Yesterday was our first meeting. I wanted us to talk about internet safety first. We went to netsmartz.org and looked at a video this organization has prepared on it. We learned that there are no friends online. We never agree to meet with someone we have met online. We never give out personal information, name, phone number, hometown, school name, etc. If we ever feel unsure, uncomfortable, or icky about something we see, hear or read online, we should talk to a trusted adult like a parent or a teacher.
The students were surprised to hear that there are no friends online. One question was which of these would be ok to be your friend:
The person who writes, “I’m 12 years old and my favorite hobby is skateboarding. I love pizza and vanilla ice cream.”
The person who writes, “What is you phone number; where do you live?”
The person who writes, “Would you like to buy a game; what is your parent’s credit card number?”
They generally agreed that the first one would be ok to be a friend on the internet and the video made a nice point of saying that could really be a guy who is much older and who is pretending to be young like you so you will be more open and trusting of him.
This is the address, if you would like to explore yourself: http://www.netsmartz.org/index.aspx
Several of the students (mostly boys) asked if they could go on favorite websites like funbrain, webkins, and primary games. I explained that this is a school sponsored activity and we would be primarily learning, along with exploring new technology, getting deeper into some of the programs than we have time to in class and maybe having a little fun along the way. They were amazed when I told them Mr. N., the computer teacher at another school in our district, has had a tech club for the past four or five years and that he let them tear apart an old computer. I will definitely put that on the schedule.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Why I'm Starting This Blog
I am Nancy Shugan, a computer teacher at Saukview School. Saukview is an elementary school of about 350 students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. We are in the far south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. I am starting this blog for several reasons.
First and most practically, this is a project for a class I’m taking. My assignment is to select a technology that is new to me and to try it out. My class will be presenting our experiences with our new technology on the last day of class. I am to discuss what it felt like being an inexperienced learner, (Short answer: scary, exciting.) and how I could use this technology as an educator. (More: later.)
Second, the technology club is new for Saukview and new for me. Technology Club consists of 19 fourth and fifth grade students and me. I want to record our first steps, to document our growth, to share our fun, to be able to look back and see how far we’ve grown in the first year.
Third, I am seeking the expertise of all readers. You have some skill, some knowledge, some experience, and some thoughts on what a technology club should or could be. I’m new at this; please share with me! Is there a website that you think we would enjoy exploring? Is there a technology that you think we would love to try? What questions would you like to see us tackle? I will post your comments and questions, and we will all grow together.
Finally, I love writing. (I could never Twitter. One hundred forty characters and you’re done? Ha! That’s my preamble.) Especially outside of the classroom, I always feel that I need to explain things completely, to give the background, to explain the rationale behind my actions, and to express my observations. I am not particularly outgoing and I tend to listen more than I talk, especially in a group. But, I observe well and I am intuitive. Those two traits combine well and it is my hope that as I write, think, edit, ruminate, and share with you, you will learn, laugh, and enjoy the journey with us!
First and most practically, this is a project for a class I’m taking. My assignment is to select a technology that is new to me and to try it out. My class will be presenting our experiences with our new technology on the last day of class. I am to discuss what it felt like being an inexperienced learner, (Short answer: scary, exciting.) and how I could use this technology as an educator. (More: later.)
Second, the technology club is new for Saukview and new for me. Technology Club consists of 19 fourth and fifth grade students and me. I want to record our first steps, to document our growth, to share our fun, to be able to look back and see how far we’ve grown in the first year.
Third, I am seeking the expertise of all readers. You have some skill, some knowledge, some experience, and some thoughts on what a technology club should or could be. I’m new at this; please share with me! Is there a website that you think we would enjoy exploring? Is there a technology that you think we would love to try? What questions would you like to see us tackle? I will post your comments and questions, and we will all grow together.
Finally, I love writing. (I could never Twitter. One hundred forty characters and you’re done? Ha! That’s my preamble.) Especially outside of the classroom, I always feel that I need to explain things completely, to give the background, to explain the rationale behind my actions, and to express my observations. I am not particularly outgoing and I tend to listen more than I talk, especially in a group. But, I observe well and I am intuitive. Those two traits combine well and it is my hope that as I write, think, edit, ruminate, and share with you, you will learn, laugh, and enjoy the journey with us!
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