Final Reflection on Edu 776

     I have learned so much this semester in Edu 776! Sometimes there are applications that I am interested in, or that I’ve signed up for, but I put off taking the plunge—iMovie, Aurasma, and Voice Thread come to mind! So I appreciate the opportunity to try new things.  I’ve also benefited from our discussions of a digital footprint as well as a professional presence on the web. My website and blog are a solid start!

     We are lucky to be in a district that values professional development, that conceived of a faculty cohort taking a tech class together. It’s also been great hearing teachers talk about a variety of tech tools. We need more teachers sharing about what technology they are having success with! It’s been a real pleasure working with some colleagues that I don't always get a chance to spend time with. It reminds me how important the social aspect of learning is. Our district can only benefit from the new and renewed connections between everyone. 

     There have been a plethora of resources presented during each class. I admire the fact that Nicole has tried out every tool she’s shared with  us on students. It’s been helpful seeing a veteran Tech Specialist’s collection of prezi’s, professional website with lists of links on topics such as coding or digital citizenship, and rubrics. I never would have thought to ask people if they wanted my newsletter, the way Nicole does with her teachers who then sign up to get them via Remind. Food for thought!

Remind is a messaging app perfect for schools.

(Image Source)

     In one fell swoop our cohort has gotten experience with blabberize, blogging, wordle, weebleys, wikis, prezi’s and webquests. We’ve been inspired by our fellow students’ iMovies and cool tool talks. We learned a host of transferrable skills and it's been so exciting to see D90 students doing variations of some of these. I look forward to a future D90 PD day when our cohort can share favorite ed tech learning with the rest of our community. 

Lessons in Data Mining

     In class the other night we went Data Mining for all the information we could find on a randomly assigned person. It was sobering to be able to find out information on a person’s job, home purchase, age, and even family pictures. Your mother’s maiden name used to be private and classified information—no more! There are countless websites, some of them for pay, which exist now to help people seek out personal information on others. 

     This exercise made me realize how critical it is for teachers to educate students on leaving a positive digital footprint. Students don't always understand that what they do online is often permanent. When they grow up and mature, those embarrassing pictures or comments are still available to be retrieved. I recently came across a Gaggle article on Twitter which emphasizes that nothing is private when it has been posted on the internet. Students need to learn that it is necessary to protect their reputation. We’ve all heard of the job applicant who gets edged out or even a teacher getting fired because of inappropriate Facebook pictures or comments brought to light.  


                             

                                            Gaggle tweet about Digital Citizenship

     Since it is so easy to extract information about people on the web, now more than ever it is time to take control of your web presence and ensure that you are communicating a positive image for yourself. Steve Dembo lectures passionately about the need for students to have evidence of their creative work available on the internet. He says that not having a digital footprint is worse than having a bad one! When there are only a few spots open for scholarships or admission to a prestigious school, you can bet that some admissions personnel will be googling student names in order to learn more about them. Besides, Dembo notes, wonderful work deserves to be shared with the world, not buried away. As educators we can model a positive, professional online presence for students and help them put their best digital foot forward!

                             Steve Dembo believes that teachers should help students cultivate their online presence.