To block, or not to block: education, not filtering, may be the best answer.Chris Lehmann, principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, had a problem. Some of the students at his first-year public high school had begun using the iChat instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or program on their school sponsored laptops in various inappropriate and disruptive ways. Students and teachers at the school were becoming upset by the messages, and, as Lehmann wrote on his Weblog See blog and Web log. (World-Wide Web) weblog - (Commonly "blog") Any kind of diary published on the World-Wide Web, usually written by an individual (a "blogger") but also by corporate bodies. , "we saw a creeping creeping 1. gradual progression of a lesion or tissue growth. 2. prostrate growth pattern of a plant, e.g. c. buttercup (Ranunculus repens), c. caustic (Euphorbia drummondii), c. charlie (Glechoma hederacea), c. loss of a sense of safety" at the school. For many school administrators, what happened next would have been a no-brainer: flip a couple of switches and say goodbye to iChat. But Lehmann took another tack, a much messier Messier is the name of :
Lehmann is not alone in facing these types of issues, brought on in large part by the way recent technologies have facilitated the creation and publication of content and online communication. But in this Web 2.0 world where districts are grappling with everything from Wikipedia to MySpace to YouTube, to about a million other sites where unedited, user-generated content The production of content by the general public rather than by paid professionals and experts in the field. Mostly available on the Web via blogs and wikis, user-generated content refers to material such as the daily news, encyclopedias and other references, movie and product reviews as is popping up, what is the best solution? A number of factors are muddying the waters, not the least of which is the extent to which many students have made tools and Web sites like these a part of their daily practice outside of school. A recent Pew PEW. A seat in a church separated from all others, with a convenient space to stand therein. 2. It is an incorporeal interest in the real property. And, although a man has the exclusive right to it, yet, it seems, he cannot maintain trespass against a person Internet and American Life study showed that 87 percent of students ages 12-17 use the Internet, and over half go online on a daily basis. Three-quarters use instant messaging programs like iChat, and an estimated 50 million teens have MySpace accounts. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , these tools have become a part of their culture, an expected and effective way for them to communicate and learn. Ubiquitous Connections In addition, the nature of these fast-evolving Web technologies is decidedly social and collaborative. Wikipedia is just one example, now boasting over 1.5 million entries in its English version, each of which has been written and revised by anyone with an Internet connection and an inclination inclination, in astronomy, the angle of intersection between two planes, one of which is an orbital plane. The inclination of the plane of the moon's orbit is 5°9' with respect to the plane of the ecliptic (the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun). to contribute. Being literate, as Wikipedia shows, now means being able to edit as well as read. And as we enter a more and more deeply linked world through cell phones, laptops and other online devices, it's only going to become more and more difficult to shut off what our students are coming to expect as a way of life: ubiquitous connections. What we risk is "a creeping sense of irrelevance ir·rel·e·vance n. 1. The quality or state of being unrelated to a matter being considered. 2. Something unrelated to a matter being considered. Noun 1. " in their eyes. The reality is that in growing numbers, when our students leave our buildings at the end of the day, they will simply turn on what we have turned off. Who will have taught them to make good decisions and act appropriately in those moments? Choosing Wisely As with most other aspects of life, succeeding in the Web 2.0 world is largely about choosing wisely. Yes, there is plenty of risk, and we have to protect our students. But there is also plenty of potential reward by teaching our students responsible use about the content they not only consume but create and share with each other. The students and faculty at the Science Leadership Academy are working through these issues together, with the iChat switch still on. It is not an easy choice, but the students will be better off. RESOURCES Chris Lehmann's Weblog Practicaltheory.org/serendipity/ MySpace Myspace.com Pew Internet & American Life Project www.pewinternet.org Science Leadership Academy scienceleadership.org Wikipedia wikipedia.org YouTube youtube.com Will Richardson is a contributing editor A contributing editor is a magazine job title that varies in responsibilities. Most often, a contributing editor is a freelancer who has proven ability and readership draw. of DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION and The Pulse: Education's Place for Debate, www.districtadministration.com/pulse. |
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