Calling teachers, principals and administrators – it’s time your voice was heard (literally) on the next E-learning Insights Vox Pop.
Studies from Australia and the United States show that children as young as 8 years old are getting online to explore virtual worlds, set up online identities, chat in chat rooms and share photos and videos.
With more sophisticated mobile phones that are capable of web browsing and recording media, students have ways of accessing online sites out of the control of parents and institutions.
There are also risks to be dealt with like online scams, hackers and stranger danger. Some problems, like cyberbullying, come from the kids themselves.
Educators - including practitioners, principals and administrators - and parents are faced with trying to find a balance between protecting kids and allowing them to use the communications tools they will need to master for a new century.
Does your institution or jurisdiction incorporate open online tools that could result in social interaction such as photo sharing, video sharing, blogs,wikis, virtual worlds into your classroom teaching activities? What about mobile phones?
If so and you are a practitioner, let us know what you use, how you use it, what age group and how you manage safety issues. What learning outcomes result from the use of these tools?
If you are a principal or administrator, do you have a formal policy in place regarding the use of online tools by teachers and students? Does your institution or jurisdiction have an internet safety education policy in place? What about one extending to mobile phones?
Leave your Vox Pop by visiting the edna Sandpit – http://sandpit.edna.edu.au , logging in and using your headset and mic to record audio on the Wimba voice board. If you aren’t registered with edna – it only takes a few minutes and it is free.
No headset? No problem! Send an email to podcasts@edna.edu.au with the subject line “Vox Pop 2: Social Media”.
Deadline for submissions is Friday, 25 April 2008.
