Transformation in Teacher and Student Learning
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Image by Keith Kingsbury
My students are geographically isolated in a rural community and have a shallow/surface understanding of the implications of social networking and the potential repercussions that their naivety could have on their future. This is especially true when considering an abstract concept like one's digital reputation. Increasing my students’ understanding of the permanence of the digital age in which we live is paramount.
Normally, I would guide my students through a series of lessons that would include lecture, creating a digital footprint and videos on the hazards of social networking (I will have a control group taught this way to compare depth of understanding). Instead, I am looking to have my students in my experimental group uncover the hazards that social networking can have on their future. I want my students to be able to “discover”, "chat" about, share and talk about the importance of controlling their digital reputation within the format of the Ning. I also want my students to be able to define social networking, discuss the pros and cons of digital permanence, and be able recognize that what they say, do and post online subsequently creates a digital reputation that cannot easily be altered. I am taking a more constructivist approach to this unit.
Comparison information will be done in a pre-survey, post-survey format, via Survey Monkey or other online survey technology. Critical to the survey is that all of the pre- and post-surveys will be done anonymously so that students feel free to answer the questions without fear of repercussions. Post-surveys will be written differently in order for students to report any possible changes in their understanding or opinion of the topics discussed and explored in class. This is discussed in-depth in the evaluation section of this site.
To begin this unit, students will be working in small groups to come up with as many questions as they can (at least ten) about “Digital Reputation” and its significance to their lives. Groups will come together and give their top two questions to the entire class. This list will become a guide for what students want to learn during this unit.
Students will take what they learn from this unit and apply their knowledge to their video project, an educational public service video that communicates their discoveries to other students their own age. Our district has a broadcasting classroom with production equipment and software that will allow students to make any type of video that they desire. This might include a news broadcast with interviews, a talk show segment or other production, allowing more student freedom and creativity.
Students will not just receive information and instruction, but also discover it for themselves while allowing them to develop their own perspective on a real-life topic that directly impacts their lives. The class Ning, videos and other instruction will be geared directly to a first person perspective. By using this unique technique, I believe the learning will be more personal, powerful and meaningful. Willingham addresses this repeatedly in his book: “In discovery learning students learn by exploring objects, discussing problems with classmates…rather than the teacher tell[ing] students things.” (82) “If the goal of a lesson plan is to get student to think about the meaning of some material, then it’s pretty clear that the best approach is one in which thinking about meaning is unavoidable.” (83)
Normally, I would guide my students through a series of lessons that would include lecture, creating a digital footprint and videos on the hazards of social networking (I will have a control group taught this way to compare depth of understanding). Instead, I am looking to have my students in my experimental group uncover the hazards that social networking can have on their future. I want my students to be able to “discover”, "chat" about, share and talk about the importance of controlling their digital reputation within the format of the Ning. I also want my students to be able to define social networking, discuss the pros and cons of digital permanence, and be able recognize that what they say, do and post online subsequently creates a digital reputation that cannot easily be altered. I am taking a more constructivist approach to this unit.
Comparison information will be done in a pre-survey, post-survey format, via Survey Monkey or other online survey technology. Critical to the survey is that all of the pre- and post-surveys will be done anonymously so that students feel free to answer the questions without fear of repercussions. Post-surveys will be written differently in order for students to report any possible changes in their understanding or opinion of the topics discussed and explored in class. This is discussed in-depth in the evaluation section of this site.
To begin this unit, students will be working in small groups to come up with as many questions as they can (at least ten) about “Digital Reputation” and its significance to their lives. Groups will come together and give their top two questions to the entire class. This list will become a guide for what students want to learn during this unit.
Students will take what they learn from this unit and apply their knowledge to their video project, an educational public service video that communicates their discoveries to other students their own age. Our district has a broadcasting classroom with production equipment and software that will allow students to make any type of video that they desire. This might include a news broadcast with interviews, a talk show segment or other production, allowing more student freedom and creativity.
Students will not just receive information and instruction, but also discover it for themselves while allowing them to develop their own perspective on a real-life topic that directly impacts their lives. The class Ning, videos and other instruction will be geared directly to a first person perspective. By using this unique technique, I believe the learning will be more personal, powerful and meaningful. Willingham addresses this repeatedly in his book: “In discovery learning students learn by exploring objects, discussing problems with classmates…rather than the teacher tell[ing] students things.” (82) “If the goal of a lesson plan is to get student to think about the meaning of some material, then it’s pretty clear that the best approach is one in which thinking about meaning is unavoidable.” (83)
Several activities are built in to encourage and generate empathy. Videos, chosen for the age of my students as well as their personal experiences, will be used to demonstrate the positive and negative consequences of constructing your digital reputation. To supplement the videos, I will be having a guest speaker in from the Michigan State Police who will address the legal aspects of poor choices when it comes to topics like Facebook, cyber bullying, sexting and more. The speaker talks directly and openly about his experiences working in the criminal justice cyber division and will be using real-life examples that my students can relate to.
Below are four sample videos:
Below are four sample videos:
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Assignments and activities for this unit will be designed so that students are discovering the information for themselves and not being fed it through lecture and closely guided activities. This pedagogical shift from teacher-centered to student-centered will be paramount as the experimental group works in an inquiry-based environment as opposed to the control group which will maintain the standard lecture and activity format. Activities will be set up to start students thinking about a topic and then allow them time to explore for examples, themes and information on their own. Information will then be posted on the class Ning so that everyone can benefit from the information others have discovered. This correspondence will then be used for discussion, reflection, analysis and application in a reflection paper.