While I believe that technology in the classroom can be a wonderful learning tool, I'm hesitant to use the Internet to engage with my middle school students outside of class time. There can be a real element of parenting or cyberbullying that I do not want to spend my time policing.
I will teach my students how to use technology in a respectful manner, but I'm I feel there are too many grey areas to use features such as blogs and social media.
A Blog for students to comment on their learning process as they expand their knowledge of using technology in the classroom
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteI agree totally with what you say about using the internet to engage with students outside of class time. I have never been much of a fan of social networking anyway, and I agree that there are too many gray areas with issues that could arrive from this. Even if you give your students good instruction on how to properly use the internet in regards to social media, that doesn't always ensure that they are going to make good choices and be respectful to others. I also believe that technology can be a great learning tool and that we must teach them how to use this technology properly, but I don't feel as though we need to be engaged in a social media outlet to teach them what they need to learn.
I share your concerns about the use of technology outside of the classroom. Actually I have concerns about using technology (internet) in the classroom, therefore I tend to avoid any student use of it. I have been thinking though. I do not avoid teaching a child to read because he/she might read something inappropriate while he/she is under the supervision of a parent. I am in the process of rethinking my view on this issue asI am being dragged toward more technology:)
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