Cyber Safety Resources for Students and Teachers

There are many good online resources to help students, parents, and teachers cope with possible digital hazards. In this post, I am going to split them into two categories: Predators and Bullies.

Predators

No, not this guy. I'm talking about the anonymous strangers who prey on the weak, whether they are sexual predators, scammers, or identity thieves. For parents and teachers, it is a matter of recognizing when there is a problem. Here are some tips the FBI gives in recognizing when your child or student may be falling victim to an online predator:

What Are Signs That Your Child Might Be At Risk Online?

• Your child spends large amounts of time online, especially at night.
• You find pornography on your child’s computer.
• Your child receives phone calls from men you don’t know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don’t recognize.
• Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don’t know.
• Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room.
• Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.
• Your child is using an online account belonging to someone else.

There are also many tips in how to deal with and prevent interactions with possible online predators.

It is also important to educate kids on how not to become a victim. The FBI also offers many tips that can be given to kids for safe internet surfing:

Safety Tips for Kids

• Never send out a picture without your parent's permission.
• Never write to someone who has made you feel uncomfortable or scared.
• Do not meet someone or have them visit you without your parent's permission.
• Tell your parents right away if you read anything on the Internet that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Remember that people online may not be who they say they are.
• Never give out your name, home address, school name, or telephone number to strangers online or in a public setting like a chat room or discussion board.

There is also a game for specifically made for the classroom, where teachers can help their students navigate the Internet called Safe Online Surfing, which is available at sos.fbi.gov. 

Bullies

Kids can not only be the targets of strangers online, but also by their peers. Often called "cyberbullying," kids can become the target of other students through direct threats, anonymous messages, name-calling, or other harassment. While there is less of a physical component to online bullying, it also does not stop. With the amount of time most children are online, it is hard to escape this kind of bullying, and even harder to intervene. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gives many tips in dealing with this issue at their website, stopbullying.gov:

Prevent Cyberbullying

• Be aware of what your kids are doing online
• Establish rules about technology Use
• Understand school rules

Report Cyberbullying

• Take immediate action
• Report it to online service providers
• Report illegal activity to law enforcement
• Report it to schools

Here is a video that your can show your kids that helps them deal with the emotional impact of bullying:

Always remember that when dealing with predators or bullies, becoming informed is crucial. Parents and teachers need to know what their kids are doing, and kids need to know what their boundaries are.

Issues with Research Implementation and Safety

How do scholars measure the effectiveness of technology integration?

The techniques for measuring the effectiveness of technology integration include collecting data, analyzing that data, and then comparing it with the control group. The collection of the data covers a wide range of observations. Teachers record their observations in journals and collaborate with colleagues on weekly reports. Researchers contribute their own observations and interviews. Assessments add non-observational data to the mix. Researchers and grad students then analyze the data by acting as an impartial third party that can compare and contrast the various data collected. In order for the data and observations to be of any use, they must be compared to a control group, often the similar observation, interviews, and data from schools that are outside the study. After all of this research, the scholars then make recommendations based on their analysis of the data and comparisons (Dwyer, Ringstaff, Haymore & Sandholtz, 1994). The criticism of this predictive research is that there is not a strong connection between it and real world problems because the results are often based on a single or limited hypothesis, which is then presented as a recommendation at the end of the study after being studied in a controlled setting. Some argue for design-based research that would incorporate practitioners into the process, allowing research to be refined through practice instead of being refined, then practiced (Amiel & Reeves, 2008).

How do we ensure safe and effective technological implementation?

The first key in safe, effective implementation is recognizing issues as they arise. As with any new technology, information technology has created safety issues—especially with children, who are likely more vulnerable to fraud and abuse because of their more cavalier attitude in posting personal information and making themselves more accessible. While children are told at a very young age not to talk to strangers for their own safety, the Internet encourages that very behavior, which makes them susceptible to scams, malware, or even sexual predators. By recognizing these issues, educators can confront them before they are a major issue, teaching students and their parents to be aware of possible cyber attacks (DeFranco, 2011). Teachers not only need to be aware of attacks on their students from strangers, but also from peers in the form of cyberbullying. The subject of cyberbullying has received a large amount of media attention in recent years, and the limited research on the subject seems to support that there is a measurable negative impact on the implementation of technology when cyberbullying behaviors run rampant. The fact that over 97% of the youth in the United States are connected to the Internet in some way makes virtually everyone a potential victim. Teachers must confront this issue in every age group to ensure safety in their classrooms (especially at the onset of puberty in  ages 12-14), making an effective learning environment through active policing, clear anti-cyberbullying policies, and strict enforcement (Tokunaga, 2010).

How do safety and effectiveness interact in technology integration?

Since technology integration is often studied in a closed environment for the purposes of predictive research, some real-world issues are often not accounted for in the conclusions drawn by researchers (Amiel & Reeves, 2008). Safety issues would likely be subject to the observer effect, which means that because teachers and researchers are using observation as a data tool, they are paying special attention to the online activities of the students in the scope of their research. The observed students are likely not acting as they normally would because they know they are being observed. In the real-world implementation of the researched technology, students are not under that scrutiny so they may be impacted by issues like cyberbullying, which in turn would limit the effectiveness of the online tools thought to enhance their learning (Tokunaga, 2010).

References

Amiel, T., & Reeves, T. C. (2008). Design-Based Research and Educational Technology: Rethinking Technology and the Research Agenda. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 11(4).

DeFranco, J. F. (2011). Teaching internet security, safety in our classrooms. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 86(5), 52-55.

Dwyer, D. C., Ringstaff, C., Haymore, J., & Sandholtz, P. D. (1994). Apple classrooms of tomorrow. Educational leadership, 51(7), 4-10.

Tokunaga, R. S. (2010). Following you home from school: A critical review and synthesis of research on cyberbullying victimization. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(3), 277-287.

Comic Life

For a few reasons, I think the best application of this program is for me, as the teacher, to create a unique presentation for my students. Let's say we're having a unit on the industrial revolution and I want the students to learn about Henry Frick (I'm deliberately not choosing someone a little more prominent because there are actually Washington, Lincoln, and even Carnegie comics out there). This would be a good way to visualize his story, helping students who learn better visually, and presenting the information in a more action-oriented, exciting manner.

I found as I was creating my comic that I was forced into coming up with captions and emphasis on the points I wanted to get across, boiling it down to the important information. I like that this altered the way I thought about the information and perhaps could be used to present information to students who have a hard time learning through reading or lectures. I am a terrible drawer, and I was able to create a two page comic in a relatively short amount of time. The most difficult part was finding the images I needed, but if you found the right one, it was easy to create the illusion that it was drawn. Because I am not a comic artist, but appreciate the medium, this is a superior way to get across information in that manner. 

Another obvious use would be to assign students to create their own historical biography. I'm open to the concept, but I think it probably wouldn't be as good. I really liked the user interface once I got used to it, but I think the learning curve for high school students, plus the temptation to get distracted with minor features, may make this project a poor use of classroom time. Since it is not a web-based program and you have to pay for it once the trial expires, it would be difficult to assign as homework, too. I think I would, however, present it as an option for a historical biography project to help those who would be better motivated by using this software. I think this is the kind of software that is useful to the right type of person, but a time sink to those who are not interested.

Here's a sample comic I made!

Issues in Professional Development for Social Studies Teachers

A career in teaching is also a career in learning and professional development is an essential component of this. As technology, research, and best practices constantly evolve, it is the duty of Social Studies educators and their institutions to make sure teachers are able to provide a modern education to the best of their abilities. In order to accomplish this, a partnership between the teachers, administrators, and parents need to embrace the concept of professional development and apply it where necessary—especially in the field of technology integration.

There is a common disconnect in Social Studies that inhibits professional development. First, the public does not acknowledge it as a field that evolves, or where professional development is particularly necessary. Part of this is the attitudes towards history in general: it is a stagnant subject that is the same now as it was 20 years ago, just with an extra 20 years. The other part is that the concentration on STEM education has lessened the public’s demand for a solid education in Social Studies. It is considered an expendable subject—nice, but not necessary. This public attitude has extended to a “gulf” between department leaders and the classroom teachers, as well as between specialists in social studies education and academic scholars (Vontz, Franke, Burenheide, & Bietau, 2007).

Because of the lack of a public demand for a rigorous Social Studies education, it is even more important for administrators and teachers to develop a partnership in professional development and mend the other chasms that prevent what is needed. One study explores a partnership with Kansas State University (KSU) and multiple school districts in creating a professional development school (PDS). They found that seminars successfully improve the learning environment when they interest the teachers and are supported by the administration, but retention, funding, and limited participation greatly inhibit this from happening (Vontz, et al, 2007).

Professional development can become even more essential when technology is involved. There is little use for a room full of new technology or a computer loaded with all the latest software when the primary facilitator is ill prepared to assist students. Teachers can develop enthusiasm for their own development by being shown the possibilities. The increase in the confidence that accompanies their continuing education could also be passed along in the classroom. Administrative support is a necessary component to provide funding and encouragement (King, 2002). Finally, the community at large needs to be supportive of the development of their educators. Just as it is vital to hire teachers with the proper credentials, it is just as vital to make sure they continue to have the proper education throughout their careers (Vontz, et al, 2007).

Professional development is not just a matter of funding, but also attitude. The demand for a proper education starts with the parents, which leads to an administration that is held accountable for the success of whomever they hire. The teachers themselves need to be motivated, both internally and externally, to seek and attend to their continuing education.

References

King, K. P. (2002). Educational technology professional development as transformative learning opportunities. Computers & Education, 39(3), 283-297.

Vontz, T. S., Franke, J., Burenheide, B., & Bietau, L. (2007). Building bridges in social studies education: Professional development school partnerships. The Journal of Educational Research, 100(4), 254-262.

Free technology for Social Studies classrooms

Here are a few examples of what could be used that is free to students and teachers:

Google Drive
Richard Sollman
http://drive.google.com
Google Drive (formerly "Google Docs") offers an open, free source to create and view word documents, presentations, spreadsheets and forms. These documents can be created through a web browser or the Google Drive App for Mac, PC, Android and iOS devices and be accessed collaboratively. The ability to access the same forms from any device allows teachers and students to create and share their work from anywhere at any time.

Sporcle
Richard Sollman
http://www.sporcle.com
Sporcle bills itself as a site for quizzes on trivia, but many of the quizzes focus on material covered in a middle or secondary classroom. There are free, comprehensive quizzes in the subjects of science, geography, history, math, language and literature that can be used as study aids or formative assessments. It also has free apps available for all major devices.

Dropbox
Richard Sollman
http://www.dropbox.com
Dropbox is free, plain and simple online depository for any data. Teachers can create folders for assignments and share it with students, allowing students to submit videos, audio files, pictures or papers. Conversely, a teacher can upload any of these and share the link with students to access. Each folder created can have its own rules, so it is versatile in how it can share with others, as well. It is also not only available online, but as an app for both desktop and mobile devices.

GovTrack
Richard Sollman
http://www.govtrack.us/
GovTrack is a comprehensive database of legislation and representatives in Congress and at the state level. It is a fantastic one-stop research tool for the civics or social studies classroom for everything relating to American legislatures. GovTrack also offers its data as an open source for developers to offer it in other forms and other devices.

Pixlr
Richard Sollman
http://pixlr.com/
Adobe software like Photoshop can be prohibitively expensive for home use, even if the prices are cut for education. Pixlr is a free, web-based tool that allows users to do most things that Photoshop can do. Students or teachers can create collages, edit photos or make graphics for presentations. It also has free apps for both Android and iOS devices.

Project Gutenburg
Richard Sollman
http://www.gutenberg.org/
All of the classics and thousands of both fiction and non-fiction books are available from Project Gutenberg. They are all free and available in formats for Kindle, iBooks and other e-readers. They can also be uploaded straight to Google Drive or Dropbox--all for free. This means teachers can assign a variety of texts without the costs of buying books for each students, changing the curriculum from year to year, or simply allowing students a wide variety of classic books for open reading or research.

MapMaker Interactive
Richard Sollman
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/mapping/interactive-map/
National Geographic offers this tool which allows teachers or students to create custom maps or download existing ones. This is a free, web-based tool for creating maps to demonstrate history, geopolitics or earth sciences. Teachers can use it to create visual aids or assign students to demonstrate their knowledge by making their own maps.

Where can I find new resources?

To the people who are living in the United States today, “Modern Technology” is a term that could mean many things. But to most, it refers to computers and the communication that is possible with the new age of interconnectedness. When I ask myself the question: “What technology is available to me?” – my first thought is “all of it.” I can get on my phone, tablet, or desktop computer and find virtually everything I want to know. If I can conceive of a task a computer program could execute for me, I type it into Google and it likely has already been written and, more often than not, available for free in some form. My thought process has to be more complex when considering applying a technology in my classroom, however. There are many aspects teachers need to take into account when determining what resources are available and how appropriate they are for the task.

Free technology resources, especially when it comes to knowledge and software, are ubiquitous. For example, teachers can choose from a half million free lessons through iTunes U, or develop their own. These courses can be interactive multimedia experiences, suited to whatever lesson is needed (Apple, Inc., 2014). But even if an educator can find or create these resources, it does not necessarily mean they are “available.” The most obvious limitation is if the students have access to the hardware (in this case, iPads). Warschauer (2000) argues that the technology is not useful, and therefore unavailable, if inequality limits the class’ ability to be an experienced user that can seamlessly integrate the technology. Classrooms should not necessarily concentrate on being teachers of technology, this does not help them in a world where technology is constantly changing, but instead use it to insofar as it helps students become respectful, responsible team members who are able to learn.

Availability of technology resources can also be limited by other factors. Fear of change can keep educators from experimenting with available technology. Lack of training or motivation can also limit their use. If a teacher does not use a technology in their personal life, it is unlikely that they will be effective in making it available to a classroom. The climate created by an administration that is impatient with technology experimentation could also be a limiting factor (Bitner & Bitner, 2002) 

Once an educator chooses an available technology, the next hurdle is deciding if it is an appropriate tool. Teachers need to integrate it in a thoughtful manner, making sure that the technology becomes an aid in learning and not the focus of it. Furthermore, the tech should be culturally appropriate, taking into account students’ environmental factors that could limit their successful usage (Warschauer, 2000). Bitner & Bitner (2002) contend that educators need training, motivation, and support in order to be able to use resources appropriately. Teaching models can help guide them in integration.

As “availability” is not simply a measure of a technology’s existence and cost, its “appropriateness” is not only a matter of an existing pedagogy for classroom use. We need to examine cultural context, personal preferences, and the needs of the community in assessing if any resource is available and can be used appropriately.

References

Apple, Inc. (2014). Creating Learning Materials for Your Course. Retrieved March 7, 2014 from https://edseminars.apple.com/event/6Wmvv-JWMt6.

Bitner, N., & Bitner, J. (2002). Integrating technology into the classroom: Eight keys to success. Journal of technology and teacher education, 10(1), 95-100.

Warschauer, M. (2000). Technology and school reform: A view from both sides of the track. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 8(4).

Animoto

Animoto is certainly a quick way to slap together an attractive, succinct slide show. Every part of it is easy to use, and the templates give a fairly wide array of possibilities (although they are mostly geared towards vacation, holiday or event photos). I do not think I would use this a lot, as there are more versatile programs that do the same thing, but I can think of a couple specific uses. 

I would use this in class if I had an array of photos I wanted to present in an eye-catching manner, so it's something nice to have if that occasion were to come. An introduction to a unit that has a lot of historical photos would be a good example. I could get several photos of the way people dressed, the technology they used, etc. and couple that with some music from that time period. This way, students get a visual and cultural idea of the way people lived in a different time. This does not have a lot of advantage over slapping pictures on a posterboard and playing music on a CD player, expect that it is much easier and accessible. 

I think having students make their own 30 second videos is another viable option. I think I would have them do this as an exercise coupled with practicing using the Internet for research. My time using Animoto was mostly spent combing through photos on Google image search and I think the ability to research is tremendously valuable. Another possibility would be for students to take photos on a field trip to a museum or historical site (like the Flagship Niagara), then compile them into an Animoto video. In both cases, while Animoto creates the final product, most of the student time can be focused elsewhere because Animoto is so quick at putting videos together.

Here is a sample video I made for a theoretical lesson on the separation of powers.

Equity

Technology has the ability to positively impact education, but there are consequences to those who do not have access because of a lower socio-economic status. There have been many efforts to bridge this inequality, but studies have found that simply introducing computer and Internet technology to underserved classrooms is insufficient. Instead of narrowing the digital divide, it has had the opposite effect. Data on newer, mobile technology suggests, however, that newer research is needed in applying the most modern technologies to the classroom.

Twenty years ago, there was a noticeable digital divide in classrooms. In the former definition, the digital divide referred to the growing amount of technology in school districts that served populations with a higher aggregate socioeconomic status (SES), while underserved areas lacked in funding to purchase computers and other modern technologies. Within ten years many of these schools had acquired much of the technology afforded to schools of a higher SES, leading many to think that the divide had been bridged and underserved schools would catch up. Acquiring similar technologies did not, however, end the digital divide. Many issues surfaced in the use of these technologies in lower-SES schools. Even though the technologies were present, teachers remained untrained in their appropriate pedagogical usage. Teachers were left to use the technology in its most simple usage instead of strategic utilization to promote inquiry and critical thought. And students themselves, while having limited access at school, would not necessarily have the continued access at home like their peers at higher-SES schools. Better-funded schools did not have these issues to the degree of the underfunded, so the divide actually widened (Warschauer, Knobel & Stone, 2004).

Now it is ten years later and technology is even more ubiquitous throughout society. While Warschauer, et al suggested in 2004 that the digital divide was widening, does more recent research suggest otherwise? Warschauer and Matuchniak looked at the issue again in 2010 and found that what was considered the digital divide is “largely resolved,” but a new one has emerged. While almost every young person has access to computers and the Internet, the way they access it is largely determined by environment. The jobs most in demand require “expert thinking and complex communication,” but the irregular access, restrictive forces of high stakes testing, a lack of cultural emphasis on technology and scarcity of research on the topic of technology and equity all contribute to underserved students not developing these skills to the degree of middle and upper-SES students. Again, it was found that even though the falling costs of technology bridged the digital divide physically, vast cultural, pedagogical and psychological gulches remain (Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010).

If the ubiquity of mobile technology change the some of the access and societal issues remains to be seen, but there are certainly changes coming. 55% of lower-SES cell phone users access the Internet from their phones, compared to 63% of all users. But, of those users, 45% of the lowest SES uses that as their main access to the Internet, compared to 34% of all users. Cell phone usage for the Internet is steadily growing among all levels of the population, especially in the lower income brackets, and for many of those households, it will be their exclusive access to the Internet (Duggan & Smith, 2013). Perhaps if the cultural access is important, more research is needed in using what is available to poorer children: the cheaper mobile technology. This will not remove the impediments of teacher training, which also needs to be addressed, but perhaps will change the cultural emphasis on large monitors and wires, shifting to a pedagogy that emphasizes mobility and interconnectedness. 

References 

Duggan, M. & Smith, A. (2013). Cell internet use 2013. Pew Research Internet Project. Retrieved February, 28, 2014, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/09/16/cell-internet-use-2013/. 

Warschauer, M., Knobel, M., & Stone, L. (2004). Technology and equity in schooling: Deconstructing the digital divide. Educational Policy, 18(4), 562-588.

Warschauer, M., & Matuchniak, T. (2010). New technology and digital worlds: Analyzing evidence of equity in access, use, and outcomes. Review of Research in Education, 34(1), 179-225.