In viewing the sites suggested as well as others, it is obvious that collaboration and the use of multimedia have become much more important than simple text sites. To successfully reach many learning styles, the use of images, video, games, and audio, aids in the ability to understand and learn. These mixed media sites also enable students to create their own content or remix what is already available in a way that is valuable to them. The use of simulations, like the one in the World Simulation, immerses students in the content, instead of simply reading about it.
In the Richardson & Mancabelli text, the six literacies described were thought provoking, but for me the most challenging was the sixth one relating to attending to the ethical responsibilities involved. We see instances of cyber-bullying all the time, which is one aspect of this. But, also, being fully literate in this new society requires growing up with this technology and learning to use it effectively. The digital divide cannot be corrected by simply giving someone an iPad. To fully succeed in this new society, a student needs to be able to perform all of the other literacies described, and that is not quickly accomplished for someone who has grown up without using an online device regularly and in an educational environment. In reading the descriptions of the various literacies, I thought that change is inherent in this new system, so anyone not willing to change is going to be in trouble. This is where access to and openness for professional development will be crucial.
Obviously, as a parent of two tweens, I was very interested in the article by Boyd, Three Conversations for Parents: Navigating Networked Publics. From my own experience, I would make a couple of additional recommendations for both parents and for K-12 educators. I think before children are left on their own in an online environment, there should be many years of baby steps. This includes showing them and talking with them about what you post online and why. My kids have seen my Facebook account and they will even make suggestions for pictures to post or comments to make. This starts a great conversation about what is appropriate and what isn’t. They have also heard me discuss with my husband when something posted online has hurt my feelings, and this helps to build empathy, as was discussed in the article. We teach our children through our own actions and words, so this modeling behavior can help them correctly navigate the online waters on their own in the future.
I found a number of great resources at the Teaching with Technology Podcast site. There were a number of podcasts that I can use to enhance my teaching including How to Create Interactive Goggle Maps and Podcasting for Beginners. After listening, I had fun playing with the tools described and plan on sharing some of the available podcasts with my peers.
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Thank you Melissa for your comments on Boyd’s article. Thank you Shelby for sharing “Bringing Empathy into the Social Media Sphere.” It was really interesting.
That reminds me of the talk with one of my students last week. She talked about her colleague at work who had bad reputation for her. She saw some pictures of him and his family on Instagram and she mentioned it during lunch with her colleague without knowing that he called in sick for two days. Eventually that event affected his reputation and his extension of contract. As Boyd explained that this kind of thing happens among families, friends and unexpected audiences. If the public means the internet for today’s youth, how should we deal with this kind of issue. It might be really tricky as he said.
I really liked that you commented on parents part in all of this, especially when it comes to online learning and sharing. Just because a student is able to catch on more quickly to a particular technology, doesn’t necessarily mean that they understand the full implications. What I have seen is that the “digital immigrants”, the older generation with less hours logged online, have deficiencies just like the “digital natives”, when understanding what it means to put something out there on the big bad web. Its just a difference of not understanding vs. not caring.
Melissa,
Your thoughts on the article by Boyd, Three Conversations for Parents: Navigating Networked Publics inspired me to go out and read a little bit more on the topic. Thank you for sharing your personal experience on how you include your children which helps to build empathy. I think starting out small and using those “baby steps” that you mentioned will help your children greatly in the long run!
I came across this text titled “Bringing Empathy into the Social Media Sphere”
http://startempathy.org/blog/2013/02/bringing-empathy-social-media-sphere \
This brought up many interesting points to me. This blog post discusses how social networks can be a “mixed blessing” for parents. The author suggests that you should ask your child’s permission before sharing photos, posts, stories, etc. that they are included in. The author recommends using a smaller or more private network (such as flickr or Dropbox) if you don’t think your child would want the post public in their future.
One quote that stuck with me from the article is, “Remember the ways your network may indirectly correspond with theirs.” I think this is really important for parents and teachers to think about. It may seem funny or cute at the time, but you need to think about how what you are posting or commenting on may affect others (now or in the future).