A Week Full of Thought Provoking Information!

This week in Internet for Education has provided me with an incredible amount of information in my journey to learn more about technology!

 

Our first presenter this week was John Finch. While I have been enjoying the different forms of online communication that we have been using in class, it was a nice change to have a face to face presentation and discussion with John. One aspect of education that John touched on that really spoke to me was that 25% of students that were surveyed in Manitoba considered themselves as being a victim of bullying at least once a week. My heart sunk when John gave this information. My first reaction was why were teachers not seeing this and intervening. Then John dropped the bombshell and said that students identified their teachers as being some of the main bullies. How can educators be failing these students in this area? Having worked in a profession where I saw first hand the effects of negative self esteem and the damage that can be done, I think that this is an area that needs to be changed immediately. As educators we are there to help protect and develop the student’s self esteem, not break it down. I was happy to see that the problem areas are at least identified, but what can we as educators do about the issue? If nothing else, John made me more aware of the situation and as a result I will be more conscious and sensitive to the issue.
Another important area that John touched on was informed consent and all that is linked to using student’s information in an online manner. I am appreciative that so many presenters are talking about this aspect of education. It is not that I was not aware that consent was important, but gaining more knowledge in the area of informed consent is important to me. The more information I have about what is appropriate as well as legal, the less chance I will have issues with information that I am gathering and sharing in an online manner.
The second speaker presented this week in Internet for Educators was George Couros. George gave a lot of insight on education from a principal’s point of view. Having spent time this week looking at my digital footprint, hearing him speak about the importance of the footprint that I am leaving, both negative and positive was validation of what I had been reading. It was reassuring to hear that a positive digital footprint will help in getting a job as much as a negative one will hurt. Often times the negative is what is talked about and focused on, but hearing that the positive is also recognized makes me want to strive to add all that I can to my digital footprint. I know it will be a part of my resume that will be viewed even though I will not be presenting it formally.
One thing that George said that really stuck with me was “connect with kids first and teach second”. If teachers really get to know their students and the students are able to develop a positive and exciting relationship with their teacher, learning will come naturally. Students will want to be in the classroom if the teacher is excited and has the respect of the students. I think this is an aspect of education that is often missing. Too often teachers are so focused on the curriculum that they forget the students they are actually teaching. By knowing the students, a teacher is able to interact and connect on a level that allows adaptations to be made to the teaching style that best suits the students and the way that they learn. If students believe that the teacher is there for them and truly cares for them as an individual, respect will follow and the opportunity for quality learning will increase.
Although both John and George focused on different areas of education and approached their topics in a different way, they both touched on a very important aspect of education for me, the students. If teachers put the students at the center of education, treat them with respect and as individuals, the quality of learning and the classroom environment can be amazing. As an educator, it is so important for me to remember why I am in the classroom. It is not only to teach the curriculum, it is to provide the students with an opportunity to learn in an environment that is focused on them as an individual, just as important as their classmate that is sitting beside them. I know that if I can have this concept in mind while teaching, my students will have a great opportunity to excel and learn to their fullest potential! Both John and George gave me a lot to think about this week as I move forward in my journey of being a connected educator.