Over the last few weeks, I've had the opportunity to present some technology workshops to fellow teachers in my school district. Last week, I was part of a workshop on blogging and an interesting discussion came up. We were talking about how we would like to see the students not only become exposed to blogs (and Twitter), but also become creators of personal blogs or contributors to classroom blogs. In the midst of the discussion, a few teachers expressed concerns about how one might "police" the students' posts to make sure that nothing inappropriate was posted to a public classroom domain.
The concerns of the teachers were very real, and spoke to a larger issue when incorporating technology into classroom learning. These teachers' main concern was that they might get in trouble because of something a student posts to a classroom blog. And we didn't really come to an answer for that issue so much as developing an understanding: in the digital classroom, teachers are going to have to relinquish some control and allow for the students' self-expression. Yes, this does create a tenuous situation, especially if one is dealing with a student who wants to create a problem and doesn't care about the repercussions.
However, I can't help but see this as a teachable moment that will begin to define what digital classrooms will look like. For decades, teachers were taught to control every situation and ensure that nothing went in a direction that was unexpected or potentially inappropriate. But with the modern social construct, students are going to be communicating whether we want them to or not. It is best to guide them and explain the ramifications of destructive actions in a public domain. And teachers must also be able to rely on their school districts to back them up and recognize the need for these forms of communication to move forward for the benefit of the whole student population.
Eventually, we made it clear that most blogs or websites allow users to control who can view the site, who can post to the site, and whether the content is appropriate and will remain. The tools are there to censor, if needed, and to privatize the site if one doesn't want it to be universally available. I hope, though, that these tools will not be overused, because a major part of classrooms in the digital age will be that they are student-centered in both focus and in creation of content; the voices of the students will be the ultimate key, and while that might require a shift of control away from the teacher, it's an exciting notion that I can't wait to see play out.
The concerns of the teachers were very real, and spoke to a larger issue when incorporating technology into classroom learning. These teachers' main concern was that they might get in trouble because of something a student posts to a classroom blog. And we didn't really come to an answer for that issue so much as developing an understanding: in the digital classroom, teachers are going to have to relinquish some control and allow for the students' self-expression. Yes, this does create a tenuous situation, especially if one is dealing with a student who wants to create a problem and doesn't care about the repercussions.
However, I can't help but see this as a teachable moment that will begin to define what digital classrooms will look like. For decades, teachers were taught to control every situation and ensure that nothing went in a direction that was unexpected or potentially inappropriate. But with the modern social construct, students are going to be communicating whether we want them to or not. It is best to guide them and explain the ramifications of destructive actions in a public domain. And teachers must also be able to rely on their school districts to back them up and recognize the need for these forms of communication to move forward for the benefit of the whole student population.
Eventually, we made it clear that most blogs or websites allow users to control who can view the site, who can post to the site, and whether the content is appropriate and will remain. The tools are there to censor, if needed, and to privatize the site if one doesn't want it to be universally available. I hope, though, that these tools will not be overused, because a major part of classrooms in the digital age will be that they are student-centered in both focus and in creation of content; the voices of the students will be the ultimate key, and while that might require a shift of control away from the teacher, it's an exciting notion that I can't wait to see play out.
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