I was reminded this week that I believe adults need to teach students how to appropriately use technology, including social media. At school, we had many instances where students used google hangout and google chat to be unkind to other students, and in inappropriate ways with inappropriate language. My first instinct, because we had so many students who were going to be disciplined and out of class, was to ask our technology department if we could just shut it down! Fortunately, I was told that we couldn’t. Wouldn’t, probably, but it’s still the same. I was reminded that while it’s easier to shut it down, that’s not the reality of the world we live in.
Students are inundated with all kinds of opportunities to use social media. As our Senior Director of Instructional Technology, Barry Fox, said, even if we shut it down there are many more and we will just be playing whack-a-mole. Touche! He is right!
I read Katie Martin’s blog this weekend, and it hit me that I believe we need to teach students how to use technology appropriately, it’s just easier to shut it down. Thank you, Katie, for the reminder!
I joined George Couros’ IMOOC last year (Season 2) and I am going to join Season 3, as well. It’s clear I need to be reminded more… so I will follow. I hate when that happens.
How often do your beliefs get in the way of your actions? I hope you have someone in your life who reminds you when you need to be reminded. I appreciate my PLN in helping me support my students to be better 21st Century, digital citizens.
Good Post! George Couros says it better than me:
“I will never forget leading a workshop for educators that a significant number of students also attended. We were discussing the ideas of digital citizenship and digital leadership, and one of the adults expressed that these are not things we need to talk about in school. No matter what I said, he countered that social media isn’t important in schools. Then one of the students in the room stepped in and said, “Sir, social media is like water. It is everywhere. You can either let us drown or teach us to swim.” Not only did his words move me, but the teacher immediately redirected his focus to get into the conversation, not stop it. This was a beautiful reminder that we need to stop telling our students they are the “leaders of tomorrow,” when they can obviously change the world today. ~ George Couros