Student Safety on the Internet

The Internet is a wonderful resource for free information from government, local, international and educational sites. Additionally the Internet provides current students with low-cost access to information that you and I could never have imagined growing up. But, like most things in life, the Internet does come with some ugly strings attached. There are Internet predators and sites with inappropriate content for our children. The Internet is limitless in the influences that it makes possible for our children and not all of those influences are uplifting.
It can be difficult to make sure that children are protected from the dangers of the Internet while they are at school. Teachers must take an active role in providing the safest environment possible for the students, and children need to know the difference between what is and what is not acceptable Internet use.
Children need structured education about how to safely use the Internet. Teachers should play an active role in helping children make wise decisions both in and out of school. Internet safety deserves a place in the regular yearly curriculum our teachers have. There are resources for teachers to learn more about the Internet themselves. After all, these dangers did not exist 15 years ago. Teachers should also be given the opportunity to be taught about Internet safety. School boards and districts would benefit from incorporating or instigating Internet safety programs that both teachers and students can benefit from.

Do Computers Help Students Learn???

I'm asking for your help to look at an issue that there still seems to be some controversy over. Are computers in school good for kids, or do they draw them away from more meaningful educational activities? My immediate response: it all depends on how you're using them. Simply having computers, or teaching kids how to use common applications like PowerPoint and MS Word, will not translate into greater student success. Students need consistent access to high-quality educational activities, and computers can provide those kinds of activities, and can even tailor them to individual needs. As with many controversial topics, though, research seems to go both ways on this. On one hand, some researchers point to the responses of teachers, students, and parents who are pleased with increased access to technology and point to positive changes in education because of it. On the other hand, other researchers see little or nothing gained and sometimes even detrimental effects on test scores because of increased technology use. This debate isn't just academic: schools are trying to decide whether to embrace or dump one-to-one programs that give each student a laptop of their own. So when you look at the relevant research, what do you conclude? Do computers in schools help students learn? Do we need to use them more or less frequently?

Administrators and Technological Support

I strongly beleive that it is imperative that administrators provide technological support in two areas: technical and curricular. Many times the responsibility of the maintenance and purchasing of hardware and software for computers fall on the shoulders of a teacher in the school. This can become a difficult situation if the teacher is not provided with adequate release time to perform these duties plus it sends a negative message to other teachers. A knowledgeable technician that is trained to repair computers and deal with networking issues best provides technical support. A skilled teacher can also provide technical support but appropriate release time to deal with this added responsibility is a must. Classroom teachers should be educated on basic troubleshooting measures but should also understand that they are not expected to be technicians. Administrators must also seek ways to provide curricular support to teachers. Teachers need professional development on integrating technology plus a knowledgeable teacher to work in the classroom with them as they work to find ways to integrate technology. A technology coordinator hired by the school division is often an ideal person for providing curriculum support in the area of technology. The technology coordinator can provide professional development plus mentor teachers in their classrooms. Administrators should also ensure that a professional development fund is in place to encourage teachers to take advantage of conferences and workshops that focus on integrating technology into the curriculum.

Integrating Technology and The Teacher's Role

It is obvious that if we expect teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum there needs to be a degree of familiarity with the computer. The question is how familiar? How much does a teacher need to know about computers to effectively integrate them into the curriculum? Teachers don't need to know how a computer works but rather how to use and apply a computer in the classroom. A simple analogy can be used when comparing a computer user to a person that operates a vehicle.In order to operate a vehicle a driver does not need to understand how the engine of the vehicle works, how to repair the vehicle, or even know how to buy a vehicle.It is expected that the driver will know how to operate the vehicle on the road understanding road signs and expectations of drivers on the road.As the driver gains more experience driving, their confidence level increases as well as their skill on the road.When operating a computer a basic level of knowledge is necessary in order to be successful.The user does not need to know how the computer works, how to repair the computer, or even know how to buy a computer.Over time the user will become more experienced and confident with using a computer. Teachers should strive for two goals when integrating technology.The first goal is to become a computer-using teacher. It may be the producing materials to use in the classroom such as handouts, banners or newsletters. It may be using the computer to manage your students' marks or using a software program to strengthen a particular skill. The second goal is to make the computer a teaching partner rather than an object of study. The instructional goals of computer-using teachers are in science, math, language arts, social studies, and other disciplines, not in computers.

Special Needs and Technology

In this new revolution, digital age technologies are transforming all of our lives by providing revolutionary ways to learn, communicate and work. But for individuals with special needs, the digital age can provide something even more valuable...freedom.

The Internet is an empowering tool for students with disabilities. The Internet gives them immediate access to information that historically has been unavailable to them. Online education is a major boon for students with disabilities, especially for students who have a difficult time traveling. As the Internet becomes more and more accessible to all people, I believe you will see more students with disabilities take advantage of this educational tool.

When you’re on the Internet, in a chat room or taking an online class, your disability is invisible and irrelevant. You’re on equal footing. Telecommuting, which is becoming more and more popular, is also a great benefit to people with disabilities because there are no transportation issues or architectural access limitations.

Speech recognition software is another tool that has tremendous potential for special needs students. Several software companies are already using this technology in their reading and foreign language programs. Speech recognition technology is helpful to students who are vision-impaired or paralyzed because they can talk to the computer and it will type what they say. Deaf students also benefit from this technology because they can type what they want to say into their portable computer and the computer speaks for them. Technology can be a great equalizer in the traditional classroom. Low vision students can carry a laptop computer with them to class to enlarge their work. Deaf students can use speech recognition technology to talk to their friends.

Technological advances in wheelchairs are also allowing individuals with paralysis or muscular disorders to live meaningful, purposeful lives. There are wheelchairs that are controlled by head movement,and coming soon there will even be wheelchairs that can climb stairs. Special cars allow an individual to drive by using hand levers, instead of gas and brake pedals. You can also drive a car using a joystick.

And as the 21st century moves on, technology will continue at an accelerated speed to improve the quality of life for individuals with special needs.

The biggest benefit will be the merging of technologies in the telecommunications area. We will see more smart houses being built where many things are done automatically, via computers. We are seeing improvements in voice recognition programs and in telecommunication shopping. We will see first-time movies run on our computers on the same day they reach the big screen. We will see audio descriptive services for blind and visually impaired persons used more on television and in the movies. We will also see bio medical procedures that will eradicate spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy diseases, and other neuromuscular diseases. We will see blindness eradicated and low vision or poor vision will become obsolete. The same situation will occur with hearing loss and deafness. I see a time when the biggest barrier challenging disabled people will be attitudinal barriers,and hopefully those too will soon disappear.

Video Games and Education

Games and gaming consoles still suffer an image problem, although attitudes are changing. However, even in the face of growing anecdotal, empirical and pedagogic evidence of the benefits of gaming when correctly incorporated into a learning environment, some will still cry foul because games are…well, games.

For education, what is needed is more high-quality user-relevant software, combining the best game techniques (contributed by games designers) and proven learning techniques (contributed by teachers), implemented on consoles with which learners are familiar, rigorously tested, independently evaluated, and widely publicized. The opportunities provided by ubiquitous gaming consoles, such as stability, ease of use and broadband access, should be exploited. Some organizations and projects, such as the Games-to-teach project, are making progress in researching and developing such software; many others are showing interest.

Future trends in video gaming are notoriously hard to predict. Even established industry experts fail to agree on particular gaming trends in anything more than the immediate future. The one certainty is that video games and gaming consoles are here; the key console manufacturers exhibit relative fiscal health; games are diverse, complex, engaging and attractive; and they are being played in rapidly increasing numbers. That particular revolution is complete: game over. The challenge now is that of combining the best and relevant aspects of games, game consoles, and learning, to create engaging and beneficial digital learning and research technologies: game on.

Web-based Educational Resources?????

Representatives from industry, academia and nonprofit organizations released new applications and programs at the National Educational Computing Conference this week, jockeying for the attention of the 15,000 educators in attendance. Here's a sampling of the latest tools from those developing technology for education:

PowerSchool powers up! Apple's PowerSchool announced partnerships with three new school districts including the Chicago Public Schools, the third largest district in the country. The Web-based student information system tool allows teachers to take attendance, record assignments and post grades in a central location. School administrators and parents can access the information on the Web. About 3,000 schools use the system.

The cool, not dirty, dozen? With more Palms in the classroom these days, teachers need quality applications to use with their students. The Center for Highly Interactive Computing at the University of Michigan announced its Cool Dozen educational applications for the Palm, available for free on the Internet. The tools include PiCoMap, a concept mapping tool; Cooties, a virus-transfer simulation program, and Sketchy, a drawing and animation program.

Need help with research and evaluation? The International Society for Technology in Education and Educational Support Systems unveiled a new Web-based project to help schools access research and evaluation when planning for technology in schools. Educators will be able to access studies, translated into user-friendly language, that will be useful in making technology planning decisions.

A cheaper computing option? Larry Ellison's new internet computer company is teaming up with Sun Microsystems to provide an affordable option for schools to get on the Internet. The server appliance provides basic network-based services such as e-mail, file storage space, firewalls and filtering.

How are handhelds helping? Palm is awarding $2 million in handhelds to K-12 schools and universities as part of its research on how the computers enhance teaching and learning. The Center for Technology and Learning will study the effectiveness of Palms in the classroom.

No more auto-reply? In an effort to make finding the perfect grant even easier, Netday announced a Research Desk to NetDayCompass.org, which provides resources for teachers looking to implement technology in the classroom. The Research Desk will be staffed by real live human beings who will answer specific questions and guide teachers to the proper resources. If necessary, a researcher will perform the search for the seeker.