Teachers and Social Networking Sites

We’ve all been made aware of the benefits and of the negatives of social networking sites, particularly as they relate to our children and students.  We’ve learned to caution them about the content and photos that they post, because even if they think that their profile is private or only available to friends, it could live on forever and be reviewed when they are applying to colleges, jobs, etc.

Well, lately there’s been some press and publicity about the way some teachers use these sites.  And, I hope that you will be using extreme caution about what you are posting, as well. An example of this is in the following quote, “Like several other teachers interviewed, Webster said she thought her page could be seen only by people she accepted as "friends." But like those of many teachers on Facebook, Webster's profile was accessible by the more than 525,000 members of the Washington, D.C., network. Anyone can join any geographic network.  Washington Post April 2008 When Young Teachers Go Wild On The Web: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/27/AR2008042702213.html

Colleges and universities are not the only places that are checking into social networking sites. According to that same Washington Post article, “ Local school officials said they don't necessarily scrutinize Facebook when they conduct background checks on teachers. But in some parts of the country, they do.”  "I know for a fact that when a superintendent in Missouri was interviewing potential teachers last year, he would ask, 'Do you have a Facebook or MySpace page?' " said Todd Fuller, a -spokesman for the Missouri State Teachers Association, which is warning members to clean up their pages. "If the candidate said yes, then the superintendent would say, 'I've got my computer up right now. Let's take a look.' "

In the May 12, 2009 issue of eSchool News there is an article that states, “While the legality of denying college admissions based on social-networking information is untested, employers in the United States can decide not to hire an applicant solely based on his or her web-based photos, blog entries, or videos, according to the study.

"There is little guidance, [because] many situations simply have not been tested in court," says the study, which was written by Nora Ganim Barnes, chancellor professor of marketing and director of the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts' Dartmouth campus

In addition to being cautious about what you post online, there is another controversial issue that is particular to teachers: should teachers friend their students and vice versa?  This poses several questions: What should you do if you see inappropriate pictures posted by your students?  Do you really want your students to view your personal life? Does being your students “friend” lead to other more familiar, inappropriate behavior?

Teachers across the country in recent years have been fired or suspended for online postings. The incidents have divided educators. Some say teachers can use social networking sites to help students, who communicate regularly online. Others say the risks are too great. They say some cases of teachers having inappropriate relationships with students started with electronic messaging.” Teachers and Facebook: Privacy vs. Standands, Charlotteobserver.com, Nov 14, 2008

In the current issue of Learning & Leading with Technology  there is an article that presents two opposing points of view.  It’s entitled “Can Facebook Replace Face-to-Face? “  Learning & Leading with Technology, September/October 2009

I think that these are untested waters and that there is a huge benefit for teachers to be able to use a social networking site for educational purposes.  However, there are many negatives that go along with this: privacy issues, confidentiality, inappropriate behavior and more.  How do you feel about this?  Do you think there should be laws or school policies regarding this issue?  Please share your opinions…we want to hear from you.

Single Sex Education

Recently, there was an article in the New York Times that I found to be very interesting.  It was on the topic of gender- based education.  This has been a controversial topic for some time.  But, it has become more popular amongst public schools lately, since in 2004 there was a federal regulatory change that gave public schools freedom to separate girls and boys.  Until that time, it was mostly limited to private school education.

Under Title IX, the 1972 law that banned sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal funds, single-sex classes and extracurricular activities were largely limited to physical education classes that include contact sports and to sex education.  The new rules, first proposed by the Education Department in 2004, are designed to bring Title IX into conformity with a section of the No Child Left Behind law that called on the department to promote single-sex schools.

In the 2008-2009 school year, there will be 392 public schools in the U.S. with single-sex educational opportunities, although most of those schools only have single-sex classrooms and do not separate boys and girls on a school-wide basis.

After much research, I’m not sure that there are significant results.   
These are some of the arguments in favor:

1. Some studies show that boys and girls have different learning patterns and these differences can be addressed in a single-sex environment to ensure each gender is learning up to their potential, especially in underperforming schools.
   
   
2. Single-sex schools diminish academic stereotypes and give freedom to boys and girls to pursue their interests despite what may seem “normal” for their gender.
   
   
3. Some studies show that girls become more reclusive and tentative during their adolescent years while boys become more outspoken.  Separate classrooms for girls could allow them to flourish and feel more comfortable participating in class.

These are some arguments against:

1. Separate classrooms for separate genders may reinforce or encourage academic stereotypes, such as the idea that boys are better in the sciences and girls are better in the humanities.
   
   
2. Same-sex schooling was originally established for women because they were seen as intellectually inferior to men, therefore, if they are separated from men once again, public schools could revert back to this sexist notion that women do not belong in the classroom with men.” 
   http://www.teacherscount.org/issues/singlesex/index.shtml

According to The Early Ed Watch Blog,

“Gender-based education is the notion that "Boys and Girls Learn Differently"--that's even the title of a book by Michael Gurian, one of the leaders of a cottage industry that's grown up to promote the idea. Specifically, it's the idea that recent neuroscience research shows significant difference in male and female brains and that as a result educators must employ different approaches in teaching male and female students. Unfortunately, many of the arguments for gender based education are bunk--and often have more to do with outdated gender stereotypes than the cutting edge research proponents claim they're based on.”
http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early-ed-watch/2008/problem-gender-based-education-2517

I’m going to list several links on this interesting topic for you to pursue.  I hope that you will read them and come to your own conclusions about this controversial subject.

1. The Problem With Gender Based Education
   http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early-ed-watch/2008/problem-gender-based-education-2517
   
   
2. Boys and Girls Together Taught Separately in Public School
   http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/education/11gender.html?_r=2
   
   
3. K-12 Single Sex Education: What Do the Researchers Say?
   http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-2/sex.html
   
   
4. Single Sex vs. Co-ed: The Evidence
   http://www.singlesexschools.org/research-singlesexvscoed.htm

 

New Beginnings

Everyone remembers where they were during certain times in their lives: President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Martin Luther King’s assassination, September 11, 2001, and quite possibly, the inauguration of the United States’ first African American President Barack Obama. On January 20, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our new president. This is such a significant event in our lives, but how does it impact our kids, how can they become involved and what activities are there that they can participate in? So I thought it would be relevant to offer resources to parents and teachers that are useful to use to engage kids about the inauguration and to make this a more memorable experience for them.

For example, the C-Span Student Cam Contest: A Message to the New President is open to middle and high school students who create a five- to eight- minute video exploring an issue for the new president to address. Seventy-five student prizes and 11 teacher prizes totaling $50,000. will be awarded. The entry deadline is 1/20/09. Log onto www.studentcam.org for more information.

Children across the country can participate in the Legacy Project's Web of Dreams. They’ll deliver the students messages to President-Elect Barack Obama for his inauguration on January 20, 2009. The Legacy Project is using the power of the Web to bring all young people together to share their dreams. You can learn more at http://www.legacyproject.org/programs/webofdreams.html Your voices can also be heard at http://change.gov/

Nickelodeon TV, the children’s network, is going to cover its first presidential inauguration. Young reporters Lily Collins, rocker Phil Collins’ daughter, and J.J. (Nickelodeon would not release his last name) will be in Washington on Jan. 20 to show Barack Obama’s inauguration from a pint-sized perspective. Throughout the presidential campaign, Nickelodeon found that interest among its young viewers matched that of the adults. Nick’s own online “election” had 2.2 million children voting, with kids supporting Obama over John McCain (51 percent to 49 percent) in a closer margin than the real election.

There are also several sites that offer art activities, lesson activities, activities in which students write letters to the president, create presidential portraits, complete an inauguration trivia hunt, and much more. There are activities to do in class, as well as at home with your children. You can go to: http://holidays.kaboose.com/inauguration-day.html and to http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson219.shtml

In case anyone with children is attending the inauguration, there is a Children’s Inaugural Ball that is designed as a celebration to welcome America's 44th President, as well as the 111th Congress, and an opportunity to highlight the needs of our children and families in the midst of a very special moment in history. There will be live music, magic and entertainment, interactive exhibits, including the National Air & Space Museum, the National Aquarium, the National Children’s Museum, National Geographic Kids, the National Zoo and more. To learn more about this, go to http://www.everychildmatters.org/National/Campaigns/Ball-FAQ.html

I hope you can celebrate this special moment in time with your students/children. I welcome your suggestions and opinions, and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

These Uncertain Financial Times

These are uncertain times for us financially and politically.  Everyone has to tighten their belts and children don’t always understand, or are informed of, what’s going on.  We, as parents, want to protect our kids, but are we helping them if we are silent about the financial environment?  Sometimes when kids see their parents whispering about things or pretending that nothing is wrong, they imagine the worst.  They think that someone is sick or something and it becomes very scary, scarier than the real situation.  Therefore, it’s important for parents to share some of what is happening. 

 

First of all, an explanation of the economic environment has to be age appropriate.    “What younger kids are looking for is reassurance,” says Janet Bodnar, deputy editor of Kiplinger’s Person Finance magazine and author of  “Raising Money Smart Kids.”  “You may have to address this, if only to reassure them.”

 

Talk about things that are relevant to them.  The following website uses the price of gas and it’s impact in relation to the “ripple” effect on the economy in terms of cereal, for example.  Kids can see the relationship between the rising price of gas, the farmers using machines to harvest grain, the packaging of the cereal in boxes that are made from trees that need to be cut and shipped and trucked to the supermarket, thereby affecting the price of cereal.

 

A slide show of “ 6 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Kids” might be helpful, as might this narrative at Fox Business News.

 

Another website that is great for kids and parents is www.minyanland.com   “Minyanland         was created as a platform to engage and entertain a young generation so they understand the concept of a market and the basic economics and finance on a real-world level” It is free, and was designed in conjunction with the National Council on Economic Education   The premise is that the more a child learns, the more the child earns.

So, although no one thinks this economic environment is a good thing, you can use this time to teach your children about budgets, savings, sharing, helping and contributing to family life.  They can help clip coupons, set out a lemonade stand, or deliver newspapers.  They can give up ballet lessons, the latest new video game and participate in helping the family.  These are important life lessons and your kids will be stronger and better for it!

Summer Learning Loss

It's well into the middle of the summer, and everyone is into that "out of school" relaxation mode.  There's no homework to be done and life seems to be more laid back.  However, the effects of being away from school for such a long period of time are often detrimental to academic achievement.  Harris Cooper, Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, states that "summer loss in knowledge is approximately one month overall".  So, taking three months off in the summer cuts the school year down to 8 months.  In math, students lose 2.6 months (Center for Summer Learning (jhu.edu).

Karl Alexander and Doris Entwisle, sociologists at Johns Hopkins University, found that there is a difference between lower income students and middle class students with knowledge retention over the summer. While both groups improve at similar rates during the school year, low-income students lost more knowledge over the summer. By the end of 5th grade, low-income children fell more than two years behind middle-class students in verbal achievement and 1½ years behind in math.  http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/summer_vacation_slide

Three approaches to preventing summer learning loss are offered most often: extending the school year, providing summer school, and modifying the school calendar. http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-5/summer.htm  This website offers the arguments for and against changing the school calendar.

In any event, some really good fun activities to continue learning experiences over the summer are recommended by parents on the following website:

http://community.greatschools.net/category/71/browse/?type=advice 

Learning tips are also offered by Frederick County Public Schools staff.   The following are tips, which they suggest: http://gazette.net/gazette_archive/2005b/200527/frederickcty/education/283876-1.html

• Visit the library.
• Encourage children to keep a journal or write letters.
• Plant a garden or window box together.  Let your child pick the seeds or seedlings and read the instructions.  Set up a chart for care of the plant.
• Figure out mileage and travel experiences together for family trips.
• Cook together from recipes.  Plan a menu, and shop for ingredients together.  Take advantage of chances to reinforce math skills like fractions and measurements. 
• Plan family game nights.  Select games that require thinking skills and strategic moves.
• Help children with summer jobs to develop a budget and savings plan for their earnings.

There are many activities you can do to keep your children learning over the summer. Activities for all subject areas are recommended on the following website: http://school.familyeducation.com/summer/family-learning/36089.html 

So, stop the summer brain drain and keep your kids thinking!

Autism

Much has been written about autism, and there's been great debate about the controversy surrounding its cause and treatment.  There's even been controversy around the search for a cure, as there is a population that doesn't think that a cure is even necessary.

I find this topic extremely interesting, but I think there are several facts to consider.  First of all, a diagnosis of "Autism" is not so clear- cut.  There is a large spectrum and varying degrees of involvement and symptoms in which the term "Austism" fits.  It ranges from mild to severe, and that is why it is called a "spectrum disorder", which includes Asperger Syndrome http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/385 .

There are several websites that I would recommend that comprehensively cover the identification, treatment, and symptoms of the autistic child.  I would suggest http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism/complete-publication.shtml and http://www.autismspeaks.org/  Another website that includes resources for education and schools is  http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/389#Causes

What I find so interesting is the controversy surrounding the cause and treatment of autism.  On one side, are the groups of people that believe that Thimersol/mercury that was in vaccines was the cause of autism in children.  There have been many cases that state that the child was developing normally until they were given vaccines and then they started to regress.  A strong argument is presented on this website: http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2004/03/02_354.html

Contradicting this is research that was done and reported in the New York Times and other media.  You can read this article at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/health/08autism.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Lately, there has also been controversy about treatment and finding a cure.  Recently, there was a very interesting article in New York magazine that discussed the Autism Rights Movement, activists that celebrate atypical brain function as a positive identity. To read this article, go to http://nymag.com/news/features/47225/ There are also many interesting articles written by people with autism that offer their perspectives:  http://neurodiversity.com/weblog/article/26/ and http://www.autistics.org/library/dontmourn.html

There are no easy answers or solutions, but there is one area in which everyone seems to be in agreement; progress can be achieved by early detection and early intervention. In my opinion, this is a highly controversial, interesting topic that is worthy of further exploration by parents and teachers.

Breathe Easy. Play Hard

I’ve noticed that there have been many articles written about the rise in the incidence of asthma in children.  There has been a particularly high increase in urban areas.  This topic is a concern for parents, school nurses, teachers, coaches and children.

 

Should these children be permitted to play outside and run around in the younger grades?  Should they be allowed to play team sports as they get older?  Do they have to be sidelined to be healthy?

 

There is a wonderful website that is written by a prominent pediatric pulmonologist that addresses these questions as well as many other aspects of this issue:  www.breatheeasyplayhard.com

 

This site is written in lay terms and discusses causes, symptoms, management, what triggers attacks, and more.  It also provides interviews and videos with celebrities such as Lindsey Lohan, Liza Minelli, NY Ranger players, politicians, musicians, athletes and just regular kids.

 

The Starlight Starbright asthma game, Quest for the Code®, found on www.breatheeasyplayhard.com, weaves education about asthma management into an engaging adventure that will have kids and teens playing for hours.  Quest for the Code® combines asthma education with rich graphics, an engaging storyline and the talent of eleven top celebrities to help kids learn how to manage their asthma.  There’s even a space where a parent or child can email Dr. Janis Schaeffer with a question and receive a response.

Your child or student does not have to sit on the sidelines and not feel good about him/herself anymore.  Please learn more by visiting this website and help to spread the word about this prevalent and common disease.

Win/Win/Win for Teachers, Students and Parents

We all want to be able to make a difference in education and in children's lives.  However, not everyone is able to make the large donations often associated with philanthropists who donate to the public school systems.  Here is your chance to contribute; http://www.donorschoose.org allows anyone to donate, from the smallest amount to a large one, to impact public school education and children's lives.

Hundreds of school projects are listed at http://www.donorschoose.org, projects that are posted by teachers in schools that don't have the funding to cover them.  DonorsChoose.org is dedicated to addressing the scarcity and inequitable distribution of learning materials and experiences in our public schools. This is a website for teachers to request funding for innovative ideas for their classrooms, as well as a place for individuals to be able to donate to a worthwhile cause.

Project proposals at DonorsChoose.org range from "Where Did All the Pencils Go?" ($60), to "Dictionaries for At-Home Use" ($259), to "Geological Field Trip" ($2,000). Most proposals are not simply requests for materials, but fantastic ideas for helping students learn. You choose the project that is of interest to you and there is complete accountability by the organization. DonorsChoose.org provides "end to end" integrity. They screen each project proposal before posting it online; purchase the materials for the teacher (shipping directly to the school), and compile photographs, student thank-you notes, and a teacher impact letter as feedback for the donor(s).

Teachers, you CAN teach that innovative lesson!  Just post your request on http://www.donorschoose.org.  Parents you CAN make a difference in public school education, and also donate in memory or honor of someone!  Just look at the proposals at http://www.donorchoose.org.  You'll be helping teachers, you'll be helping students and you'll be helping yourself!