Ced0599: Week Three: THIS IS IT!!!

My project is in! Let the dancing begin!

Not that I'm trying to rub it in, mind you, but the relief is overwhelming and twistingly enough, a bit sad. In the end, I have to admit that I'm very proud of the work I've done for my final proposal, simply because I opted to do something that I will undoubtedly use in September, and I really made the effort of pulling a variety of resources and Web 2.0 tools together to make the project fun and educational. As I noted previously, the more I developed my project, the more the focus became clearer and the direction to take easier. I think I have developed a very teachable unit on Internet Safety for my 5th graders, a unit that is age-appropriate and strongly supports our school's emphasis on differentiation of instruction. Students will watch videos, navigate through our Ning, post their opinions and knowledge in the Forum section and provide feedback to each other. The lesson's activities are also fun, including a computer game I found today on standing up to bullies which will give them some tools to deal with bullying. As 5th graders, many of these students will opt to attend the public school next year, so the more I can instill in them, the better.

Having completed the project, I'm also trying to think of ways that I can share my project with others. I'm also hoping that in doing so, I will see what other schools are doing in teaching Internet Safety skills to middle schoolers so that I can polish mine even more.

And that, really, is the final thought. This project will never end which, for me, is a good thing. I had already completed my 60 hours having not even touched the whole virtual world experience, so I'm fired up at the prospect of developing that aspect as the school year begins. And most of all, I'm excited for my students who will not only have fun but who will have to work very hard and will, hopefully, improve their critical thinking and writing skills.

Cedo599: Week 2 - Pulling the Threads

Okay, wow! What a change is taking place, the more I work on my project! I think for the first time, I'm seeing how the various threads are all coming together.

When I first proposed this project, my main focus was on introducing the students to a virtual environment geared towards their age group. However, the more I have pulled various aspects together, the more my focus has shifted to the whole idea of scaffolding. First, it should be noted that I have 3 kids of my own, two of which are middle school-ish, so I also come at this from a personal perspective and from personal observation. Anyway, as I have quickly observed my 7th grader in particular suddenly move from simply emailing and interacting in worlds like Club Penguin to chatting, texting, and becoming obsessed with Wizard 101, I realized that at my school, I do little to prepare the tween for this new level of online interaction and socialization. I think we expect our kids to "understand" online safety but then restrict them entirely so that by the time they turn 12 or so, they have not transitioned or experienced "virtual puberty." I was mistakingly under the impression that not only did my 12 year old know how to properly behave himself online but that he would never partake in virtual chatting without my permission or that the option wasn't even available without my consent. I didn't realize that for pretty much every interactive adventure site he visits, there is open chat. This was shocking for me.

So, again, getting back to my project, what I really see myself doing now in the fall is providing that bridge for my 5th graders. I need to push my Internet safety discussions from simply avoiding strangers to using common sense tools to create their own safe environment online. This seems a switch in teaching from "don't do that and go there," to "build a strong defense and knowledge." Perhaps this is what teaching internet safety has always been about, but, again, I don't think enough has been done for those 5th and 6th graders.

Thus, I'm excited at not only teaching great lessons on safety but still using my virtual world as a "field study" where we can apply what we've learned to our educational experience.

Cedo599: Week One - Getting it Together

So, we're finally at this moment! Yhee ha! I totally feel overwhelmed, however, to be honest. I have the proposal, but I've had a change of heart after looking more closely at the virtual website I'd like to incorporate into the social studies curriculum. The website, Wiglington and Wenks, is designed for grades 3-6, so I was going to go with it as a way to introduce 3rd grade to virtual worlds. Visually, it's perfect for them, somewhat mimicking a Club Penguin feel and look. When I started thinking about the incoming 3rd grade, however, I quickly had a change of heart. In particular this year, there will be several lower-level readers and students I know who will need much more guidance. This last group of 3rd graders I had were extremely tech savvy and independent and would have thrilled at the prospect of working their way through this virtual maze.

So, after more consideration, I've decided to go to the other extreme and use W&W as a 6th and 7th grade social studies unit. I'm hoping once the students get past the little kid look of the avatars, they'll find the website interesting and challenging. I've already spent a lot of time exploring the various geographical locations, collecting artifacts and historical figures, and I have yet to solve anything, so I'm thinking it'll keep them challenged.

My challenge right now, however, is not so much visualizing the task at hand; rather, it's trying to get all my ducks in a row, and I'm concerned that I've really bitten off more than what is realistic. As a complete unit, this will be fabulous and is certainly something I'll take directly back to my classroom in the fall. But in order to introduce W&W, I first need to review/introduce newer concepts in Internet Safety. W&W includes a great Internet Safety tutorial and is one of the first tasks students must complete in order to obtain a passport to travel. I wanted to branch off on theirs, however, an include several teaching units from Netsmartz.org. Finally, I also want students to reflect on what they're doing, so I have spent a huge amount of time, revising St. Ann's Ning that I created last year. Rather than focus only on Computer class, I have broaden the Ning to include Grades 5-7 in all subject areas and hope that I'll be able to demonstrate to the appropriate teachers how they can upload and use the Ning. But for my purpose, I am using the Ning as the gateway for everything we're doing for this project. So, that's where feeling overwhelmed comes in.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!