Caffeinate then Educate

Technology is the commodity of not only the future, but also the present. It is growing more rapidly than ever before with approximately 2.7 billion individuals engaging in social media. As the internet usage continues to rise, so does the pressures surrounding it. Anything you put virtually out into the world is no longer private. It is becoming more likely to be exposed for things you never intended for people to see, including those in your profession. Educators are becoming fired for inappropriate pictures, phrases and comments made on their social media platforms that they never expected for their school districts to see. The internet is a dangerous place in this aspect – you have to act professional even on your personal account. Lets take a look into the different technology uses that can get a teacher fired!

Following Current Students 

It is simply inappropriate to be friends with your students on any form of social media that does not involve classroom assignments. There’s a fine line between personal and professional. As their educator, you need to remain in the correct boundary by not intertwining yourself into a students personal life. Anything you see on their account is going to effect your view of them inside the classroom which becomes bias towards the remaining students. The same goes for your social media account and the students viewpoint of you. If they are exposed to inappropriate pictures, such as partying or any sexualized behavior, their respect for you as their educator may diminish. For example, Ashley Payne, a high school teacher in Windsor, Georgia lost her job in 2011 when one of her students parents found pictures of her drinking beer and wine on her Facebook page and complained to the school district. What she believed was personal suddenly became viewed as unprofessional. The viewpoints of what we see online may be different than how we perceive them in person which is why those relationships should simply remain in school.  There is a time and a place for everything and that should remain in your classroom and off of the internet.

If you are interested in reading the full story on Ashley Payne, it may be found here:

Ashley Payne Resigns

Publishing Personal Opinions

Everybody is titled to their own viewpoints, however, they should remain private and personal to those around you. When comments are shared on line many believe they are expressing themselves freely. Little do they know that expression can determine employment from unemployment. When teachers share their political beliefs, religious beliefs or inappropriate viewpoints it no longer is a personal opinion but rather a very public one. In the past teachers have been fired due to sexualized photos, racist comments and even comments made about their own students. Although they were intended for only the friends and family of the individual to see, by putting it online anybody had access to view it which in turn cost these professionals their careers. One example of this in which I found was when Christine Rubino posted on her Facebook account in 2010 referring to one of her students as the “devils spawn”. This status was leaked and Ms. Rubino lost her job because of it.

You can read of other online posts resulting in termination here:

Six Teacher Social Media Mistakes

You Are What You Share

You may re-tweet or share something on a social media app because you find it funny, however, what’s funny to you is not funny to everybody. By oversharing political opinions, sexist or racist remarks as well as anything viewed as threatening – you are at risk of inappropriate content. Putting any content that is indeed racist or sexist out into the community easily allows you to be viewed as unfit for the classroom. Many classrooms are very diverse places and knowing somebody who is supposed to be seen as leader is prejudice towards certain students is not acceptable. It is quite easy for posts to be taken out of the context in which they were intended. For example, a teacher posted a picture in which her 16 students voluntarily put duck tape over their mouth. On Facebook it was captioned “finally found a way for them to be quiet” in which the whole class participated and viewed it as a joke. The community did not find it funny and it resulted in the educator being fired from her position.

Avoid Social Media Landmines

The internet is becoming a very helpful place, as well as a very dangerous one. It is becoming very common for individuals to lose their careers, their reputations and possibly even their financial liability as they post inappropriate content. Think about why you wanted to become a teacher in the first place. It might have been to become a leader in the community. Possibly to help educate the little minds with big hearts around us. Maybe even to help shape the future. Regardless of why you began, it is our job to continue those upright morals in which we started with. We want to use our platforms to motivate our children, to be a positive example for them and help them grow in the greatest direction possible. Do not let social media take that away from you.

Welcome to a new world of education!
Thank you for stopping by to my very first “Research Response” post! As I was searching twitter using the hashtag #edtech I was intrigued to find an article by Matthew Miller titled “5 Ways Tech Can Truly Improve Learning”. As technology is on the rise today, especially amongst youth, I wanted to dive deeper into this article to understand how educators can begin to intergrade it into their classrooms.

Click here to read the article!

Moving forward, theres so much potential for technological resources to be incorporated into the “everyday” classroom setting. In the upcoming years, technology use will continue to increase so we should be allowing our children to benefit from these tools are much as possible. Here is the five ways in which the article believes we can move forward:

1. Technology Can Shorten the Feedback Loop

• With everything online being instant, it will no longer take multiple days for students to get their assignments back. Educators can provide quicker feedback to topics that children might not fully grasp, which in turn allows them to comprehend it and remember it easier.

• This is done by having educators tracking the progress of an assignment while it is still being worked on by using resources such as:

  • Google Classroom

  • Formative

  • Flipgrid

2. Technology Can Make Great Connections

• There are so many resources, both online and out in the world, that you can now virtually bring into your classroom. Example: Educators can Skype in guest speakers from all over the country, or even world, in order to help their students get a new perspective on the topics being discussed.

• Educators can also connect with their students using apps such as Remind. This allows open communication about assignments, due dates, homework questions, etc. which may allow the student to have a quicker understanding of the task at hand. For younger grades, this may also be used for the parents to directly be in connect with their child’s teacher.

3. Technology Can Help Kids Make a Difference

• The author explains explains examples in which technology has motivated students to make an impact worldwide. By introducing students to the lack of resources that others have may empower them to make a change!

  • The first story tells of a classroom who used Skype to connect with children just like them in Kenya. After seeing the lack of everyday needs some other countries face, the students raised money to purchase water filters for that very community.

  • The second story explains a program online called Free Rice, in which students can answer questions to earn rice for those in need of food around the world. It is run by the U.N. World Food Programme, yet children may view it as a fun game to play online if they have extra time throughout the day.

• It is heartwarming to see that there are so many opportunities for students to make a difference on an average school day. By allowing time to visit these websites after assignments are completed we are contributing to those in need without even realizing it.

4. Technology Can Take Students There

• Field trips can be expensive, chaotic or impossible if not near the school district. By having access to Google Maps Street View it allows the students to get a better understanding of a destination without having to physically go there. It has never been easier to see the world in a whole new light from the comfort of your classroom.

5. Technology Can Help Us Find Ideas 

• Educators can now connect on social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, in order to obtain new ideas for teaching methods or lesson plans. Not only does this allow your own educator growth but your ideas may also assist other classroom educators worldwide with their curriculum.

Does tech actually improve learning?

I believe this article has validated many proper uses of technology in the classroom. Students are learning how to use devices at alarmingly younger rates. As educators, we have to use these resources and alter them to fit the students needs in curriculum. It is no longer beneficially for them to simply take notes with pencil and paper anymore but to instead be engaged in the material they are working on in order to better comprehend it. By using some of the resources discussed in the article, as well as the many others out there, we would increase the benefits our students are receiving.