The first thing I'll be writing about this week is Standards for Technology Use. There are multiple sets of standards that an educator can use for teaching about technology: The International Society for Technology in Education's standards: https://www.iste.org/standards are a good base for deciding what kind of technological education is essential for students. Since I'm based in Ohio, I have to be aware of the Ohio Department of Education's standards as well. (http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Academic-Content-Standards/Technology/Ohio-s-2003-Academic-Content-Standards-in-Technolo) What's nice about Ohio's standards is that the ODE has provided grade specific benchmarks that tell teachers exactly what students should be able to do at each level!
There are a lot of ways to integrate technology standards into the art room- especially in regards to helping students understand the designed world and utilizing collaborative technology. Creative thinking (like in an art class) can help students understand the technology around them, and think of new ways to use them. I actually think these technology standards are a little exciting- it's a new way for students to learn how to construct meaning and share experiences! Both sets of standards require students to become good "digital citizens" which requires learning "netiquette." After searching around on the internet and consulting http://www.albion.com/netiquette/ I came up with a list of guidelines students can use on the internet:
I briefly researched cyberbullying as well, which is difficult problem to solve. From what I could find, the best preventative measures involve teaching students netiquette and how to solve interpersonal problems. Another preventative measure is to make sure school policy allows school administration to be involved when cyberbullying between students happens even when students are not on school property. When a problem is identified, it is also important to fully investigate the problem. This article has some good ideas for administrators and teachers: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/06/30/36willard.h29.html.
Of course, when there are difficult problems to resolve, it's great to have an online community to get support from. A couple of things that I looked at this week which encourage collaboration and professional development among educators were the Educator's Personal Learning Network (http://edupln.ning.com) and the Ohio Etech conference. The Educator's PLN is similar to twitter in that it allows users to interact with each other and discuss education topics. Unlike twitter, the Educator's PLN is a forum that allows users to discuss one topic longer.
While I wasn't familiar with The Educator's PLN, I have known about the Ohio Etech Conference for a long time. My mother works with technology in an urban school district, so I've been receiving free things from this conference for years. However, I've also heard about flipped classrooms, smart boards (when they first came out, and before I even knew I wanted to be a teacher) and all kinds of other new technologies and ways of using technology. I would love to attend the conference some time- I think it is so important for teachers to keep learning and to integrate fresh new ideas into their classrooms.
There are a lot of ways to integrate technology standards into the art room- especially in regards to helping students understand the designed world and utilizing collaborative technology. Creative thinking (like in an art class) can help students understand the technology around them, and think of new ways to use them. I actually think these technology standards are a little exciting- it's a new way for students to learn how to construct meaning and share experiences! Both sets of standards require students to become good "digital citizens" which requires learning "netiquette." After searching around on the internet and consulting http://www.albion.com/netiquette/ I came up with a list of guidelines students can use on the internet:
- Treat others online how you want to be treated online.
- If you wouldn’t say it to someone in person- don’t say it online! Follow the “Dear Abby” rules for saying something- is it true? is it useful? is it kind?
- Observe how members of a group act with one another to get an idea of what is normal for a group before posting.
- Don’t do anything illegal on the net- it is still wrong even if you do not get caught!
- Respect other peoples’ time and privacy.
I briefly researched cyberbullying as well, which is difficult problem to solve. From what I could find, the best preventative measures involve teaching students netiquette and how to solve interpersonal problems. Another preventative measure is to make sure school policy allows school administration to be involved when cyberbullying between students happens even when students are not on school property. When a problem is identified, it is also important to fully investigate the problem. This article has some good ideas for administrators and teachers: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/06/30/36willard.h29.html.
Of course, when there are difficult problems to resolve, it's great to have an online community to get support from. A couple of things that I looked at this week which encourage collaboration and professional development among educators were the Educator's Personal Learning Network (http://edupln.ning.com) and the Ohio Etech conference. The Educator's PLN is similar to twitter in that it allows users to interact with each other and discuss education topics. Unlike twitter, the Educator's PLN is a forum that allows users to discuss one topic longer.
While I wasn't familiar with The Educator's PLN, I have known about the Ohio Etech Conference for a long time. My mother works with technology in an urban school district, so I've been receiving free things from this conference for years. However, I've also heard about flipped classrooms, smart boards (when they first came out, and before I even knew I wanted to be a teacher) and all kinds of other new technologies and ways of using technology. I would love to attend the conference some time- I think it is so important for teachers to keep learning and to integrate fresh new ideas into their classrooms.
When collaborating with others, it's important to give credit where credit is due. Fair use allows teachers to use content created by others in an educational situation that does not divert money from the creator of the content. However, I believe that it is important to credit content creator regardless. It's also vital to educate students about what constitutes plagiarism and how to correctly cite information.
In art, fair use takes on another significance. The image to the left is very famous- Shepard Fairey's poster from the 2008 Presidential Election. http://nyti.ms/1dcxCCk This New York Times article outlines the controversy and court case regarding fair use of this image. When students are learning about artwork that can be satirical or involves the use of iconic images, teaching about fair use becomes especially important. Who knows- if Shepard Fairey's art teacher had taught him about fair use, he might not be have had to pay a $25,000 fine!
In art, fair use takes on another significance. The image to the left is very famous- Shepard Fairey's poster from the 2008 Presidential Election. http://nyti.ms/1dcxCCk This New York Times article outlines the controversy and court case regarding fair use of this image. When students are learning about artwork that can be satirical or involves the use of iconic images, teaching about fair use becomes especially important. Who knows- if Shepard Fairey's art teacher had taught him about fair use, he might not be have had to pay a $25,000 fine!