPhone applications, but using a subscript for a chemical formula in Word can stump them.

As we have said repeatedly, it is not the programs themselves that we need to teach. These will evolve and be replaced continually. Rather, it is the exposure to engaging and challenging experiences that will encourage them to explore and take the fullest use of the powerful tools available.

Finally, we must consider the educator's role in developing judgement. This may be the greatest single ability we try to foster, and it is a very broad one. Judgement includes a scientific disposition, such as distinguishing reliable sources from those that are flawed or biased. It includes a social dimension, such as when to listen and when to participate, when to share and when to show caution and restraint. Finally, it includes an ethical side. Students have increasing power - to make their opinions known, to reach a large audience, to use all the technological tools at their disposal to create, collaborate, and communicate. Yet this increased power can cause as much devastation (as in cases of online bullying, etc) as it can be used as a positive, creative force.

Therefore, our job in creating 21st century learners is, yes, to show them the myriad possibilities provided by IT, but also and even more importantly, to guide them as they practice and begin to develop sound judgement.

Course 3 Final Project Reflection

For our final project, we had several options. I chose to edit video clips that we had taken in a previous class but hadn't had time to work with into a short video on proper microscope use that could be shown to students.

The whole process was very interesting and full of little bumps, so it was gratifying to finally achieve a product at the end.

Before we began recording, Karen, Harvey and I made a storyboard for what our video would look like. There are dozens of issues that arise every year when students begin working with microscopes, but we decided to choose only a few. It seemed a better plan to do tackle a few issues and have time to edit them effectievly rather than try to do everything and end up with nothing, especially since we originally intended to complete it in a single class.

Karen played the responsible student, I played the careless one, and Harvey was the teacher and the videographer. We tried to be a little silly so that movie would have some humor for the students - that was fun. We used one of these little video cameras (flip?) - they look like still cameras and have only a few buttons. We found out that it doesn't take still images and has a very limited zoom, so we had to zoom by actually moving forward. Also, the camera wasn't charged so it was very alarming to see the red battery light flashing every time we filmed a clip. We got the footage we had planned for and attempted to begin editing.

We tried to import the clips into MovieMaker, and it went through the process which took a few minutes, and then said "There was an error with 36 of 36 clips." We tried again, and then we tried in iMovie. Again, no luck. Finally we realized that the format of the clips (mpeg-4) is not supported by either program (in its current incarnation, anyway.) We had begun researching the fastest way to convert all of the clips when class time ran out. That's when I picked up the idea for my final project.

Luckily, I still have the old version of iMovie on my personal computer at home, which I knew supported mpeg-4. It's a lovely, comfortable program that we've used to edit many a family video. Unfortunately, the computer is now over 5 years old - it took the better part of an hour to complete the import, but hey, it worked.

The footage was limited, but it was fun trying to make it fit together. I made stills from the clips and reused some footage that was too short. I used captions rather than audio, with red for poor choices, green for good, and an orange for neutral information. I used creative commons to find background music. I searched for classical and on the first page found some piano and guitar (among my favorite instruments) that fit in well with the timing of the film. I downloaded a few audio effects, as well.

It took a few hours to get the audio and fit everything together. When I finally converted the video and posted it on youtube, I was satisfied with the product. I showed it to a few colleagues, and they think it's clear enough to show to students. We'll see!

The Explosion of Digital Video

This week's essential question was, "How has the explosion of web based video changed the teaching and learning landscape?"

With the explosion of web based video, many things can be visualized that could only be described previously. Here is a video showing the surface tension of water in a fascinating example:



Further, advances in video technology can show, including time lapse, pinhole cameras, and so on can show all sorts of processes never before possible. Here is a clip from the outstanding video series "The Private Life of Plants" with Sir David Attenborough.




All of these videos no longer have to be sourced long in advance as part of the school or department library. Rather, they can be found and streamed so quickly that they can be used to demonstrate a phenomenon as it comes up in discussion, or at latest, in the following class (because of course one sometimes wishes to sort through the options to find the most effective videos).

In biology, there are few things as powerful as vivid imagery as seen in photo and video. They can express clearly and memorably very complex ideas. In that way, they are a great advantage in the biology classroom.

Digital Storytelling

This week's assignment was, "Upload your group's completed digital story & embed into your blog post. Reflect on the process of creating the digital story. How could digital storytelling be used in your classroom/subject area?"



We had a fantastic time working on creating a visual story to go along with a story told by Utah Phillips, a labor activist and folk musician.

One interesting facet was effectively dividing the workload so that four people could be productive at the same time. This worked well during the image-gathering stage but was less effective when we began editing. Also, when we were searching for images, some people got distracted and ended up watching videos of people getting kicked in the testes (let me use the biological term since I do teach biology) for quite awhile on youtube.

I edited the original image times to match up with the story on iMovie. This version and some of the images we collected were later lost, so John was nice enough to put something similar back together for us. Since we had limited time, we were only able to get the pictures to align with the story about two-thirds of the way through. It was very obvious when the pictures and words became out of synch, and it was therefore very interesting to see how much information was conveyed and how powerful it was when the images and audio did work together.

Another interesting point was that different people felt that very different images were key to conveying an idea. Some people were more literalist, wanting images of strongmen and martial arts to represent a powerful blow, while others tended to more abstract representations of power like lightning and tornadoes. It was a good way of bringing into focus the important of knowing an audience, what associations different images are likely to have, and to what extent these assocations can be considered common or "universal" within an audience.

This storytelling approach could be taken in some of the more creative projects in biology. For example, some students benefit from taking a complex process like photosynthesis and making the parts into characters, and the steps into a story. Narrative is of course very powerful, and a digital story could be made along those lines.

Visual Presentation Techniques

This week's assignment was, "Reflect on a presentation you have created in the past looking at how you would implement new visual presentations techniques to better communicate your message to your audience."

I use a large number of powerpoint presentations for my IB Biology classes. I started making them when I came to ISB and had a projector in the classroom. Before that, I used a variety of other presentation strategies, but the powerpoints were very popular with the students.

By student demand, I now have powerpoints for every bit of syllabus content. At first the presentations consisted primarily of images and some animations. The students, however, wanted to use the powerpoints as review tools and without the discussion that surrounds each idea and slide, were unable to effectively use them in that way.

I therefore began adding explanatory text, primarily for when they are using the powerpoints on their own. In fact, I sometimes skip slides in class, telling them that they can read them on their own time. For the majority of students this is a workable solution, allowing them the freedom to ask questions and discuss details without worrying about copying everything into their notes. Other students struggle, either because they try to copy down every word on the powerpoint anyway or because they lose focus knowing that they have a copy and can look at it later.

In the first case, the students do not engage in discussion because they are busy copying and also tend not to put ideas into their own words. This can prevent incorrect or imprecise wording in the short run, but reduced the depth and retention of important ideas in the long run. In the second case, valuable class time for sharing and actively learning is lost.

When I was redoing one of my powerpoints, I tried to further limit the text that I put on one slide. There is tension between keeping a process coherent and breaking it into small enough pieces to be presentable. The powerpoint ended up being much longer, with more repetitive images (part 1 of process A, part 2 of process A, part 3 of process A, summary slide showing parts 1-3 of process A, etc.) I'm not sure if it turned out better, but it was an interesting process.

Another idea was to put the text into the presenter's notes so the students can't see it during class but have access to it during review. I know this would make some students uncomfortable, but I plan to give it a try in a later lesson.

This week's assignment is: Use Creative Commons image search to find an appropriate image to use in at least one of the classes you teach. Include this image in a blog post and share how you plan to use it in the classroom. How can visual imagery support your curricular content?

I used the Creative Commons image search to find the following image of an ant sipping from a drop of sugar-water:

This lovely macro can be useful in the biology classroom in many ways. Firstly, the picture can be used as an entry into the nature of pollination. The sugar-water the ant is sipping was placed there by the photographer, but it brings to mind nectar and the "exchange of services" between plants and their pollinators. The true nectar (or enticing scent) is likely to be located at the base of the flower, ensuring that the ant brushes the pollen-laden strands on its way to a sugary reward.

Secondly, it shows the surface tension of a water droplet and gives a sense of water's cohesion. At the scale of an ant, the three dimensional nature of water droplets in more vivid and real than what students ordinarily experience. The immediacy and reality of biological events can be conveyed very powerfully with images, and this is especially effective when they demonstrate things that students can't observe without the help of special technologies. This could be something on a small scale, such as the gorgeous diversity of diatom shells, or a large scale, like deforestation. It could be processes slowed down in time, like a basilisk lizard running across the surface of the water, or it could be processes speeded up, such as the amazing time-lapse movies seen in David Attenborough's "The Private Life of Plants".

Finally, these ways of improving our perceptions, seeing the detail and intricacy and "big picture" of life and living systems increase student interest and often instill a sense of wonder and respect for the things normally 'beneath' our notice, or beyond it. For students, this can translate into a greater overall connectedness to the world around them and the ability to think more creatively, from a broader perspective, and with greater insight.

Thus visual imagery is an indispensible support for my curricular content.

Another Spice in the Pot: CoETaIL's Influence on My Methods of Instruction

The assignment this week is: Write a reflective blog post on how the courses to date in this program have changed your teaching for the new year.

As educators, we incorporate countless sources of information into our instruction and make myriad choices about instruction.

Some of the sources of information we sift through each day in creating a coherent lesson include curricular goals, current news in our discipline, student and class dynamics including language proficiency and learning styles, and even the time of day or energy level when the students walk into the room.

Some of the choices we face daily include when to provide direct instruction and let students learn through exploration, when to encourage or rein in discussion that may meander interestingly off course, when to assess with "points" and when to take the pressure off, when to have student in groups and when they should work alone, when to bouy up students and when to have them take responsibility for themselves, and of most relevance here, when to incorporate the varied technologies at our disposal.

These choices read like Ecclesiastes - to everything there is a season. No one choice is right for all situations. A good educator must make judicious use of all this information and make effective, balanced, and compassionate choices that will help students learn content, become more self-sufficient learners, nurture their inherent interest, and also (I feel) make them more caring, competent citizens.

What CoETaIL has offered me is the chance to explore emerging technologies in a deliberate fashion and to improve lessons that are already good, even great, but which can now have a new enriching dimension that was not easily available when I started teaching 10 years ago. As a particular example, I am interested in students abilities to continue their discussion and explorations with each other outside of the class setting. Online communication among classmates offers many advantages, especially for reaching students uncomfortable with public speaking, or asking questions with everyone's attention on them, or who need longer to process and come up with good questions than they have during face-to-face classroom time, or who develop a sense of confidence from helping their peers; the list goes on.

I say adding ideas from CoETaIL to my teaching is like adding another spice to the pot. This is a better analogy than, let's say, adding another tool to the toolbox, because I can do more than simply solve one problem or complete a specific type of task. Incorporating new types of imagery, new methods of communication, new avenues of expression add richness and depth to the diverse and already-established methods of instruction. A teacher's bag of tricks is more than the sum of its parts; just as the flavour of a dish is more than the sum of its spices.

Reflecting on the AUP

For our final project, my group chose to rework ISB's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for information technology.  We began with the school's current AUP, a well thought-out document written by our HS Technology Coordinator.

We began by reading many AUPs from different schools with different emphases.  We tried to get a sense of what issues most AUPs address, what tone they take, and what the purposes the document serves for the different groups who may read and use it, including students, teachers, parents, and administrators. 

Some of the issues we thought through and our efforts to improve the document are explored below:

The purpose of the AUP

We determined that the AUP serves at least three major purposes:

1. A statement of philosophy regarding how information technology should be used at our school
2. An educational document for members of the school community explaining in some detail how they can meet the standards of acceptable use
3. A reference for determining disciplinary action when students use IT in unacceptable ways

A Central Theme

Respect was the central theme of the original AUP and one that we could not improve on.  Every aspect of the AUP can be related back to this one idea. This was broken down into two subtopics "Respect Yourself" (think before sharing personal information, value your own work, etc.) and "Respect Others" (keep the equipment in good order so that others have access and to respect the hard work of the network managers, don't post information about others without permission, support intellectual property rights, etc.)

In addition to providing a cohesive element to the document, "respect" also leads to explanations of why we have standards of acceptable use.  Students are more likely to follow the standards if they think there is a good reason and buy into the philosophy behind it.  Discussing respect allows us to make those reasons explicit.

Striking a Positive Tone

We wanted to emphasize that students are encouraged to use the school's IT resources, and that they can be used in creative ways to further learning.  The original AUP did this by stating that our school provides many IT resources in support of learning.  In order to explain a bit further, we added a paragraph that tied our ideas directly to ISB's (newly revised) Vision and Mission Statement as well as ISTE's National Education Technology Standards.

An Educational Document

Mr. Harter had already done an excellent job of telling students how to meet the standards of acceptable use, including giving instructions on how to change passwords, prevent the spread of viruses, etc.  Although we had originally hoped to create a shorter document, it soon became clear that we could not do so without sacrificing the educational aspect of the AUP.

Discipline in the AUP

This was a topic that I gave a lot of thought to at first, after reading in class about Avery Doninger (a high school student whose family sued after she was prohibited from running for student office as punishment for posting a blog that called administrators insulting names and encouraged members of the community to swamp the office with calls in order to "piss them off"). 

As a private school, ISB has broad authority over the types of punishments it can impose for behaviors inside or outside of school.  It is not bound by US public school's requirement to provide equal educational opportunities.  A quick look through ISB's handbook makes it clear that we don't need to be concerned when writing the AUP with whether students are in or out of school; the school already asserts the right to act on out-of-school behaviors.

At first I was unsure about how specific to be in describing discipline for various infractions, and how to moderate the necessarily negative tone with the overall positive and educational goals of the AUP.  However, given how unique each circumstance is and how quickly technologies change, we decided to just have a single disciplinary catch-all phrase that would allow administrators the greatest leeway in determining how to respond.

Intellectual Property Rights

The AUP already contained a statement about the legal use of software and other files.  We added a statement about plagiarism, which, though addressed in detail elsewhere in the students handbook, seemed highly relevant.

Emerging Issues

Recently the HS Librarian, Mr. Rubis, suggested a list of technologies to be (further) covered explicitly in the AUP, such as cloud computing, downloads and streaming media. We struggled with that naming of specific technologies as opposed to the possibilities they allow.  It is difficult to strike a balance between the length of the document, its educational value, its specificity (in terms of overly proscriptive restrictions what one can do versus providing clear guidelines) and it's relevance (since specific references may be quickly outdated).

Perhaps the comments from Mr. Rubis can refocus our attention on possibilities we may have overlooked.  

Update

We met again to discuss the input we received and made some further changes including:

• adding some technologies by name that are of concern to those working in the library
• adding more detail about how to protect others (not forwarding, publishing, or otherwise sharing information send in private without permission)
• adding a statement in the "consequences" section about keeping to the spirit of the agreement and making it explicit that students will be held accountable for their actions whether specifically discussed in the AUP or not
• replacing some weak language with clearer and more precise wording

Our next step will be to see if this AUP works for the administration of the school.  I would also like to discuss the policy with some students to get their feedback before a final document in adopted.   

As we continue to rework the AUP, we will consider all forms of input and further research and hopefully come up with a final document that will serve the needs of all members of the community.

Thanks for the image found on flickr.

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.

Privacy Online pt. 4: Shades of Gray

Some areas are not as clear cut as credit cards (obviously private) or complaining about your boss on your blog (obviously not). Here are just a few of the gray areas:

I used to consider my emails private. (At least from my private account - most people I know don't use their work account for sensitive business. Not a great idea if they do - one funny example is seen in an episode of NBC's the Office called Email Surveillance.)

Then I got a google account and noticed that all the ads were related to text in the body of my email. I even wrote back and forth with a friend to see if we could bring up ads about the Smurfs. (We could.) That convinced me that really, the contents of my emails are not fully private. If I have a private conversation with my husband, it's pretty unlikely that anyone would could possibly care would find that information, but we never send information that might be exploitable by a stranger.

Another alarming move was facebook's attempt to retain permanent rights to use, modify, etc. anything you post online (subject to your privacy settings). This change was reversed, and facebook argued that it was just trying to protect itself seeing that some of your posted information could end up "on servers out of its control." The language of the Terms of Service, as seen in this important consumerist.com post, is not unusual for social networking sites and reads like one of those waivers you have to sign before you bungee jump that basically says that anything that happens is your fault, or at least not the company's.

So, the ultimate lessons we need to convey to our students are 1) There is little privacy online, 2) how to keep things private and protected will continually change and you need take responsibility and keep up with those changes, and 3) that's no reason to avoid being online, it's just a reason to be educated and judicious. They're not easy lessons, but we'll do what we can.

Thanks for the photo of a google streetview car found through creative commons.

Privacy Online pt3: Unreasonable Expectations of Privacy

However, in more social and open setting, like facebook, there is not a reasonable expectation of privacy. Although you can limit who sees your profile, you are deliberately putting information into digital form for others to access. One way or another, you have to assume that information can travel.

In order to pretend that your facebook profile is private, you would need to have only "friends" who will always know and share your interests, who will never post materials offensive not only to you, but to anyone in your life, who would never make an error of judgment, who would never pass on your posted information, intentionally or not, to someone less scrupulous. Not likely.

One of the problems with facebook (or blogging or twitter, etc.) is simply that people don't consider their (whole) audience. You're usually writing with someone in mind, or venting a particular feeling without considering how it might appear to someone else. Something that makes sense to your friends might horrify your boss -- especially if it's a complaint about work!

I think our students need to be taught about the wider audience that may see their posts. It is sometimes difficult, especially as a young person, to see ahead to the time when you wouldn't want people to know about your high school antics, so explicit instruction is needed at home and at school. I, however, feel it comes down to this -- if you post it, assume anyone can see it.

Privacy Online pt. 2: Reasonable Expectations of Privacy

In commercial transactions, like buying something, there is justifiably a high expectation of privacy. You can reasonably assume that an established or trusted company (and here you must exercise your judgment) will want to be seen as "safe", and thus will share your interests in keeping your data secure.

I see two possible fundamental differences between trying to maintain some level of online privacy once you move your interactions to the web.

First, individuals and small businesses can be attacked from anywhere in the world. People increasingly transmit the most highly guarded information, like credit card numbers and social security numbers. As BBC points out in its controversial expose on botnets, many people are not even aware of the risks. Previously, if someone wanted to gather information to rob the corner store, there’s a good chance that whoever noticed the store would have been noticed in turn. Not anymore.

Still, there are solutions to this problem. For companies that are too small to have in-house help, there are consultants available to set up security. Cyber-crime insurance is a booming industry. Identity theft has become common, but so have strategies for avoiding it and tools for tracking offenders.

The second fundamental difference is of more significance for us as educators. Before, learning one technology for passing private information was likely to last your lifetime. The sealed envelope (with all its potential cheats, like steaming or switching envelopes) lasted from as least the Middle Ages to today.

Today, the nature of what is possible (or likely enough to cause concern) changes so rapidly that we can no longer simply learn how to be safe and stop at that. We must truly be life-long learners, continually informing ourselves and incorporating new strategies and ideas. As educators, we can’t just share information with our students. Instead we must help them develop a mindset of engagement and personal motivation for continual learning.

Privacy Online: Three can keep a secret...

I found this post difficult to write. There are so many aspects to our lives online and so many variations on each situation, and I’m no expert on the details of what companies or cyber-criminals can do. I’ve broken my thoughts into several sections.

This week’s essential question is, “Is there such a thing as privacy online?"

Not really, no.

To quote Ben Franklin, “Three can keep a secret when two are dead.” Whatever you communicate online has a concrete form that can be archived, phished, or forwarded. There are always three involved – you, your intended recipient, and the Internet. While you could argue that the Internet is dead (or at least, non-living), it is also your messenger, your secret-carrier. If your information is likely to arrive unlooked at, it is not because it’s so well protected, but because it passes unnoticed amidst the sheer volume of other, similar information.

What kind of privacy do we expect from our online lives? For the most part, people run into problems not because of the nature of the web, but because they misunderstand its nature. As educators, we can help our students understand the role of these new media and how to use them responsibly.

Thanks for the photo found through creative commons.

Digital Footprints

This week's essential question is: When and where should we be teaching students about their digital footprint?

Our face-to-face (f2f) meeting this week included Ms. Silvia Tolisano's fascinating presentation about the nature of one’s presence online presence, or "digital footprint". She emphasized that we have moved beyond the time where "digital invisibility" is a reasonable expectation for students... or even a desirable one.

Educators vary widely in their understanding of digital footprints and the emerging technologies that make them possible. Those "in-the-know" may offer advice or informal instruction, but these efforts can not be counted upon to reach all students. At my school there is little in the curriculum about online behavior other than plagiarism. Formal efforts to raise student awareness about digital footprints and cyberbullying include showing a video (see below) in which a hard copies of girl's picture are subsituted for the digital image, showing how it is impossible to remove.



This is a crucial lesson, especially for the younger grades, but is it, alone, the best approach? As with all social and global issues, we want children to understand the seriousness of our message, but we must not frighten or upset them so much that they shut the information out and ignore it. In this case, we must be careful not to engender a feeling of helplessness, especially in students whose social lives are inseparable from online media and who may not be willing to give up their online activites for safety. There is some evidence of this attitude. In his article on digital footprints and employment, Fields Mosley quotes a man who refuses to worry about his online footprint because, he says, it's beyond his control.

So, what about our students who have already made these indelible errors? What about those who, for whatever reason, are unwilling to curtail their online antics?

There are always steps one can take to improve one’s online image. In her online article, Kim Komando suggests (among other things) highlighting positive achievements online, encouraging links to these, and constructive blogging about one’s passions. This has the double benefit of showing off one's accomplishments and pushing any negative links out of the top search results.

How important is all of this to our students? A clearly written article in admissions.com cites Kaplan research showing that 10% of college admissions offices reported looking up applicants on facebook. Other social networking sites, googling, and so on are also commonly used by universities and prospective employers and the numbers seem likely to increase.

As educators, we should go beyond the teaching about the dangers of online life. Clearly, student safety is the first priority and these lessons have their place. However, we should augment our instruction with information about the benefits a digital footpring might have on college admissions or hiring. Imagine googling a young applicant to find not evidence of drinking and immature behaviors, but a blog ongoing involvement with a subject of interest like music, community service, or biology. One can easily imagine the extra boost such a result might give in the increasingly competitive admissions and hiring offices.

The place for these lessons is not as obvious to me. Some possible ideas include a few classes (perhaps in the freshman seminar my school offers) for early high schoolers on not just erasing or sanitizing, but estabilshing their digital footprint, along with all the safety instruction about identity protection, social networking behaviors, online predators and so on. The counselling office could work with all college-bound juniors and all seniors research and improves their digital footprints. Then the students would be empowered to make sure the image they're projecting (safely) to the world is the one they want their prospective schools and employers to see.

Thanks for the image found through creative commons.

What's in a Name?

I created this blog to go along with coursework I'm taking in Education Technology and Information Literacy.  As a classroom teacher of high school science, I hope to contribute to the discussion surrounding the evolving role of technology in learning.

I've noticed that blog names often involve some sort of fun wordplay -- something "punny".  "Science in Flower" is meant to evoke a positive image of science producing useful and helpful results (assuredly aiding and aided by technology) as well as refer to my favorite of the experimental sciences, biology.  It is also an homage to Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who said:

I have an artist friend and he sometimes takes a view which I don't agree with very well.  He'll hold up a flower and say, "Look how beautiful it is!" and I'll agree.  And he says, "I, as an artist, can see how beautiful this is, but you as a scientist take it all apart and it becomes a dull thing."  And I think he's kind of nutty.

First of all, the beauty he sees is available to me, too, I believe.  Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is, I can appreciate the beauty of a flower.

At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees.  I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside which also have a beauty.  I mean, it's not just beauty at this dimension of one centimeter: there is also beauty at a smaller dimension, the inner structure... also the processes.

The fact that the colors in the flower are evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting -- it means that insects can see the color.  It adds a question -- does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms... why is it aesthetic, all kinds of interesting questions which a science knowledge only adds to the excitement and mystery and beauty and awe of a flower.

It only adds.  I don't see how it subtracts.

This story has been very meaningful for me as someone who did not come directly to a career that deals daily with the rules and rigor of science.  As as student, I felt more aligned with the arts than the sciences.  It wasn't until college that I discovered my love for biology.  I cherish not only the deep satisfaction of understanding, but the excitement and joy I find continuously when studying the living world.

It is sometimes difficult to communicate this enthusiasm to students in a classroom setting. Some technological advances have helped -- the vivid colors of a projected image, the instant retrieval of details when students ask an illuminating question, the interactive animations of sub-microscopic processes.  I look forward to learning new tips and technologies to further aid my students' learning and encourage the growth of their academic passions.