Is Sharing Optional for Educators?

Sharing Online Resources

Sometimes I tell my students, and even my grandsons, that I’m an education geek. Yes, they do roll their eyes. After all, they are adolescents, and I am talking about school in the middle of summer vacation in Maine! Regardless of their reactions, I really love to stay connected with other educators. I get excited about new ideas, research, and practices and am eager to share them. 

When I think about what to post on this blog, I often have to stop and check myself. Too often, I mistakenly think I should be sharing something totally new, creative, and innovative. Then I am reminded of Picasso’s quote: “Good artists, copy. Great artists, steal.” Even Picasso recognized, as do all good teachers, that we all “steal” ideas from each other.  "Steal" may be a harsh word to use...perhaps "share" would be more accurate.

After I watched Dean Shareski’s “Moral Imperative” YouTube video about sharing resources online, my thoughts were validated. I felt redeemed. He states that, in today’s technological world, sharing online is no longer an option…it is an “ethical responsibility.” Shareski explains why this statement from Ewan Mcintosh resonates with him: “Sharing, and sharing online specifically, is not in addition to the work of an educator. It is the work.”   

Do you agree with Shareski and Mcintosh? How do you share online resources with others? How does your school? Your district?

Michael Lamoureux, the technology integrator in MSAD #15 where I work, sent me the article, “Distracted by Tech? Address the Problem, Not the Symptom”.  Written by Lydia Leimbach, the tech integrator at Hall Dale High School in RSU #2, it was included in the June 2014 edition of Electronic Educator. She asserts that when students install proxies, hide websites, or download non-educational apps, it is another manifestation of the age-old problem of students being distracted and disengaged from learning. She writes: “Distraction, procrastination, defiance—they are all symptoms of the same problem. Disengagement. It’s our job as teachers to figure out WHY. It’s not about ‘who’s fault’ it is. It’s about finding solutions. Forward motion in the goal.”

Leimbach lists a variety of suggestions about how to limit distractions and hold students accountable. Check them here.  Do they make sense to you? What works for you in your classroom?

Here’s to sharing!

Social Media: A Complicated Challenge

Another school year has come to an end. We did it!!  What has been one of your biggest challenges? 

As I reflect on the year, one of mine has been dealing with students who have access to social media via their cell phones, iPads, and laptops. Do you have similar concerns? How are you and your school colleagues making sense of this?

As an assistant principal at Gray-New Gloucester High School in Gray, Maine, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard: “Why can’t we just block all of those social media apps?” “Students should not have cell phones in school. If they need to use the phone, they can use the one in the Main Office.” “Students have little to no attention span today. They are just too distracted by Facebook, SnapChat, Instant Messenger, Flickr, games, and all that other stuff.” Sometimes, after listening to their concerns, I can only respond by saying, “Well, it’s complicated.”

Back in February, I heard about danah boyd’s book, It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. First, it helped me calm down a bit and see the world through the lens of our high school students who, like us, are trying to make sense of a wired world.

Download here

Boyd’s book is filled with solid research and intriguing stories about the teens that she interviewed. One key takeaway for me was the concept of “context collapse.” She says, “Like adults, teenagers are figuring out how to present themselves in different contexts.” Think about how we have our different contexts: our school email, our home email, Facebook, Pinterest, and different websites and apps that reflect our uniqueness. Boyd reminds us that what is different today is that all of this is so public, and that messages can be misunderstood and misinterpreted so quickly. This we do know...that the consequences can be serious, damaging, and occasionally, even dangerous for our students.

We need to teach our students how to stay safe online and how to develop clear boundaries. Is there more we can do? Keeping Kids Safe is one organization in Maine that can help. Check out these sites for more ideas: Digital Resources Roundup, Internet Safety Rules of the Road, Prevent Cyber-Bullying, and Guide to Social Media. Ways to use social media effectively are summarized here: Social Media in Schools. 

Yes, we need clear policies, procedures, and guidelines. Yet, I also believe that we need to respect and validate our students’ experiences...their need for privacy, their need for clarity and boundaries, their curiosity, and their need to engage in meaningful dialogue with caring and thoughtful adults who are willing to help them learn how to navigate through their complicated world.

So, what do you think? What are you and your schools doing to address these issues? 

Cosmos is Coming....Cosmos is Coming!

Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey starting Sunday, March 9th 

What triggers your curiosity to learn more? Over this long and messy February Break as I was checking Facebook posts, I found this quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson:

I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.

Not only did this resonate with me, but it prompted me to google Neil deGrasse Tyson....which, of course, led to additional clicks along the way. I had read in Parade magazine (there I go again, honey, check post of 8/13/13) about his new Fox/National Geographic show and was intrigued then. But, when I saw the trailer, I was hooked! I cannot wait for Sunday, March 9th to see the first episode. Click here to see the trailer: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Goosebumps, anyone? 

As I continued my Google research, I found more links, which triggered more curiosity about science, religion, our fragile ego systems, poetry, physics, and yes, even politics. One link caught my eye. Entitled "The Greatest Sermon Ever," how could I resist? My father was a Lutheran minister in Baltimore, and I had heard my share of inspiring sermons as a child. Yet, this one I had to check out: Sermon on Cosmic Perspective. Sorry, Dad! This one really got to me. 

We often talk about literacy because it will raise achievement scores, but what about science literacy? There's certainly a push to expand the study of math and science. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs are the rage in education now. Yet, it seems like the primary motivation is that it will strengthen our economy, which is fine, but does it miss the mark? Will economics inspire our young people to learn more, remain curious, become better people, feel connected to others, and improve our world? What do you think? 

Here's another Tyson quote:

Ignorance is a virus. Once it starts spreading, it can only be cured by reason. 

For the sake of humanity, we must be that cure.