Digital Citizenship | ~ Mark's Musings ~ at blog.markwcarbone.ca

June 2013
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Jenni van Rees: Blogging with primary students

Posted on June 6, 2013 by markwcarbone

Meet Jenni van Rees.

After a casual conversation at Ed Camp Hamilton, and some email correspondence, I arranged to do an interview with WRDSB teacher Jenni van Rees to further explore her work in blogging with her grade one students. The interview was initially done live on the internet on QueST Radio 1-24 . The audio recording is now available as a resource to this blog post, and will also be rebroadcast on QueST Radio 1-24. Watch radio.markwcarbone.ca , Twitter and G+ for announcements.

Guiding Questions for the Interview

1. Introductions

2. Professional technology interests

3. What drove your interest in getting your students online and blogging?

4. Administrative support?

5. What did you do in the area of communications with parents?

6. Describe/share how this has worked, benefits to students,

7. Did anything surprise you? anything unexpected happen?

8. How did you prepare the students in the area of digital citizenship?

9. Based on the results, will you continue to encorporate blogging as part of your instructional practice?

10. Closing comments.

Jenni provided excellent insights into these interview questions. Hear her thoughts on professional learning, role modelling, real world audience, digital citizenship and PLNs in the QueST Radio 1-24 broadcast recording .

Related Resources

Jenni’s class website

Jenni’s student blogging site

Jenni’s professional blog: Thinking about Teaching.

Collaborating with Division 18 in B.C.

Follow Jenni on Twitter

Follow Jenni’s on class on Twitter

Kathy Cassidy’s Connected from the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades

Happy learning.

~Mark

Filed under: 21st century learning, Digital Citizenship, Social Media, student voice, Technology Enabled Learning, Technology in Education | Tagged: blog, blogging, grade 1, grade one, jennivanrees, mrsvanrees, primary | 1 Comment »

WRDSB Student Voice

Posted on December 7, 2012 by markwcarbone

Each year, I look forward to opportunities to interact with our WRDSB students and have conversation about technology, learning and Board plans etc. My recent meeting with our student trustee group yielded some fantastic discussion, so I thought I would share a few highlights in this forum.

The trustee group submitted some questions ahead of time to create a framework for our discussion. They were interested to know more about:

differentiated access to resources
the need for wifi login
software licensing
ITS department projects for this year and Board directions

After addressing their questions, we opened up the floor to additional questions from the student trustees. This lead to a wonderful discussion which brought together a number of interconnected ideas. I was very impressed that students were well aware of the need to manage their privacy online. Through our discussion we extended this to managing one’s online identity and reputation. I encouraged the students to see how ‘Googlable’ they were. Would their online reputation precede them? As a self reflection, do they choose to use social media, communication and collaboration tools for positive purposes? – and what might they change in their typical actions? After all, “the net does not forget”. Digital citizenship is something that must be lived, a way of being. I also took the time to talk about the expectations defined in the WRDSB Responsible Use Procedure.

In the final portion of the meeting, I was given the opportunity to ask the student trustee group questions. I chose to ask one question: Given the changes that have been achieved over the last 4 years ( access to more resources including social media and collaboration tools, wifi in all classrooms, BYOD, improved internet bandwidth etc. ), what has been the impact to their learning?

The students were very frank and open with their responses. I have captured a few highlights in the list below:

extremely positive feedback on the establishment and expansion of the Futures Forum Project
learning and engagement is improved through blogging and collaborating online
like to be able to use their phones in class – looking up information in the context of a discussion is beneficial
excellent class projects through the use of wikis
technology affords many forums for peer help
social media tools keep students connected and focused, engagement is up
web based teacher resources very helpful (blogs, wikis etc.)
the 4 any’s: learning anytime, anywhere, anyone and anything
easier to work and organize electronically, paper just does not work well
online connections (community) is very beneficial
use of Facebook groups and web (fan) pages very helpful – easy to connect, collaborate and stay up to date
the type of environment we have created helps prepare us (students) for post secondary learning

What Next:

continue to promote teachers as risk takers with technology
continue to build more capacity for technology use (reduce fears in using technology)
encourage teachers to learn from students too

Finally, I was impressed that a number of the students present were aware of the learning strategy of the “flipped classroom”. My sense is that this approach was seen as beneficial in many learning situations. It was hoped the WRDSB teachers were open to exploring the benefits of this approach.

I extend my thanks to the WRDSB student trustee group for such a great conversation about technology enabled learning. I look forward to my next session with group.

~Mark

Filed under: Digital Citizenship, Leadership Perspective, Social Media, student voice | Tagged: digital citizenship, Futures Forum, leadership, social media, student voice | 3 Comments »

CASA Chat: Social Media in the School Community

Posted on July 6, 2012 by markwcarbone

CASA Conference Presentation Resources

Overview: This presentation covered the use of social media tools in the Waterloo Region District School Board as things are now. Time was also spent talking about the journey and the challenges.

Video Samples from the presentation:

Twitter
Facebook
Edmodo
Student Perspective
Student Trustee
Teacher Perspective
Principal Perspective

Comments from Twitter

Q&A from Today’s Meet backchannel (originally hosted at http://www.todaysmeet.com/casachat)

Q1: Do teachers friend students?
Yes and no, some do, others don’t. Generally teachers use Facebook groups or fan pages, but
certain functions need the ‘friend’ function to work properly. In these cases, teachers set their
security and privacy settings appropriately and follow professional code of conduct expectations.

Q2: What effort is required by teachers to monitor online content related to classroom use?
This will vary depending on the context, but is done according to our Responsible Use Procedure.

Q3: Who pays for increasing bandwidth needs?
Staff in IT Services monitor usage and need on an ongoing basis. Each year this is factored into our
budget process in the IT area.

Q4: What social media content is searchable?
This depends on particular social media tool. For example, Tweets (Twiiter) are searchable, private
Facebook content is not.

Q5: Is the LMS redundant technology?
No, the LMS provides a course structure and both collaboration and social media tools are used in
conjunction to support student learning.

Q6: How does Quest Radio 1-24 work?
This Internet radio station is hosted at Caster.fm A live encoder
is needed to send personally owned content or content used with permission to the station.

Related Resources

Canadian Association of School Administrators (CASA) conference.

Social Media Drive By

Quest Radio 1-24 Programming Info Watch here for announcements regarding additional broadcasts of this session.

Join a live broadcast on Quest Radio 1-24.

Ed Doadt and Mark W. Carbone

~Mark and Ed

Filed under: 21st century learning, Digital Citizenship, Leadership Perspective | Tagged: CASA, Facebook, Quest Radio 1-24, social media, Social Media in K-12, twitter | Leave a Comment »

The OCT Advisory – my view

Posted on April 14, 2011 by markwcarbone

On Monday April 11th, the long awaited press release of the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) electronic communication and social media advisory was released. I was attending the OCT live presentation on Tuesday in Toronto, and viewed the advisory print document and watched the video to be well informed for the session.

My initial impression of the print document was that it was a well written, solid framework to guide educators into this new territory. I was very impressed with the video production as it captured a positive spirit for leveraging these new tools within our education system. I did feel that some additional clarification was required in the area of Facebook use, and planned my comments and questions for the live session.

It was interesting to watch the press and media take on the documents and follow the reactions via Twitter. As one would expect, reaction varied widely, tending towards the ‘too cautious’ end of the scale. Tuesday morning, I was able to have a conversation with Chris Vollum, an excellent speaker who has significant experience presenting social media sessions to school and parent audiences across the province and at many WRDSB schools. Chris, who was interviewed as part of the video, had a positive reaction and felt the overall message was positive. I also had a good phone discussion with Jane Mitchinson who has provided extensive leadership in technology and social media use within our Board.

The session was well organized, with the agenda organized as: presentation, table discussion and Q&A. I captured some of the important highlights and shared them on Twitter:

Opening remarks: OK to use social media in responsibly and ethically — key factors: care, trust, integrity and respect
The intent of the advisory is to clarify responsibilities while capitalizing on the potential of these tools
Social media tools can be appropriate, useful and powerful
OCT: ‘off duty’ use of social media tools matters – what does appropriate use look like?
Online behavior by teachers should reflect the same professional ethics as used in the school setting
Private vs. Professional: onus on members, off duty conduct matters, exercise caution, act professionally at all times
The internet is part of a teacher’s off duty realm
Any online presence should respect professional integrity, even in the somewhat less formal social media environment
Reviewing some examples of professional misconduct -I note that these examples would be inappropriate online or offline
Teachers: model good behavior, advocate proper use (digital citizenship) be courteous and professional at all times
Facebook – caution re ‘friending’ – but no distinguishing of friend=contact, it is all about the security and privacy settings – education!!
My comment: follow the Grandma rule— if you don’t want your Grandma to find out, don’t put it on Facebook
You can’t judge social media from outside
Board hosted email should be used for communications with parents (not personal email addresses)

The table discussions were interesting. We were given 4 scenario questions to consider. All were great questions with pros and cons and certainly generated excellent discussion around the different viewpoints — risk factor(s), legal implications, empathy, professional approach.

In some ways, I enjoyed the Q&A best. Many good questions were asked, and gave further indication that there are multiple factors to consider in almost all situations. I did take the opportunity to raise a few points during the discussion:

Digital citizenship and character development programs are essential for teachers and students
Staff and students need authentic experiences with social media tools in a real world context
Your digital footprint represents your online presence – how google-able are you?
Your digital legacy is your digital reputation – how will other perceive you and remember you?
Social media tools offer many opportunities for connecting, collaborating and sharing – embrace & capitalize

I did ask specific clarification around the ‘teachers should not friend students’ point. In the Facebook environment, a ‘friend’ is a contact. How any 2 contacts interact is dependent on security and privacy settings, and the relationship — a professional context suitable to the educational environment. I sited examples where teachers might ‘friend’ students, but have suitably locked down profiles and interact with students in a Facebook group setting. Panel members who addressed my question indicated that there is no issue with this if it is done properly with appropriate settings and professional conduct. We all recognized and acknowledged the need for people to know, understand and use appropriate settings (Digital Citizenship).

I took the time to meet the panel members after the session. I appreciate the work done on this document, and the importance of the framework established and congratulate the team that worked on the preparation of this document.

What if I could change one thing? – The one thing that I wish could be changed is the manner in which this was handled by the media. They really grabbed a couple of small pieces of information and cast a giant negative spin on things — so much for fact finding and balanced reporting. Unfortunately, this is all some people will remember.

Next steps: Embrace change! Given the great potential of these tools, it is important that those comfortable in leading, continue to learn and share best practices and experiences. Boards and federations need to make sure Digital Citizenship and Character Development programs and other training supports are in place. Pre-service teacher programs should provide a good grounding in Web 2.0 and social media tools. Teachers need to be familiar and comfortable with these tools before using them with students.

~ Mark

Filed under: 21st century learning, Digital Citizenship, Leadership Perspective, Social Media | Tagged: Facebook, Facebook in K12, OCT, Ontario College of Teachers, Social Media in K-12 | 6 Comments »

A Surprise Conversation

Posted on March 14, 2011 by markwcarbone

You never know when an interesting social media conversation will break out.

Last Sunday, our woodwind quintet, the Venturi Winds, performed a concert at the Wellington County Museum & Archives building. Following the program we decided to go out for a light dinner along with a few family members who attended the event.

Seated at the table and previewing menus, the unsuspecting conversation started. One person, who operates their own business, begins to tell the story of needing to terminate an employee for continually spending company time on their personal cell phone. They turn to me and ask “What you you do in the schools? Do you allow cell phones in the classroom?”

I provide some background on our digital citizenship program indicating that it is important to:

recognize that value of mobile devices to support certain aspects of curriculum delivery
teach appropriate, ethical and safe use for a particular situation
and teach self regulation

Many of our schools have designated some ‘cell phone safe’ zones where students may use their phones. Classroom use is generally at the discretion of the teacher. Everyone could see the value in our approach, and that providing some real world context to these experiences was of value.

The conversation deepens. “What about laptops? What about Facebook? (etc.)? Are these allowed in the classroom? These are distractions.”

I provide some additional information about our program and approach. True enough, these could be distractions, but mobile technology and social media tools provide:

ways to interact with the world in real time
access to information
collaboration opportunities
authentic audience opportunities and experiences to students

I went on to explain the use of blogs, wikis, ning, Google docs, Facebook etc. and how the use of these tools can support important curriculum goals such as non fiction writing (e.g. journals, poetry, peer review of projects …). The conversation went on to talk about the role of the teacher shifting from the ‘sage on the stage’ to the learning coach who facilitates inquiry and project based learning.

All in all, a great conversation that stretched out over most of the meal time. The conversation did eventually drift to other topics. Finally a question came up about time zones and daylight savings time.

My solution: “If you had a smart phone, you could look that up right now.” – and I did. What a great segue to the power of access to information via mobile devices. Our time together concluded with a good laugh from the group.

~ Mark

Filed under: 21st century learning, Digital Citizenship, Technology in Education | Tagged: cell phones, digital citizenship, smart phones, Social Media in K-12 | 1 Comment »

A Visit to @ecmackenzie’s classroom

Posted on March 9, 2011 by markwcarbone

One of the highlights of this week was my visit to @ecmackenzie ‘s classroom. Students in Ms. MacKenzie’s class has been working on producing book trailer videos over the last few weeks. The new twist in this year’s project is that students are sharing their video via a Facebook group. With the group structure, students can enjoy and peer comment and receive teacher feedback.

The Facebook group was created by Ms. MacKenzie. She sent a group invite to herself to establish the first member of the group. Once this was done, students were invited to search for the group and request access. Using this methodology, suitable professional boundaries are maintained with regard to the teacher/student online environment.

As an honourary member of their Facebook group, I have enjoyed watching the videos as the students completed their projects and posted their work. I was impressed by a number of aspects of this project.

Dialogue and comments within the group showed a solid level of respect among the participants
It was clear that there had been discussions about Digital Citizenship
Based on viewing the movie trailers, students had received excellent instruction regarding use of copyright free images and source siting
I was very impressed by the level of creativity demonstrated in the student projects
There is potential to share work to parents using this model

I really enjoyed meeting the students face to face after watching their work. Following the video viewing session, I talked to the students about some of our key ITS initiatives to support learning – our dual boot Macintosh environment, wireless hotspots with bring your own device options, and social media and collaboration tools available.

I appreciated the student feedback regarding our progress on these initiatives. Their comments included:

Facebook access was very valuable for sharing and collaborating (class project, homework, receiving school information)
From their view, Facebook provides a one stop shopping approach to obtaining school related information
Access to web based resources & internet searching is a critical part of researching – wifi access allows more effective use of class time
Facebook is a familiar tool. Using it eliminates the need to use (and learn) extra tools that may not be required
Bring your own device wifi takes advantage of personal technology that contain one’s collection of information and frees up school computing resources for others to use
Expansion of wireless access for greater classroom coverage would be a significant advantage

The students also raised the issue to electronic textbooks. Clearly, they see a shift to e-books as a good thing. Key discussion ideas identified were:

easy portability (many books on a single device)
makes it easy to have all your resources with you (ebooks, internet access, bookmarks etc.)
no need for ebook to be more expense, business models should make this an affordable transition

Summary: an excellent teacher + motivated and respectful class + innovative project = first rate educational experience

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in your project and visit your classroom.

~ Mark

Filed under: 21st century learning, Digital Citizenship, Leadership Perspective, Technology in Education | Tagged: digital citizenship, Facebook, Facebook in K12, video book trailers | 3 Comments »

Facebook security and privacy basics for K12

Posted on January 16, 2011 by markwcarbone

One of the important aspects of using Facebook in the K12 environment is having appropriate security and privacy settings. Whether you are teaching digital citizenship or using Facebook as a collaboration and communication tool, it is important to understand and review your security and privacy settings.

After logging into Facebook, click the ‘account’ tab and choose privacy to view the screen below. Next, select the ‘view settings’ option.

The top 3 settings (below) govern the settings for your visibility on Facebook, that is, how easy it is for people to find you. Narrowing down the permissions (friends of friends, friends) in these settings places increasing limitations on who can locate you. Leaving these settings at ‘everyone’ makes it easy for people to find you.

There are settings for all other aspects of Facebook. Facebook security and privacy settings allow for control over most aspects of this environment. The greatest control is implemented by organizing your contacts (friends) into ‘lists’. Once your lists are created (through the manage friends option), use can further control access to Facebook features by adding these list names to the ‘exclude’ section within the option panel. This feature is particularly helpful in the K12 space where administrators, teachers and students may be collaborating together within the Facebook space.

Many Facebook users like to make their friends/contacts aware of a personal or professional web resources such as a web site, blog or wiki etc. Access to the listing of your web resource is controlled by the website option as listed below.

The screen shot below shows a small sample of the other security options available.

Facebook users have complete flexibility over how much contact information is shared, if any. I have personally found it helpful to include my professional email address so that potential contacts can use that address as a search option.

I would certainly recommend a thorough review of the various options in the applications section since many applications require some access to your profile in order to function.

Facebook uses strategies to personalize your experience by tracking what you click, much in the same way an Internet browser does using the cookie function. It is important to decide whether or not you want this information to be potentially available outside of the Facebook environment. A greater level of privacy is maintained by unchecking the ‘enable instant personalization on partner websites’ option. This is on be default.

Finally, there is an option to completely turn off public search results. Turning this off (by unchecking the option) means your Facebook profile, as you defined it, will not display in Facebook searches. Essentially, turning this off means people can not find you, you must find them.

Note: There are additional settings to block interactions with specified Facebook users.

I hope this security/privacy overview provides some insights to using Facebook in a professional manner within the K12 environment.

~ Mark

Filed under: Digital Citizenship, Leadership Perspective, Social Media | Tagged: Facebook, Facebook in the Classroom, K12, privacy | 1 Comment »

Facebook – new group function in K12

Posted on November 17, 2010 by markwcarbone

One of my earlier blog posts I made some recommendations for settings for setting up groups for use in the K-12 environment. Since that post, the Facebook group function has changed and I wanted to share what I have learned so far.

The group function is still accessed from the main page in Facebook.

Select the ‘create group’ option.

Next, enter a name for your group, choose an icon from the drop down list and select the type (open, closed or secret). I recommend ‘closed’ for K-12.

Once the group is created, the new ‘header’ is displayed.

Changes include:

the ‘post’ area is not visible by default, it must be selected
document creation and editing has been added
discussion areas within the groups have been removed

Note: groups created prior to this feature change continue to function the way they did.

Group settings are adjusted through the ‘edit’ and ‘settings’ options.

What Else is New?

The new group function also provides the option of defining a group mailing list. In my example, I would name the mailing list after the group (watweb20@groups.facebook.com). Messages posted to this addresses are distributed to group members.
Only Facebook friends may be added to a group. The email list option to invite group members has been removed.
Invited friends are automatically added to the group. The former request/accept process has been removed.
Group members can remove themselves from a group, but must request to rejoin as they can not be reinvited
The group owner (administrator) may also remove group members
The display of posts has also changed. When a group member posts on a group wall, the post also shows in your personal newsfeed (not wall). Friends in the group will also see the post in their newsfeed. The ability to see posts is also impacted by the ‘top news’ or ‘recent’ setting.

All in all, the new group function will work well for K-12 usage. I recommend that users set their security and privacy settings appropriate for professional conduct and interaction with students.

Thank you to @rebrouse and @rickbudd for working with me to test and document our learnings.

Happy collaborating in a social networking environment.

~ Mark

Filed under: 21st century learning, Digital Citizenship, Web20 | Tagged: Facebook, Facebook in the Classroom, K12, social networking | 1 Comment »

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