3 Reasons Why Digital Detox is So Enticing

3 Reasons Why Digital Detox is so Enticing

Photo Courtesy of:  Shutterstock

I can honestly say I've never posted a picture of my mealtime food on Facebook or Instagram.  However, I can also honestly say that I've seen it done dozens of times.  What is the attraction of sharing our food, or our mundane activities such as watching the latest episode of Arrested Development, with quasi-total strangers?  I don't get it.  In this post, blogger Sam Hailes ponders 3 attractive reasons to give up our obsession with electronic connectedness.

Hailes likens quitting the Internet to quitting smoking in terms of its difficulty.  Still, he cites a recent event in the UK where as many as 600,000 people deleted their Facebook accounts, the first step in a total digital detox.  Another example Hailes provides is a restaurant which provides a 5% discount to patrons who give up their phones for the duration of their meals.  Brilliant.

The first reason for digital detox, according to Hailes, is the sheer size of the Internet and the breadth of information available.  It's overwhelming, he says, as nearly 450 million blogs are currently available in English alone.  With so much information, it's difficult to determine what sources are legitimate, which are scams, and which ones are outright dangerous.

Second, Hailes points to clogged brains resulting from the multitude of tasks and resources with which users are bombarded each day.  At some point, he says, we just have to shut it down.  Those of us who are guilty of having as many as ten tabs open at a time find little room for anything else.  And the portability of our devices means that those tabs, those social media sites, those e-mails, follow us wherever we go.  Our brains get clogged.

Finally, the author argues that the distractions caused by our devices and our electronic connection are very limiting.  When we are able to do so many things at once and with relative speed, it's difficult to do any one of them well.  Hailes ends his post with a call to action, a challenge to see if you (readers) have what it takes to turn off, power down, and detox from the digital distractions that clog our brains and prevent us from paying attention to the things that really matter, such as personal relationships or physical activity.

I'd like to say more, but I've been so moved by this post that I'm going to log off now and go for a walk. I'll see you on the other side.

Do BYOD Programs Encourage Bullying?

Do BYOD Programs Encourage Bullying?

Photo Credit: fishbraintexas via Flickr

Time was, one of central arguments in support of school uniforms was that they create an atmosphere of "sameness," where students would not be ridiculed or bullied for having less-than-fashionable clothing or for being unable to afford the newest trends.  Seems like that argument can now be extended to electronic devices.  Some schools that are not able to afford 1:1 devices are encouraging students to bring their own.  While this kind of policy would put tablets, phones, laptops, or e-readers in the hands of students, and students who bring their own devices to school would be more comfortable by using their own personal devices, it does beg the question of equality.  

According to Albert Roberts, a high school teacher from the UK, "By allowing people to bring in their own devices, employers and schools create a greater consistency between how employees and students normally access information and learn, and the standards set within the workplace and the classroom."  Roberts goes on to explain that schools, particularly those with lower budgets, can free up their ICT programs to be more flexible with internal networks and setting up class projects.  However, this uniformity comes at a cost.  

In addition to potential security breaches and network security being compromised, the specter of bullying remains a threat.  Out of date devices or devices which lack the proper appeal may cause students to belittle others, and students whose devices don't measure up may feel ashamed.  This kind of bullying and the perceived gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" are exactly the thing schools are  trying to avoid today.

One suggestion offered by Roberts is a shared purchasing scheme, where the school would buy a number of devices at discounted rates, and then issue them to low-income students for use at school.  Roberts acknowledges that this doesn't solve the gap between BYOD and school equipment, but he posits this idea as just one possible alternative.  Ultimately, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.  Schools need to have specific policies in place to regulate the use of BYOD equipment for academic purposes, and they need to create an atmosphere of cooperation and acceptance relative to the use of those devices.

Bringing Web Tools to Gatsby's Party: A Digital Path into a Jazz Age Classic

Bringing Web Tools to Gatsby's Party: A Digital Path into a Jazz Age Classic


(L-r) CAREY MULLIGAN as Daisy Buchanan and JOEL EDGERTON as Tom Buchanan in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ drama “THE GREAT GATSBY,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures © 2013 Bazmark Film III Pty Limited

At my school, the English 10 (sophomore) curriculum includes a study of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This year, with the much-anticipated release of the Baz Luhrmann film version of the novel, a greater emphasis was placed on the study of Fitzgerald's book, and we recently took the entire sophomore class on a "field trip" to view the film at a local cinema. Connecting the book to the movie was a rewarding experience which offered ample opportunity for discussion and comparative journaling.

Orlando, Florida teacher Lee Ann Spillane, however, points out that viewing the movie does not make students better readers of the prose, and so she offers several ideas in this blog about how to incorporate technology into the teaching of the classic 20th century novel.

Spillane begins by explaining the ways in which she teaches her students to "play with the text." By using Wordle to artfully arrange text in a word cloud, Spillane argues that her students are satisfying the Common Core standard of "analyzing the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone." Another, similar application is Tagxedo. The importance and frequency of words in a selection of text are represented by a larger font, and, according to the author, arrangement of text appeals to our sense of play and our creativity.
Another technology Spillane uses in teaching Gatsby is the "find" feature on Google Books. By pressing "control" + "f", students can type in text and search for patterns in text and locate the frequency of specific words. For example, the word "green" appears in Gatsby 13 times, while the word "white" appears 29 times. Fitzgerald's use of colors like green, to represent the longing Gatsby for feels Daisy when he views the green light at the end of her dock, or like white to represent Daisy's innocence and naivete, can come to the fore of a discussion using this feature.

"When we use Google Books to trace patterns in text," says Spillane, "students begin to wonder, to hypothesize, or as Brian Cambourne says, to 'approximate' what real critics do (Allen and Gonzalez 1998, 132). I can hear it in their voices and see it as they creep closer to the monitors to get a better look at the latest search results." This level of engagement is refreshing, especially when teaching a book like The Great Gatsby, with which students often find it difficult to navigate the vocabulary and syntax of Fitzgerald's prose.

The Arbitrary Albatross: Standardized Testing and Teacher Evaluation

The Arbitrary Albatross: Standardized Testing and Teacher Evaluation


Photo credit: wfryer via flickr

Author and teacher Aaron Pribble reignites the discussion over the legitimacy of using standardized test scores to evaluate teacher performance.  Like most teachers, Pribble is opposed to the idea, and he blogs about his rationale in The Arbitrary Albatross:  Standardized Testing and Teacher Evaluation.

Pribble begins by pointing to the lack of precision offered by the results of a single test.  According to Pribble, "student results from standardized tests should not be used to evaluate teachers because the data are imprecise and the effects are pernicious.  Including such measures is both unfair to teachers and detrimental to student learning."  Pribble points to two primary flaws in standardized testing:  individual and environmental factors affecting student performance; and random variation that may cause a fluctuation in scores not related to teacher efficacy.  Both, the author argues, are unfair.  For example, environmental factors such as a student's socioeconomic standing, motivation, or family issues may adversely affect a student's scores.  Further, the performance on a one-time test may be negatively affected by things beyond the teacher's control, such as the amount of sleep a student receives, illness, or other emotional issues.

Pribble also points out that high-stakes testing can lead to cheating or at least a "teaching to the test" mentality. As an example, he points to the Atlanta Cheating Scandal, arguing that connecting teacher evaluations or pay to the results in, "a perverse incentive to manipulate the system."  In addition, Pribble claims that standardized tests do not lend nicely to higher-order thinking; rather, they encourage rote recall of facts and statistics that do not produce the rigor that most good teachers require in their classrooms.  Bubble sheet testing does not a scholar make.

The author ends with a suggestion for reform, a call to action that includes student input and responsibility for learning, and an evaluation of a student's work over  a period of time (think: portfolio).  By video-taping lessons, evaluating a range of student performances, and engaging peer feedback, the administration can gain a much better insight into a teacher's efficacy than by looking at scores on a single standardized test.

The Impact of Shakespeare

The Impact of Shakespeare on Teachers and Students

Photo Credit:  eaglebrook via flickr

"Rediscover Shakespeare and rediscover enthusiasm for the written word."  This call to action by blogger Heather Wolpert-Gawron challenges teachers to re-envision Shakespeare in a way that brings his writing to life for any age.

Beginning with an admission that Shakespeare's writing is sexier than E.L. James and more violent than Quentin Tarantino, Wolpert-Gawron speaks to the timelessness of Shakespeare's themes and the appeal his work might have on a modern audience.

She points to her own love affair with The Bard and cites lines from Henry IV which helped her to find herself and make better choices in her life.  The author went on to study Shakespeare in London, even earning a role in a production of Macbeth before an emergency appendectomy sidelined her on the eve of the performance.  She blames the legendary curse of uttering the play's title on set as her own mistake.

Wolpert-Gawron laments the fact that Shakespeare has a "bad rap" in high schools, and the claim that his writing is best reserved for older students.  She argues instead that Shakespeare's words open doors to literature for students of all age, and that those words are more accessible than we give them credit for.  Later, the author reveals the connection between Shakespeare's plays and other content areas, such as science, history, and math/business.

I have taught Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream during my career, and each play had a brilliant message, ironic plot twists, well-drawn characters, and clever word play.  The genius of Shakespeare is undeniable, and the potential of changing his plays to suit a modern audience is something Shakespeare would have embraced, I think.  My high school performed A Midsummer Night's Dream last fall, and the story's setting was updated to the 1960s.  A clever and unique interpretation that totally worked.  And therein lies the point.  Wolpert-Gawron says that we need to rediscover Shakespeare and make his writing relevant and exciting for 21st century students.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall:  How Can I Be a Better Teacher Next Fall?

Image Credit:  iStockphoto

This blog post by Dr. Richard Curwin, the author captures nicely the thoughts that run through every teacher's mind this time of year.  For me, it was just yesterday that I was furiously scratching notes to myself on how I'd handle next year differently.  I had made an interesting connection between two of the books I teach, and so I couldn't wait to make that connection in a lesson next year.  Further, I'm currently learning about Project-Based Learning, and I'm excited to make my curriculum more relevant without sacrificing rigor.

In this post, Dr. Curwin reflects on these ideas and more as he reflects on his own experience as a teacher and challenges teachers to espouse a six-step sequence.  First, he suggests that teachers must be willing to change, to embrace the need for change or improvement.  Next, he recommends making a list--a master list-- of four things:  a) Major things you will definitely do; b) Minor changes you will will make; c) Major things you will never do; and d) Minor things you will never do.  It is interesting how Dr. Curwin focuses in this post  on the things one will not do as well as the promises for change.

Dr. Curwin's writings also challenge teachers to put themselves out there for constructive criticism.  He suggests having students write essays, or role-play the teacher (you) in an effort to point out the effectiveness (or lack thereof) in their instruction.  This, of course, can be intimidating and yet effective in making change that matters to students.  Finally, Dr. Curwin recommends a 5 x 7 note card on which students write things that helped them learn on one side, things that hindered their learning on the other.  From this, a teacher can finalize the Master List for improvement in the fall.

The idea of ending one school year on a positive note, but looking with anticipation toward the next, of constantly seeking self-improvement, of finding ways to do things better and to engage students in a more authentic way is not new.  This post just reminded me that, even when I think I've nailed it, feedback from my students may send me in a fresh direction.

The Digital Lives of Teens: Code-Switching

The Digital Lives of Teens:  Code Switching

As recently as three years ago, the high school where I teach adopted a very strict, very specific policy regarding use of cell phones and iPods in class.  Simply put, those items were banned from classroom use.  We had more than one occurrence of students texting test questions to one another, and one student even used her camera phone to take a snapshot of a test page and send it to a classmate.  Now that smart phones and iPods have wireless capabilities, the integrity of classroom assessments and other materials is even more compromised.  Students, for example, could take digital images of their notes and open them during a test, the 21st century version of crib notes.

So what do we do with a generation of learners whose connectedness and affinity for all things electronic?  How can we harness that style of learning and use it for the greater good?  The idea of code switching, moving rapidly from text-centered, lecture/discussion classrooms in school to social media, smart phone texting outside, can lead to difficulties like "coping fatigue, confusion, missteps and distractions," according to NPR blog host Gene Demby.  The blog cites examples such as a student hopping quickly from one source of digital media to the next at home, such as texting, watching You Tube, and Facebooking, but in class struggles to stay focused on a singular activity, even when that activity requires the use of a tablet or laptop.  Violation of school policy is tempting and almost unavoidable when technology is used for academic work.  Some classes are beginning to allow smart phones and tablets or e-readers to do labs or other activities, even while the school explicitly forbids use of such devices.  The dilemma is how to foster the use of technology in a focused, engaging manner while protecting the integrity of classroom assessments.  

Some suggestions for managing this dilemma including a migration to project-based assessments which require collaboration and allow students a choice in their own learning.  A movement away from traditional summative assessments seems to lay on the horizon, and the code switching that helps to define the current generation of students may become mainstream in the classrooms of tomorrow.  

10 Technology Skills That Will No Longer Help You Get A Job

I found this article interesting because, in a world where the workplace is rapidly changing, the jobs that are available today may not exist tomorrow.  It seems like just a few short years ago, skills with programs like Adobe Flash, Windows XP, as well as PC Support and Systems Management were in high demand.  Now, according to author Brian Hall, the jobs once held by people with these skills are becoming obsolete.  A survey of 1,100 tech-hiring professionals, created by DICE, reveals that many tech skills are becoming out-dated, and specific technologies are evolving at a rapid pace.  Hall points out that skills such as software support or search engine optimization are falling by the wayside, citing "the explosion of smartphones, apps, and real-time location information," especially social media recommendation, as the reason for a decline in the importance of search results.  The evolution of the workplace in the past fifty years has been so dramatic that this realization begs the question of what the next fifty years might hold.  By the time a student completes a four-year degree or an extended training program, the skill/degree may no longer be in demand.  Simultaneously frightening and exciting.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog for EDU 653.  I am looking forward to expanding this blog as I expand my understanding of the Read/Write Web.  Welcome, everybody!