I really thought I would hate chatting. I've never been chatty so I didn't think chatting online was going to be easy (I'm also a bad typist with OCD who hates bad grammar, poor spelling and misplaced, commas). We used the chat room to discuss our Domain Presentation last night and it went very well. I can see now how this type of technology has its place in working with teammates from a distance.
The only problem with using this type of tool in the classroom is the ability for students to abuse it. Yesterday, when I retrieved some things from the printer, I found a transcript of a student chat that was held outside of school hours (the time and date were on the page). This chat was full of obscenities, verbally abusive and disturbing. I didn't know the students involved so I took this transcript to the administrators.
So my question is how do we use tools like chat and discussion that we can't monitor 24/7 in our classrooms and guarantee the safety of our students? This was our first year using a class website similar to the blackboard UNI uses. At the beginning of the year we were gung ho about using all of the tools including the discussion board. We used sites like the ones below to talk about cyberbullying and online etiquette, but it was too difficult to monitor and keep up on the discussion board so we gradually stopped using it. I would like to know more about teachers who use these tools successfully and how they do it because, like I saw last night, they are useful.
http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/teens/msparrysguidetonetiquette.html
http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/teens/are_you_a_cyberbully.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Good questions and points raised that other teachers would likely want the answers to. We are starting to explore blogging today in my classes and I spent about 15 minutes discussing proper use of the blogspace. One student did raise the question of "what happens when someone decides to start in on you?" It was a good discussion, but a bit empty on the side of answers. Still, a discussion at least brings it into the open.
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts, both of you. I am afraid that blogging will open up too many ugly consequences. I know that bullying will happen on Facebook, but that is the student's choice. Requiring it for school opens the school up for liability, I would think. I will definitely have a plan before I introduce it into my class, I will definitely involve administration into a discussion as I plan.
ReplyDeleteOur district runs a very tight ship as far as access to Web 2.0 tools goes. We are very slowly opening some sites, with caution. I think that there are many positive things going on behind the scenes to help regulate what goes on--to make school districts feel safer in letting students open up to the world (and vice versa). It just takes time . . .
ReplyDeleteBlogging is merely a new version of communication. Yes, students can use foul language, but is this a technology problem or a behavior problem? they type foul language because they speak that way as well. Nice thing is that you have proof in a chat log.
ReplyDeleteZ
Dr. Z makes a good point--it sounds like a behavior problem that was manifested through technology. But what you describe is also an illustration of why schools are reluctant to allow students access to some of the web 2.0 tools--it's less risky to take the approach of "when in doubt, throw it out" instead of "let's give it the benefit of the doubt and try it out."
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. This experience is definitely showing be the potential benefits and drawbacks of Web 2.0.
ReplyDelete