During the last few weeks in my EDTC300 class we have been focusing on the topic of digital identity. There’s many different ways one can explain digital identity. One I think reflects it best though is “Your digital identity is a permanent collection of data about you that is online” (BinaryTattoo). Digital identity can be contradictive to ones True identity. The definition of identity being “The distinguishing character or personality of an individual” (Merriam-Webster). In other words, the way many people live their lives offline is different to the way they portray their lives online.

What do you think your digital identity reflects?

A sad example of the false or seemingly different identities one can have online is Madison Holleran. In the article “Split Image” by Kate Fagan I learned Madison was a young, pretty girl who ran track at Pennsylvania University.  Her digital identity  displayed a very positive, happy person. She had many pictures of her smiling and laughing with friends and enjoying time with family on her Instagram. Her online persona, unfortunately was not an accurate display of her life as on January 17th, 2014 she committed suicide.

A few smiling pictures of Madison

The above example is an extreme, but not an uncommon theme of the differing identities one can have online vs. their real life identity. The article “Having multiple online identities is more normal than you think”  by Nicole Lee (Twitter: @nicole) goes beyond just having one identity online into several identities or personas. She mentions the idea of a “finstagram”: a fake Instagram separate from your real, and tailored to perfection real Instagram to take the pressure off having a perfect feed to present to the world as “you”. Nicole did a poll on her twitter regarding how many of her follower’s had more than one twitter account , and to my surprise the results were fairly even.

The results from Nicole’s Twitter Pole.

I was curious to see what the results of this same type of poll would be among my own age demographic and peers. I tweeted out my own poll, via my  twitter account(@GlascockKennedy). My results yielded an even greater number of multiple accounts among the same platform, not surprising due to our digital obsessed generation.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

I asked the voters to respond with their reasoning for having more than one of the same social media platforms, there was defiantly a trend in their responses. All the voters that responded mentioned having a professional account, besides having a personal account. Defiantly understandable in this day and age, when a google search of someone’s name goes hand in hand with a resume when applying for jobs.  There was also some accounts used for different interests, such as pets!

To go along with our discussion on digital identity this week in EDTC300 we got a fun assignment to Cyber Sleuth (creep) our classmates! Me and Justine Garret partnered up for this. This happens to be a speciality of most of me and Justine’s generation so I’m excited to see what she can dig up!

I started cyber sleuthing Justine the same way any rational millennial would, A Facebook search. It took me a loooong time to find Justine’s Facebook, and a fair amount of hardcore creeping. When I Finally found it though I realized she had her privacy settings locked up tight, the only way her account was identifiable was her profile picture.. She even subbed her last name for her middle name. not a bad idea for a teacher.  I’m embarrassed to admit that I took this assignment so far as to make a fake Facebook to find this out, as I don’t have a profile at all…talk about a false online identity. Next step, Instagram.

I was shocked to fin out Justine wasn’t on  Instagram. How does she stay up to date on her friends selfies, food pics, and nights out?! I wouldn’t be surprised though, after the lengths she went to make her Facebook private if she did have a very private account under a different name. Either way, a bust on that account. Next I tried a place I knew I could not fail, her twitter.

Justine’s twitter is very professional. Her tweets and likes are almost entirely connected to education. From her twitter feed it seems she passionate about Agriculture, anti-bullying, being a life long learner and educational technology. I was able to read some great post regarding “The Power of Life Long Learning” and “Chrome Tips For Teachers” and a few others. If your not following Justine already I Suggest you do (@msjgarrett).

Justine had her blog address linked to her twitter bio, so I headed their next. She has a really great professional blog. I loved her blog design! I headed to her “About Me” page and found out a lot about her!

I read that she grew up on a ranch in Cabri Saskatchewan, which I already had an idea about. She has a passion for sports, dance, her family, and owns a Clydesdale horse named Diesel…COOL! I also read her reasons for becoming a teacher and found that there very similar to my own. She wants to inspire students and provide as many opportunities as possible to them.

Lastly I finished up with the ultimate test of an online sleuth, a Google search. I found little else that I already had about Justine. A few results came up showing her involvement in her high schools SRC as Prime Minister, and some sporting events she participated in including track, and volleyball. 

Justine’s overall Digital Identity is a very clean one. Though her identity is minuscule, when she does have accounts made public their very professional and positive. Her passion for agriculture, education, and sport is evident in almost all her online foot prints. She comes of as very put together, compassionate, and kind!

YouTube has turned into the largest online video sharing platform in the world. YouTube enables easy and fast video uploading and sharing. This allows for a large variety of content to be made easily available to the public. Teachers have zeroed in on YouTube as a great source to find educational content for students and promote digital citizenship. Like any widely used internet source though, it can often be abused.

The following Remind conversation highlights some of the many advantages and disadvantages of YouTube as an educational resource. This conversation takes place in regards to a fictional grade eight social studies classroom. Ms. Glascock (me) has assigned students to find current event topics to watch and discuss briefly during the beginning of class. Two parents, Jocelyn and Kaitlyn have learned about the assignment from their kids and have some concerns about the YouTube.

Both parents are expressing a concern for the use of YouTube in the classroom. The believe that their children have way too much screen time already and they don’t need anymore while they are at school. They are also very concerned with the current challenge that is all over the internet known as the Momo challenge. This challenge instructs the viewer to share the post in a certain amount of time or else they will die. It also gives instructions on how to self harm and commit suicide. Both of these arguments are true and are valid reasons why students should not be allowed on YouTube at school, but there are many benefits of it if it is used properly.

The teacher is using YouTube as a way to engage her students with current events. They are given the assignment and must critically search through YouTube to find valid, concrete sources. This task not only promotes critical thinking, but it also contributes to their digital citizenship. Digital citizenship is how you interact with the internet and other users on the internet.

Through this assignment, students are interacting with both political and social current events that affect them in one way or another. They are then able to connect with other people who are also interested or affected by these current events and discuss and ask questions. This builds a good relationship with technology and encourages students to use the internet for good and not in a way that might get them into trouble.
Sources:

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Remind is a free text messaging App, aimed at teachers, students, and parents. It allows for fast and easy communication, while keeping personal information such as phone numbers private.

The Momo Challenge uses a very spooky photo of a chinese based character to coax people on multiple different internet platforms, including YouTube into acts violence and self harm. Scarier yet, much of the Momo content is targeted at children. Click the link to learn more about the Momo Challenge.

The Distraction free YouTube extension allows you to remove distractions in the form of ads on YouTube, as well as inappropriate content such as the Momo Challenge.

Twitter was also used in gaining valuable opinions of YouTube in the classroom from fellow educators, and education students. Thanks too everyone who participated!

YouTube was also used in the making of this blog post, for searching up information such as digital citizenship, and the Momo Challenge. This proves how useful it really can be in education!

Picture this. Its 2004. I’m a very curious six-year-old who has just laid eyes on their first iMac computer. I’ve never seen anything like this before. This is futuristic, its cool, it has a ton of buttons I’d love to push. I nervously glance over my shoulder at my mom, who has instructed me that this is her special work computer, not a toy. I can’t resist though. I go for the first button I see. The power button it turns out. The mac’s startup chime echoes throughout the office…busted.

Apple imac G3

This story is really my first experience with technology. Now days, by the age of six most children have mastered the ins and outs of surfing the internet, communicating via texting or Snapchat, and have developed a social media presence. This is a far cry from my experience with technology at six, but nothing compared to what my parents experienced or even children growing up in the early 90’s.

Technology has taken over our worlds. It changed everything from the way we communicate to the way we carry out our daily tasks. Most millennials wouldn’t even know how to function without high speed internet, let alone without the latest and greatest smart phone. The thought of millennials with the first mobile phones (or bricks) slung over their shoulder desperately trying to reach out to friends to get the most up to date information is comical to say the least.

Technology has changed the culture of our lives. Its empowered so many people who have created jobs as bloggers, online influencers and IT personnel among thousands of others. It’s created a platform for people to better project their voice into the world. One of the main platforms in use online today is YouTube. In watching An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube by Michael Wesch, I learned just how YouTube has come to change so many aspects in our world.

From Michael’s video I learned that YouTube was really the first place that made uploading and viewing video content online accessible. YouTube changed how we view content and participate in an online world. Videos of anything, from anybody could be posted, opening the world to a ton of new content. This meant anyone could find themselves the latest star of the internet with even the simplest videos. Michael deemed YouTube “A celebration of a new form of empowerment” and that’s exactly what YouTube has increasingly become.

Technology has also changed the way we educate our children. Educational technology really has opened up a new world for teachers and students alike. From the time children are in their early years of elementary school their using the latest technology to connect them to their learning material. It acts as a limitless resource. All the information in the world is available at the click of a button. This means students can use sources such as YouTube and Google to help with a tough math problem or chemistry concept. Thus, students can be more independent learners. The use of technology in the classroom can make learning more exciting for students. The interactive and visual proponents used in academic learning are undoubtedly more fun for students than looking at a piece of paper.

Teachers have also put technology to use in almost all of their daily classroom tasks. They use it for attendance, to communicate with staff and parents, for lesson planning, and a teaching tool, it’s even replaced the whiteboard. Computers are also the most optimal way to store information. Teachers can now save all their work on one device, cutting down the amount of important information they have to lug around from class to class. It can all be stored on one device.

Though technology has benefited schools greatly there are also some disadvantages. Obviously with all that information at the tips of your fingers some inappropriate material might be found too. The viewing of violent or even pornographic material is of serious concern for educators, and you never know just what’s going to pop up on the internet. The recent epidemic of “fake news” is also of growing concern. Often everything children, or even adults read on the internet they take to be true. This is no the case however and we need to ensure we teach children this. The act of cheating has also become easier than ever with the use of smart phones. A smart phone can be a tempting tool to use during a test or homework assignment. There also a relatively easy tool to conceal and with all that information at the touch of a button it can be hard to resist.

With all the young people using social media apps and websites to connect the problem of cyber bullying is a growing problem among school aged children. Kids often use devices as a façade to hide behind when using technology for this tragic purpose. The lack of face to face connection makes cruel remarks easier to send. It’s also hard to find an escape from this type of bullying, as everyone seems to be connected to a smart device at all times. Just like regular bullying, cyber bullying has a great effect on children personally as well academically. Teachers constantly need to be on the lookout for cyber bullying, even though it can be hard to see the signs.

Despite some of the more prominent disadvantages in educational technology, it will definitely still be an important part of my future classroom. With technology still increasingly on the rise I think its important to prepare students for this. I do believe it’s important to educate students on being safe digital citizens however to avoid the dangers of living in a digital society. As a secondary teacher I will also be teaching some difficult content matter I believe, from personal experience that students can benefit from learning from multiple resources. For example, Sources like YouTube have awesome subject based content that can be very helpful for students. I feel it would be detrimental to students learning in this day and age not to supply them with helpful technology sources.

My Main Points for Using Ed Tech in The Classroom:
1. Students need to learn how to use technology in the classroom so they can continue to thrive with it out of the classroom in a digital based world.
2. It’s a limitless resource. Having another platform to learn from is a huge advantage, especially one that’s available 24/7.
3. Educational technology can make lesson more exciting via the fun visuals and ability to be more interactive with apps like Kahoot.
4. Helps classroom organization. Teachers can save documents and information on students on one device.
5. Communication. Teachers can easily and safely communicate with students, and parent via apps like Remind, that allow for messages to be sent without sharing personal phone numbers.

yay for Ed Tech in a digital world!

This week I participated in my first Twitter chat. I chose #Saskedchat, which runs Thursday at 8 pm. I chose this chat specifically because of its relevance to Saskatchewan education. I figured interacting with teachers in Saskatchewan would best inform me for the field I was heading into, and its people I could possibly even be working with in the future!

I was initially nervous about my first Twitter chat. This was partly because I still feel new to the Twitter in general, and partly because as a new education student I realized I was far less informed about education than many of the other participants. My nerves disappeared early on the chat however. I loved the interaction and different perspectives I got to experience.

I wasn’t expecting the level of interaction I experienced. My notification bell was constantly lighting up during the chat with reply’s and likes. I also wasn’t expecting the chat to be as fast paced as it was, and by fast paced I mean this was me the whole time…

My tips for anyone who hasn’t participated in a Twitter chat yet or struggled the first time would be:
1) Use Tweetdeck or a similar app. This allows you to manage several Twitter feeds at once. Be sure to have the chat administer opened on their own feed to keep up with questions.
2) Turn off notifications for other social media accounts. Receiving a follow request on Instagram or a like on Facebook can make it tempting to hop pages for just a moment. Don’t do it! Chances are you’ll find your self lost in the chat when you come back.
3) Be interactive. Now is not the time to be introverted. Comment on tweets and give out lots of likes. I got lots of new followers and was able to find other great educators to by doing this.

Overall, my first Twitter chat experience was great! I got to see many different perspectives on topics relating to education, and had some great interactions with different educators and fellow students! I’m beginning to learn how important collaboration is in the field of education, and Twitter chats are another great faucet for this.

I hope to see many of you in this Thursdays #Saskedchat, as its on the topic of “Students as Critical Consumers”. What a great topic for EDTC 300 students!

WOW! Feedly is what I’ve been missing in my life. The self-proclaimed smart reader that helps you stay ahead of the curve is exactly that. The app allows you to stay connected to new information/ideas/inspiration in pretty much whatever category, trend, skill, or fun you want. The app reminds me off Pinterest, in that you can choose what categories you want to see and they show upon your personal newsfeed, but more informative.

So far, I’ve been able to follow several teacher technology pages, teacher run blogs, and pages dedicated to staying current in the education field. Upon initially downloading the app I added most of the pages I’ve found to be great resources from recommendations from Feedly, other classmate recommendations were helpful as well though. Two pages I’ve found to be exceptionally informative and helpful are Cool Cat Teacher and Educational Technology.

Cool Cat Teacher is dedicated to sharing information on everyday classroom advice. Whether you want to know how to get your students to think out of the box, how to improve building good relationships with your students’ parents, or how to stay sane while in the classroom she’s your girl. I found her page to be helpful because it addresses issues students don’t’ typically think about when joining the education field. Things such as teacher relationships with parents weren’t on the forefront of my mind when I decided on education, but know I’m glad I have the knowledge to help me in these future situations.

Educational Technology is a great page for keeping up to date with the latest and greatest educational technology. I’ve already book marked a few pages to use in the future for my classroom. I even found one organizational note-taking app I found on the page for myself called Google Keep. The app allows you to make to- do lists, record voice memos, organize important photos and much more, all on your phone, and smart device. Educational Technology also shares about apps for kids with ADHD, and resources for science teachers and students, among many other helpful posts. This is defiantly a page I can see myself looking to for technology help in the classroom, and even for my own personal life.

I’m looking forward to exploring more on Feedly, and adding more categories of my interests and finding other great pages on educational resources. Feedly is a game changer for anyone that values staying in the loop and up to date information.

follow me on twitter @GlascockKennedy for my best finds on Feedly