This week's assigned project tasked us with assembling a website for our class. All of our IT 645 projects would eventually be uploaded to the site, creating a set of instructional materials that can be accessed online. Our reading centered on Internet basics and how web-based tools can be used in the educational setting. Once again I found myself wishing we had some of the technology being described, but that's besides the point. Technology literacy is a valuable component of a person's skill set, be it in a classroom or out in the working world. Exposure to such tools as Wikis, virtual worlds, and podcasting can break past the barriers of traditional classroom settings and provide opportunities for collaboration and idea sharing, a key part of any type of instruction.
This week's chapter touched on digital citizenship and how teachers are faced with being both productive and responsible users of technology. As I started to put my website together, my first thought was to keep it subject and grade relevant. With so much information out there, it would be easy to go overboard with content that was well past the 6th grade level of comprehension. I then tried to remember that this website would be accessed at home by the students and I needed to maintain a professional approach. From creating a simple word document to a more involved video, I tried not to veer off subject and end up in some rabbit hole somewhere. I often sat back and thought about seeing my work plastered on the front page of a newspaper somewhere. You remember what those are, right? Anyway...that's a rabbit hole to avoid for now. As I learned in a business ethics class, if you would be embarrassed to have your actions shown on the evening news, then it's probably not a good idea. I feel the same way about communication via documents or multimedia tools. Students should be taught to take pride in what they create and post for others to see. I would hope that most parents today are interested in what sites their children are visiting, although I know that is not always the case. Social media tools dominate today's communication venues for all ages and users need to know how to participate so safely. We seem to take it for granted that anything posted via these tools will be viewed by only our intended audience. First Amendment rights come with huge responsibilities that need to be learned as well as passed along. We've all heard the chants proclaiming "free speech" but members of society must use it wisely. Chapter 9 recommended having NetSmartz, an multimedia tool that can be used to teach students about digital citizenry. I may include a link to that somewhere in my project at some point. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my weather lesson website and maybe learn something new along the way.