Should we be spying, monitoring and following our kids online?

We all would do anything for our kids that is within our power and even perhaps what is not in our power. The question I am asking is whether we should trust our kids with their judgement to make wise choices? Its called digital citizenship and where should parents draw the line on spying or snooping on our children? From my standpoint, I understand we need to teach our children to be responsible and have values that they will eventually take ownership for but our children can make one mistake and a predator, a bully or even a spy camera can be turned toward your child's computer and who can undo that? This also can go toward having a high school child's driving monitored using an app. My insurance company offered me a discount to monitor my driving. While I am not being singled out by State Farm, they really are hedging their bets.  In an article by Martine Oglethorpe in Digital Trends, she gives the pros and cons and when parents might be stepping over the line.

By Martine Oglethorpe on March 2, 2015 in Digital Trends, 

Should I be spying on my kids online? How can I keep watch over everything my kids are doing? How can I be sure they are doing the right things online? How can I be sure I am monitoring the right sites? What about privacy? And trust? Having the time to look? Knowing where to look?

From the toddler to the tween

When kids are young, yes you need to monitor. Not spying, monitoring. Spying implies that you are doing it behind their back. But you can’t teach if it’s not in partnership with your child. It needs to be a proviso of having access to devices, and games, and social networks and well, the rest of the world. They need to know you are watching. You need to use this time whilst you have control to teach them. You need to guide their behaviours. To do your best to protect them from content they don’t need to see. To help them make decisions to keep them safe. To instil in them attitudes and values that will ensure they become critical thinkers later on when you no longer have that control.
What do you mean ‘no control’?  Aren’t we, as the parent, always in control?

The end date to monitoring

Anyone who has a child entering the teen and even tweens years will tell you, that when it comes to what our kids are doing online, the years when we can monitor and friend and follow and be safe in having it all covered, are limited to say the least. The years when we know what sites they are visiting, who they are talking to, what they are uploading and reading and sharing has an end date.
The end date happens because kids have devices for school that are internet enabled and they can log in to the rest of the world at any time.
The end date happens because kids hang out with other kids and their devices on the bus or at friends houses or on the walk home from school.
The end date happens because our kids are curious, want to explore and know how to do it undetected.
The end date happens because kids still want and need privacy. They are trying to do it in a very public space, but they still want it and seek it out.
They are now logging in to sites we don’t know exist
They are opening accounts with usernames we’d never find
They are opening multiple accounts on one site to keep some control
They are talking to people they have never met
They are having people criticise their latest photo
They are being exposed to content that at the very least makes us cringe
They are basing the worth of a photo and subsequently the worth of themselves on the number of likes and follows and shares.

 

To read the rest of the article, please click the link below.

http://themodernparent.net/should-we-be-spying-monitoring-and-following-our-kids-online/

The question we need to be asking instead

Before we think about spying, monitoring and stalking to catch them doing the wrong thing, we must ask ourselves, “have we spent the time really teaching them how to do the right thing?”

When students use creative ideas to create resources to make test prep materials

     Sure, the idea was mine.

 
Students make board games and use test questions from maps to pre-test questions. But after that, it was all them. They researched the questions, looked up the countries and came up with some Would You rather questions. Being this is geography class, Would You Rather (WYR) turns into would you rather be bit be a cobra or stuck in a Chinese prison? Yes, students came up with that. The real winner was the students. They took ownership of the project, made game boards that can be used for any unit and now know that they are all counting on each other to prepare for the tests. A handful of students in each class want to make their own game boards as they want to take ownership of this study technique. The best part for the students. ( Other than setting the lesson, it was all them). Here are some pictures from the great time.


 http://WWW.MRAKERSRMSWILDCATS.ORG

10 Tips for Increasing Student Engagement

By Corwin / March 3, 2015 at 3:00 am

One of our themes for March is Student Engagement. Here we’ve collected some of the best advice on increasing student engagement from Corwin authors and other experts!

1. Study the data.

The Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations (QISA) has done extensive research in what motivates students through their Student Voice Surveys. Students are asked about the 8 conditions identified by Russ Quaglia in Student Voice: Belonging, Heroes, Sense of Accomplishment, Fun & Excitement, Curiosity & Creativity, Spirit of Adventure, Leadership & Responsibility, and Confidence to Take Action. Read the 2014 Report.

2. Collect your own data.

If you want to take it one step farther, distribute the Student Voice Survey at your own school. You may be shocked or pleasantly surprised to find out what your students are really thinking!

3. Put yourself in your students’ shoes.

Pernille Ripp writes about 5 Rules We Impose on Students That Would Make Adults Revolt. Don’t forget that students are kids! Are you expecting them to act better behaved than even adults? Make sure you’re giving them the same respect you would give adults, and give them the freedom to just be kids.

4. Use games to make learning relevant.

“Games and simulations are rich in scenarios and have an amazing ability to embed information into their storylines or gameplay.” Moreover, games can help students think about how to apply information to their lives immediately. In a recent blog post, Ryan Schaaf gives five strategies for using digital games in the classroom.

5. Appeal to students’ values.

In this great post on Edutopia, Heidi A. Olinger discusses the power of listening to your students and openly talking about things we would normally dismiss—things that are incredibly important to students: social fads, pop culture, crushes.

6. Laugh together.

As John Spencer points out, humor is a powerful strategy for engaging learners. Laughing together creates a sense of community and makes class a more rewarding place for students to be.

7. Let students pursue their passions.

“Schools mistake passion for an emotion, as something kids like to do in their spare time. Those are hobbies. Passion is what you must do, even if you have to suffer to do it. Passion is the genius of all geniuses.” – Angela Maiers
Read more about how to Close the Passion Gap.

8. Remove distractions.

A class where students are engaged can be noisy and chaotic—but the quality of the noise and chaos matters. If students are too distracted, learning is impeded, not increased. Mark Barnes shares 3 Ways to De-Clutter Students’ Brains.

9. Rethink your grades.

If students are brought into the discussion about their progress, they are more invested in the outcome. SE2R is a feedback system designed by Mark Barnes (Assessment 3.0) that gives students and teachers a common vocabulary for assessment: Summarize, Explain, Redirect, and Resubmit.

10. Take the Classroom Cribs Challenge to redesign your classroom.

The physical environment of a classroom has a great effect on student engagement and learning. Erin Klein is a classroom teacher who studied interior design and writes on the importance of creative spaces that allow for deeper collaboration and creativity.


http://corwin-connect.com/2015/03/10-tips-for-increasing-student-engagement/

6 Ways Teachers Respond To Educational Technology

   Everyone has a different reaction to using technology. According to Teach Thought Magazine, the Pencil Metaphor is a basic rubric to show teachers where they are on the technology conundrum. I am willing to bet you that of the six levels, you are already at a 3-4 out of six minimum. Why? If you were less, you would not visit a blog let alone entertain technology in your classroom. But where do you really stand? Look at the pencil chart below and your attitude toward technology. The article itself is fairly short at 500 words and gives you the rationale. If you want to be at a five or six, you are already working on that rubric level and if you are not but want to, take a step and I promise you it will not hurt.
To read the article: http://bit.ly/1JSvJMS

About the author


Steve Wheeler shared a post about in in January of 2012 as part of a #pencilchat discussion, and there was even an intended PD session in South Africa designed around it in April of 2012. Here’s a slideshare presentation from a university in Malaysia on the idea. But it goes further back than that–at least to 2007, to ISTE 2006 Educator of the Year Linda McKeown.

What comes first, the technology or the curriculum

Things have come a long way since my 3rd grade teacher had to thread a film into a movie projector.

Using technology is not a cheap parlor trick where the technology is the trick and the students are amused. Almost all (good) technology measures student progress and some of it happens right in the middle of a lesson with instant feedback. In an article by Elise Ecoff, she talks about this and how technology must enhance the curriculum and not entertain your students with suggestions on how you can make technology work for students at home and in the classroom.

By Elise Ecoff on February 10, 2015@NBPSEagles

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when handing a student a calculator to work through algebraic equations caused many teachers and parents great consternation. It makes you wonder what type of pushback the creators of the abacus faced! In both cases, while the tools students were using may have been more advanced than previous generations’, the goal remained the same – to enhance classroom learning.

But before moving forward with technology integration, every school must first have a great, robust and adaptable academic curriculum. Only then can you begin to find ways in which technology can help to elevate it. It’s important to never force fit technology – if it’s not supplementing what’s already happening in the classroom or a teacher’s goals for the school year, the addition will become more of a barrier to learning than a catalyst.

A Few Questions to Consider

• Regardless of the technology, what’s the most important lesson for students to learn?
• Why do I need to use technology in my daily curriculum?
• How are these tech tools enhancing what we’re doing?
• What will the students do with these tools – during and after class?

Think Curriculum Enhancements, Not Technology Implementations

Even if you feel ready to utilize tech in your classroom, you need to be confident that the implementation will enhance your curriculum, not hinder it.  Here are five ways to ensure you’re putting the curriculum before the technology:

1) Learn How Students Are Using Technology at Home

It’s important to understand what kind of technology students are already familiar with outside of the classroom.  Ask them what they’re currently using, what they’re interested in learning more about, and how much screen time they’re allowed at home. These conversations will help you determine the opportunities and challenges you’ll face when implementing tech into the classroom. It can also spark inspiration for your in-school tech solutions.  For example, if all your students are familiar with tablets and how they work, you can tweak your lessons plans to more heavily rely on tablet utilization.

http://www.edudemic.com/what-comes-first-the-curriculum-or-technology/

26 Teacher Tools To Create Online Assessments

26 Teacher Tools To Create Online Assessments

     It is incredible how much educators have on their plates today. While we could all tell war stories about all of the initiatives given out by districts, they all give you less quality time to plan and help your students and your planning time is rarely your own. Has anyone had you find out in the middle of the school year that your school has volunteered to be a part of a pilot program for something you did not know about and you are already overwhelmed? Well you get the idea. I like using assessments that not only give me data that I can use to assess and share with students that is meaningful. In teachthought, they have listed resources that do varying degrees of this. I use Kahoot and our district has purchased Study Island (not quite operational) and Nearpod which we are getting up to speed on. I think we can all agree that sitting down with a calculator burning the midnight oil is not what anyone wants when we can basically work smart and help our students without being burned out.



You teach, which means you need to know what students do and don’t understand.
Which means you need to assess.


http://www.teachthought.com/technology/26-teacher-tools-to-create-online-assessments/

10 Educational Games That Teach Kids About Social Issues

     The following list is really incredible. there are so many great implications from issues in the US to international ones. This would be a great way to differentiate instruction in your classroom using a jigsaw, different levels and students can create their own enduring understandings.  A credit to Matt  Farmer who compiled this list. He is a teacher at Valleyview Middle School, in Denville, New Jersey.
10 Educational Games That Teach Kids About Social Issues

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Incorporating games into the classroom is a great way to engage students and increase motivation.

But how can social studies and history teachers use games to help students better understand social issues? Our guest contributor and expert on gamification, Matthew Farber, shares his favorite tools:

Social impact games are a genre that seek to effect positive changes in society through play. Often, players are put in roles (known as “player agency”) and must make decisions that have impactful consequences. These games are not necessarily designed for teaching; rather, the goal is to enable players to have empathy about a social issues.

As a social studies teacher, I have found that they are effective in putting students in authentic situations in which difficult problems get engaged.

Here are some of my favorite social impact games that I use with students (listed alphabetically; not ranked). Be sure to assess learning by asking your students about the decisions they made, as well as the reasons behind it!

Ayiti: The Cost of Life (free; PC/Mac)
A human rights game in which the player is a young, poverty-stricken child in Haiti.

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Darfur Is Dying (free; PC/Mac)
One of the first social impact titles, its message still resonates today. Missions task players with foraging for water while outrunning the militia, as well as experiences daily life in a refugee camp.

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Gone Home (paid, inquire via email about educational bundles; PC/Mac)
An award-winning first-person exploration game set in the 1990s. The narrative is pieced together as players find objects in the empty house in which family problems unfold.

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The Migrant Trail (free; PC/Mac)
Tied to a documentary about undocumented immigrants, players assume two roles: a migrant and a patrol agent. It teaches themes of empathy through simple role-play.

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Mission US games (free; PC/Mac)
There are currently four missions to play: For Crown or Country, set in the pre-Revolutionary Boston; Flight to Freedom, told from the point-of-view of an slave; the award-winning A Cheyenne Odyssey, about the plight of the Cheyenne people; and the newly released City of Immigrants, about life in the tenements of New York City.

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Never Alone (paid; PC, Xbox, PlayStation)
Never Alone is from E-Line Media and Upper One Games. It is the first game adapted from an Iñupiat folk story.

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Papers, Please (paid; iPad and PC/Mac)
Papers, Please won multiple awards in 2014. It is an ethical decision-making game set in a fictional communist country during the Cold War. The objective is to checks immigrant papers. The penalty is delayed, such as a reduction in income that can affect the health of your family. (It is recommended for older students; Preview first. suggestive content can be toggled off in “Settings”).

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Nightmare: Malaria (free; iPad/Android)
Nightmare: Malaria is a social awareness game about malaria. The narrator is voiced by actress Susan Sarandon. The game features facts about malaria and how simple solutions, like nets, can save lives.

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Third World Farmer (free; PC/Mac)
Third World Farmer is a simulation game about the difficulties of farming in a developing country. Familyeconomicsare among the issues to resolve.

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Quandary (free; PC/Mac)
An award-winning game about ethical dilemmas, or quandaries. In it, players must assemble a team to colonize a new planet.

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Aside from this list, I recommend reviewing the games curated on the Games for Change website.

Similar to independent films, social impact gaming has a community of enthusiasts who recognize achievements with awards and recognition. The idea is that games, as “new media”—compared to “traditional media,” like books, theater, and film—can influence people in a positive direction. For example, in 2014, the Games for Change Festival joined forces with the TriBeCa Film Festival in New York City.

What are your favorite games that you use to teach specific subjects? Tell us in the comments!

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Matt Farber

Matthew Farber teaches social studies at Valleyview Middle School, in Denville, New Jersey. Mr. Farber is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Educational Technology Leadership at New Jersey City University. His book, Gamify Your Classroom: A Field Guide to Game-Based Learning, from Peter Lang Academic, is available from Amazon

http://content.easybib.com/10-educational-games-that-teach-kids-about-social-issues/

Reading this on a computer? Then you (probably) don't live in Africa as 1b working cell phones by 2016

Some people in Africa have skipped the computer and have moved right to their phones to transmit and receive data across the world. If you think having the laptop I prefer to type on (including right now) is cutting edge, you might want to go back to 2006 to find it being cutting edge.


Each week, Africa View explores the trends, figures and initiatives shaping Africa. From education and energy to technology and innovation, it showcases topics and influential sectors driving countries on the continent.

(CNN)If when you say internet, you think of a computer, then you probably don't live in an African country.

The continent has some of the lowest fixed-broadband subscription rates in the world, with most people's first encounter with the world wide web coming via their mobile phones.

Around 70% of mobile users browse the internet on their devices, and Africa's mobile broadband growth is increasing at a rate of more than 40% -- twice the global average.

This is largely due to the weak land-line infrastructure on the continent, which makes connecting through a desktop computer difficult. Low-cost or second-hand feature phones are also much cheaper to buy, which has made them ubiquitous across the continent, and it is estimated that by 2016 Africa will have a billion mobile phones. Feature devices also stay charged for longer -- a crucial requirement in a part of the world where the supply of power is irregular and unreliable.

More people in Africa have a mobile phone than access to electricity.

Toby Shapshak

"More people in Africa have a mobile phone than access to electricity," according to Toby Shapshak, editor and publisher of Stuff Magazine. "That means, for a phone to be functional, it needs decent battery life. These feature phones have anywhere up to a week."

This has created a unique environment where mobile technology have been adapted for a wide range of usages, from lowering information barriers and improving access to financial and health services to boosting commerce and bringing people together.

Mobile money transfer systems such as M-Pesa, which launched in Nairobi in 2007, allow customers to send cash to remote areas with the touch of a button. The service has nearly 17 million active customers who make more than US$1.1 billion worth of transactions per month.

And if you're worried that the medicines you bought might be counterfeit, you can check their authenticity through mPedigree, a mobile application which gives you a "genuine" or "fake" answer after you text the drug's serial number.

Mobile phone technology has also moved into sectors outside the traditional tech remit. Farmers can access information about the weather, real-time market prices, and new farming tips though mobile apps like Farmerline and Esoko.

Social Entrepreneurship: 7 Ways to Empower Student Changemakers

Social Entrepreneurship: 7 Ways to Empower Student Changemakers

Vickie Davis @coolcatteacher writes for Edutopia Magazine and recently wrote about how students and schools can partner to help empower them to change their local communities through Project Service Learning. (PSL) This is a great idea to have students make a difference and bridge the gap to helping understand global problems or participate in working just around the corner. Recently, I participated in a district chat with Coweta County Schools  #cowetaedchat  (Sunday's at 8pm EST) where students led the very discussion mentored by administrators in the district.

Its a win-win for everyone when students can carry the knowledge of a local project and use it to inform their own learning and asking questions they and their teachers would never have thought of before. When students help senior citizens, clean up flower beds or volunteer for a variety of topics, their vested interest changes lives and the perspectives of everyone in the community.

Vickie writes:

Tired of disheartened girls thinking they didn't match up to the divas on teen beauty magazines, Grace Miner started Real Girls Matter. The group has a state-wide conference in Rhode Island next year.
When six-year-old Joshua Williams wanted to give ten dollars to a homeless man, his young eyes opened to the plight of the hungry. Joshua, now 13, runs Joshua's Heart to feed the hungry in Miami. On his website, Joshua says: "Whenever I work, I will give some of my money to help."

1. Encourage Each Student to Map Their Heartbreak

Each child has a strength and talent -- a "genius," if you will -- that he or she can add to make the world a better place. Empower social entrepreneurs by sharing stories of students taking action, and then encourage students to find their own passion. Angela Maiers, educator and founder of the burgeoning Choose2Matter movement says:

DO NOT follow your heart to find your passion and purpose. Instead follow your heartbreak . . . Finding your passion; surrendering to your heartbreak is really about finding what really moves you.

Ask students to share what upsets them and makes them angry. Draw it. Write it. Speak it. But by all means share it! Aaron Maurer‘s students created heartbreak maps.
Social Entrepreneurship Tip: Ask students to create a heartbreak map.

 

Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher

To see the entire article and the You Tube resources from a middle school project, click the link below.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/empowering-student-changemakers-vicki-davis?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-empowering-student-changemakers-vicki-davis-dyk-image-repost

20 Things New Teachers Really, Really Need to Know- Did you learn this in preplanning? Do you know it now

     This is a list compiled from We are Teachers and got me thinking. Did anyone tell you this during education classes, during preplanning or by a mentor? See how many that people are missing out on that you should really know. Some may be common sense but everyone is missing 2-3 for sure or do not practice them. Now is your chance to finish the year strong.

 

20 Things New Teachers Really, Really Need to Know (According to The Vets)

            

1. The 3 Cs: “Be CLEAR on your expectations for behavior and performance. Be CONSISTENT—follow through so students know what to expect from you as a teacher. Be COMPASSIONATE—show your students that you really care about them and want them to succeed.” —Oktobriana Idol


2. Management Matters: “Strong classroom management is the key to teaching. No matter how well you know the content, students can't learn in a chaotic environment. The simplest way to achieve this is through routines and overplanning. Also, model the respect you want to receive.” —Janet Jennings Maxwell


3. Routines Are Your Friends: “They should be the first things that you teach!” —Mollie Ann Lucot


4. Flexibility Rules: “Relax. Be in control. Be prepared to be flexible!” —Emily Fern Barron


5. Wear Comfy Shoes: “Number 1: It's all about relationships. If you make the students feel that you genuinely care about them, they'll do what you ask and then some.


Number 2: The decorations on your walls don't need to come from Teachers Supply stores, because the ones from Dollar Tree will do the job.


Number 3: Invest in a good pair of shoes that fit you well, because you'll be on your feet all day.” —Mari Lyn Stangland


 6. What Your Dad Says Is True: “Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!” —April Brown


7. Your New Favorite Book: “Go out and purchase The First Days of School, by Harry Wong. You may not have the money to do it, but it'll be the best life-saving purchase you'll ever make in your teaching profession. Read it cover to cover and then implement!” —Amy Galloway
 8. Don’t Forget to Leave: “Go home at the end of the day! Your work will still be there tomorrow.” —Kody Grisham Shepherd


9. Never Break a Promise: “Don't promise a child something you're not 100% sure you can come through on—they need to know you are trustworthy and that you mean what you say.” —Vivienne Thomson


10. You’re a Student Too: “You will learn twice as much as your kids do EVERY single day until the day you retire!” —Diann Strader


11. Learn From Everyone Around You: “Be kind and courteous to everyone who works at or visits your school. The support staff is essential to your job—and those older teachers down the hall might just be your closest allies in a pinch. Don't dismiss their pearls of wisdom just because YOU haven't been taught that way. Remember, they're the ones who have been at this all this time. Be a sponge.” —Nadine Mendez Heifert


12. Try to Grow Every Day: “Remember that this is one of the only professions that expects us to be perfect with little to no on-the-job training. You can eventually change lives, but your first year is growth. Find a few strong, positive teachers on your campus and observe, observe, observe. Treat every kid like your own—because someone loves him or her more than anything, no matter how they push your buttons. There’s probably a reason why they push buttons in the first place that has nothing to do with you. Don't take unruly behavior personally. Like Covey says, ‘seek first to understand...’“ —Carissa Hairrell


 13. Leader of the Pack: “You are the lead dog and your students are your team waiting to run the big race.” —Susan A. Smith


 14. It’s Okay to Have Fun: “Don't be afraid to laugh. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher and she said (in April) that is was the first time she actually laughed in her class. If you aren't having fun, neither are the students. But also classroom management is key. Be tough in the beginning because you can always get softer. It is hard to go the other way around.” —April Nelson


15. This Isn’t Practice Anymore: “What they taught you in college does not prepare you for the real classroom. Be prepared for anything to happen and be flexible and understanding when it does!”—Teresa Taylor


 16. Help Is Always Available: “Don't be afraid to ask for it.” —Beth Fitts Stone


17. School Is Just a Part: “You are only a one part of their lives and they won't know how important a part for many, many years.” —Lynda Ballam


18. Let Students Have a Voice: “Invite them to help in goal setting. Don't be afraid to let them have choices. Have thick skin.” —Dan Heding


19. Have Faith in Yourself: “You can handle this.” —Dedee Cline


20. You’re Guarding Treasure: “Remember that parents are sending their most prized possessions. They are not hiding any others at home. They are sending their best. Respect that.” —Lyn Atkins
http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2014/08/09/20-things-new-teachers-need-to-know

Secret Teacher: I feel like more of a social worker than a teacher

Secret Teacher: I feel like more of a social worker than a teacher-

"I have three roles in my classroom: teacher, parent and social worker. Sometimes the actual teaching part is the least important."

I cannot argue with the statement made above. All teachers have felt this. Being that by state law teachers are mandated reporters, we have to report what we see and hear and many students will confide in us. When we have the empathy of a human being and the responsibilites of a social worker, the stories told below are typical and can shake you to the core. Often, we have to tell the principal/counselor/social workers what we hear but do not hear back any details, ways to help or are given peace of mind. That is a reality most teachers must share. Read on.

A child entered the classroom in floods of tears. His mother had lost her baby days before she was due to give birth. Nothing can prepare a nine-year-old for such a sense of loss, and his pain was clear for the whole class to see. I put my arm around him, ushered him away from the watchful gaze of his concerned peers and tried to find some words that might bring a shred of comfort to his broken heart. Then I had to gather my thoughts; as a parent, I couldn’t help but think how I would ever get over something like that.
That was tough to deal with, but another girl’s summer was just as traumatic for much darker reasons. She’d spent much of the holidays (and several years before), being sexually abused by a family member. I’d shared my concerns because I had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Indeed, it wasn’t. I was horrified and angry when I learned what this shy little girl had been through.

 

The two situations above are thankfully rare, and perhaps it was just an unhappy coincidence that I had to deal with them at the same time. Other situations are more commonplace, though. Another child’s mum and dad are separated but living together for financial reasons. The atmosphere at home is tense, and the girl in question recently burst into tears recalling an argument between her parents. All that mattered to her was falling apart and I had no words to help. So I did what a parent would do, I gave her a hug.
While the teaching standards are great at telling us how to teach good lessons, make accurate assessments and differentiate effectively, when it comes to addressing the emotional needs of children, they’re no help whatsoever. I have three roles in my classroom: teacher, parent and social worker. Sometimes, the actual teaching part is the least important of all. Part two of the teacher standards states that teachers must “at all times observe boundaries appropriate to a teacher’s profession”. This is suitably vague to ensure that many teachers live in fear of overstepping these boundaries. Why would you even go close when it could finish your career?
But the biggest obstacle to learning is not what’s going on in the classroom, but what’s going on outside it. Teachers across the nation face the baggage that children bring to lessons every single day and unless they feel supported to really become in loco parentis, effective teaching and learning is compromised.

We are a “good” school, but allegedly not yet outstanding because not enough pupils are making expected progress. Ofsted is not interested in the story behind her lack of progress. In the inspectorate’s eyes, that child is holding our school back and that’s a black mark against my name as their teacher.

To read the rest, please click the link below.
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jan/10/secret-teacher-social-worker-emotional-students

Follow us on Twitter via @GuardianTeach. Join the Guardian Teacher Network for lesson resources, comment and job opportunities, direct to your inbox.

The Confessions of a Secret Teacher- I didn’t enter teaching to improve students’ lives

     No, the teacher described above is no one I know. To admit to this would never get you a teaching job. I think the teacher in the headline if this is not a spoof from the Onion Newspaper, is really someone that is collecting realizing teaching is much more than collecting a paycheck. You need to have a cause and a purpose to be an effective teacher and even though he/she might have the skill to be a writer or editor as this language arts teacher is, the teacher described would be spotted a mile away by colleagues and administration that would expect more. Saying that, the Secret Teacher does make valid points on testing, dealing with career expectations and burnout.

 

Secret Teacher: I didn’t enter teaching to improve students’ lives. Not wanting to put students’ life chances before my sanity doesn’t make me a bad teacher. I never wanted to be a social activist, I just wanted to teach English. Now read the rest of the story.

 

‘Two years in, and I’m throwing in the towel to become part of the growing statistic of dropouts. You see, I never wanted to be a social activist. I just wanted to teach English.’

It may sound callous, but I did not enter the teaching profession to improve the lives of children. That’s not to say I don’t want to or think that teaching can, but my daily slog of teaching, planning, marking, monitoring and emailing, is not motivated by a burning desire for social change. This is despite the constant pressure from above to care more for the job and the lives of my students than my own sanity.
I came into teaching for three reasons: to do something related to my degree (I studied literature at university, so becoming an English teacher seemed like a logical career decision); to avoid becoming another jobless graduate statistic; and to do something challenging and not office based. A couple of years into the job, I can already spot my own naiveties with regards to my decision, but nevertheless, I stand by the fact that my decision was not motivated by the desire to “improve the chances of young people” or “foster a love of learning” in the pimply, pubescent, moody creatures we call teenagers.

Don’t get me wrong, there are aspects of my job that I love. I love being able to discuss literature with GCSE and A-level students, especially when they bowl me over with their interpretations of texts. I enjoy being a form tutor and chatting to my students about their weekend and what they got up to, hearing them gush over the sleepover they had the other night, or listening to their woes about how much French homework they get. And I’ll always maintain that young people can teach you more about the world than a whole library of encyclopedias – when they’re not being all hormonal that is.

However, the crux of the issue is this: teachers are working more hours than ever before, dealing with more difficult students and parents than ever before, and are under more stress than ever before – all under the guise that we don’t mind because we’ll do anything to improve the life chances of our students. But that’s a fallacy for me – and I am sure others too. I’m not a superhero, I just want to make a living doing something I like, with enough time and money left over to enjoy myself at the end of it.
Earlier this year, I was faced with a nightmare student, the sort who makes your heart race at 100 miles per hour as they enter the room and you realise that, to your utter dismay, they aren’t absent after all. After declaring that my lesson and decision to punish his poor behaviour was a “piss take”, he proceeded to throw things across the room and disrupt the entire lesson until he was eventually removed by senior management.
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http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/feb/14/secret-teacher-teaching-students-lives

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Social Media in the classroom:16 best resources for 2015

Many educators are hesitant to use social media in the classroom. The thought of using Facebook, Kik or Twitter could have amazing results but also go sideways if students go off task and use the media for inappropriate or personal resources. In the article written by Joy Nelson earlier this month, she gives practical guides and resources to help teachers navigate what's best for their classrooms. Here is a sample: "Social media is a powerful tool for keeping in touch with friends, getting coupons and deals from your favorite businesses, and seeing what your favorite celebrities are up to. It is also Social Media in the Classroom: 16 Best Resources for 2015

By Joy Nelson on February 3, 2015@joylizn

 

Is Social Media Right for Your Classroom?
Just because your fellow educators are using social media doesn’t mean you should jump blindly on the bandwagon. What do you need to consider when deciding if — and how much — you should incorporate social media into your teaching?

• A piece from Edutopia explains that social media is a unique form of communication that can accomplish multiple goals. It also addresses the myth that using social media in the classroom will lead to students who are always online when they ought to be focusing on other things. The links on the page can give you a feel for how other teachers are using social media.
• While the above article claims that social media is becoming a standard in education, this post from an eighth-grade teacher takes a different approach. Gail Leicht explores the debate over whether teachers should use social media to connect with students, and her conclusion is that she does not currently want to use social media for that purpose. As such, it’s a great counterpoint to consider.
• Tung Tung Chan, an experienced teacher, shares with Social Media Week why she believes that social media has a place in formal education. In her discussion, she tackles the issue that makes some schools hold back from using social media — that is, the lack of established standards to regulate student-teacher interaction.
• SmartBlog on Education summarizes the results of a poll that asked participants about their views on the risks and rewards of social media. The statistics can give you an idea about the general feelings that surround the continuing growth of social media as an educational tool.

Striking a Balance: Guidelines for Using Social Media

Safely and Effectively

How can you maintain appropriate student-teacher relationships on social media? How can you coach your students on how to use social media safely? How can you take a balanced approach to social media? The following resources dive into these questions.

• Back in November of 2014, Edudemic published an article about digital distractions and how to deal with them. It goes into strategies you can use to make sure that technology does not take over. Tips include things like creating opportunities for curiosity outside the digital realm and helping students focus on one thing at a time.
• This post at eschoolnews.com explores the boundaries and rules that schools should establish when they embrace social media. For example, the article recommends that teachers not “like” personal photos of students and that in any online classroom space, teachers should make sure that students conduct themselves by the same code of conduct that they do at school.
• If your school does not block social media access on its computers, students become vulnerable to the dangers of cyberspace. This four-minute whiteboard animation video gives succinct advice about how to stay safe on social media. The video’s sense of humor should appeal to kids of all ages. Although it is on a religious website, the thrust of the video is not preachy.
• Education Technology Solutions goes into how you can use Twitter as a teaching tool without seeming unprofessional. The principles in the article can be applied to other social media networks as well.
• A post from the University of Phoenix outlines six points for using social media in classrooms. It encourages educators to set a good example, establish online guidelines, and glean ideas from peers. It also delves into how a class Facebook page or Twitter account can be beneficial.

Make the Most of Social Media

Image via Flickr by MsC’sClassroom

Social media can serve as a fun way to establish relationships with students and help them learn. These resources give specific ideas on how you can make social media work for you.

• A brief post from dailygenius.com offers eight ideas that you can use as a launching point for integrating social media into your teaching strategy. The links in the bulleted points lead to sources that provide more details.
• A professor of biology discusses his experiences using Twitter as an educational tool. He wanted to extend the conversations beyond what happened in the physical classroom, and that is what he accomplished. Even people not enrolled in his class gave comments on topics the class was discussing.
• There are some outside-the-box ways that you can use Twitter and other social media platforms in your teaching. This post suggests things like letting your students design your Twitter page, live-tweeting field trips, and inviting guest tweeters to enrich class discussions.
• Podcasting as a social media tool often sits in the shadow of mammoths like Facebook and Instagram, but these podcasting ideas are fresh enough to merit your attention. You could have your students record current events broadcasts or use podcasting to encourage an interest in music or journalism.
• You can use a class blog to help your students hone their writing skills, to keep everyone updated on homework assignments, or for a host of other purposes. Gain inspiration from this list of class blogs that is arranged by grade level and subject. An awesome idea!
• The popular photo-sharing platform Instagram can help you engage with your students in new ways. This list detailing surprising ways to use Instagram in the classroom suggests that you use the platform to showcase students’ accomplishments and organize scavenger hunts
• YouTube is a handy tool for flipped classrooms, but its usefulness extends to more traditional setups as well. Classroom in the Future shares some intriguing ideas about how to use YouTube to your advantage.

In Short

Social media is more than a way to find cute cat videos and read the gossip about upcoming movies; it is a powerful entity that can impact how you teach and how you relate to your students. The above resources can help you refine your teaching skills related to social media.