This was an interesting chapter because the decisions a facilitator makes will encompass a social, ethical, legal and human issue. Most of the issues today that I will face as a leader will have to do with online safety, copyright infringement, privacy, and digital equity. From personal experience, I knew that student access to inappropriate content was an issue because it is a subject we speak about in class. Many times students can’t get on certain sites because of the district internet filtering system. This is good because students can suffer severe consequences if there account is linked to an appropriate site. I was surprised to see that sites suck as nick.com is targeting younger children, which I don’t think is a good direction for our youth. “Educators and parents are also concerned that too much time online impedes healthy face-to-face relationships and distracts students from their academic studies.” (Williamson & Redish, 2009) I agree when looking at the issue of copyrights, many educators do not know all of the details concerning the topic. I think the violations are so common that many people do not realize that they are in the wrong. When looking at student privacy, I was surprised see that the most frequent security threats occur because of careless users. I figured in this day and age, with the threats of identity theft that people would be more vigilant in protecting their information. It was also interesting to see the FERPA law concerning student data. “If a report on standardized test scores is disaggregated by grade level and racial subgroup and there is only one students of a particular race in that grade, the student is identifiable even though his or her name is not included. The data cannot be published.” (Williamson & Redish, 2009) It makes sense, but since I’ve always worked in a fairly large district I never considered the scenario. Another interesting statistics dealt with the updating of acceptable use policies. There is slightly more than half of the school districts have updated policies. I figured this was a topic that is addressed frequently, at least before each school, year started. Much of the information in this chapter was not new because of the literature I have received during my time in the Masters program and job related experience. When I started this program I had just left a district that had aspirations of integrating more technology into its school culture but it never flourished. The district that I am employed with now has really embraced the idea of technology integration. “Deprivation from educational technology-or a lack of informed guidance regarding its use-perpetuates distinctions in the quality of education students receive and opportunities they have.” (Williamson & Redish, 2009) There is a glaring distinction between the opportunities the students have at my current school verses my previous school. Because of some of the students I had, privacy and the concealment of student records were always a topic of importance. As a parent and professional, online safety is always an area of concern. I have always been cautious about what sites my children and students are navigating through. Internet safety is a topic that is constantly discussed whenever we use computers. Copyright issues are a topic that I am familiar with but I do not know all of the ins and outs concerning the violations. In the past I know I have violated some of the copyright laws because of ignorance but as an educator I will have to be more aware of my actions. Implementing this standard was easy because much of the topics are based on safety issues for students or creating better opportunities for the students. Digital equity can always be a topic of disagreement because most of the teachers want more access to technology. All of the teachers are aware of keeping student records confidential. Discussing online safety will always be a topic of concern because of the landscape of technology. Out of all of the topics, copyright issues were the hardest to discuss based on my experience. There are so many different dynamics to discuss and guidelines to adhere to. The teachers I spoke with knew the basics and some were aware of the use for educational purposes.
The strategy that I used to implement the standards came in the form of informal discussions and meetings. Because of schedule conflicts, it was difficult to meet as a large group. It was easier to meet in a classroom or conference room. Since I only have one off period a day and coach after school, sometimes it was difficult to have an in-depth discussion. At times, a simple piece of literature was sufficient. The only problem is you never know if the material gets read. I am a kinesthetic learner, so moving helps me become more engaged in the process. The standard allowed me to be interactive and collaborate. I look back on my performance and I believe I did pretty well. I know there is always room for improvement. The good thing about the collaboration that I was engaged in was the relevancy. All of us really felt connected to the subjects addressed in this standard. When collaboration was possible, most of the feedback was informative and positive. The results of my performance had a lot to do with the willingness of my co-workers to take on the role of a learner.
As a learner, it is important for me to surround myself with like-minded people. It was good to see that I work with people who genuinely have a love for teaching. I knew that an environment that requires me to sit and listen would not be good for an extended time. Luckily, much of the interaction was quick and engaging. In the future, it will be important to present materials in different formats. This will not only help me clarify the objective but it will also help people with different learning styles. Because of the success I had with this standard, I will continue to use some of the same methods for collaboration. Hopefully in the future, I won’t have as many things going on that effects my time. As I continue, I think the area that will be a must for research will be the copyright guidelines. As an educator, I will be viewed as a person of integrity so it will be important that I act in a legal and ethical manner when dealing with technology.
References
Willamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). Iste’s technology facilitation and leadership standards, what every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. (p124). Eugene , OR
Willamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). Iste’s technology facilitation and leadership standards, what every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. (p128). Eugene , OR
Willamson, J., & Redish, T. (2009). Iste’s technology facilitation and leadership standards, what every k-12 leader should know and be able to do. (p129). Eugene , OR
No comments:
Post a Comment