Activity Nine

Scenario 1: Collaboration = Harassment?
A student is using Google Drive as a writing and collaborative tool for peer reviewing. Juan and Jeremy have used the platform instead to exchange comments that involve name-calling and racial slurs. Jeremy’s parents object when his account is suspended claiming it will negatively impact his academic progress.

Reflection:
I would be surprised the only thing negative that came out of this scenario was parents being upset about a consequence!  This could have easily become a significant bullying and harassment case where students were emotionally and socially hurt.  If not addressed, it could have even escalated to physical harm.  The students clearly misused the technology learning tool (against “Acceptable Use” as defined for Mounds View students). As with any broken rule or unfollowed  expectation, consequences are put in place. The intent being, of course, to teach what is acceptable instead.  In order to do so in this case, the boys would have to have restrictions and be monitored to assure they have learned the correct way to use technology and to assure they understand the power it truly has.  Bullying/harassment is a BIG deal no matter what format is used!! You know… zero tolerance!!

The teacher should make sure both the students and parents understand the policy before using Google Drive (or any technology). Having them sign off would be a great plan.  Also, it would be especially important that the teacher clearly explain what the assignment requirements are and what can and cannot be done collaboratively. The consequences for not following the policy/assignment requirements should also be clearly delineated.  Parents should be made aware also… before doing the assignment! In addition, consistent monitoring by the teacher as a commentator would hopefully keep the students on track, or least catch any problems before they become harmful.

Last year, the Learning Center had some issues with 5th grade students logging onto each other’s accounts.  It ended up being a situation where the students were not hurt as much as they could have been. However, staff was never fully able to determine who was responsible for what!  It was unnerving to feel so helpless! 


Scenario 7: Chernobyl Meltdown… 
Ms. Jansen, a special ed. teacher, has been using screencasting in her class to post review screencasts of her lessons and study materials. These screencasts have been heavily used by students and she has received glowing emails from parents thanking her for going this extra distance. Ms. Jansen decides it’s time to have her students create their own screencasts. She struggles with how best to post and share their screencasts and decides to use a class YouTube account/channel. Because some students want to do screencasting from home, she provides students with the class YouTube username and password so they can upload their videos from home. Two disasters ensue: 1.) Students post more than just their screencasts including inappropriate random YouTube videos as well as change the privacy settings of the account. 2.) Students post video content of themselves and their peers and the teacher discovers that some of these students have “no photo” stipulations on file in the office. Before Ms. Jansen can even blink, these videos have been shared/linked to Facebook pages and have an assortment of inappropriate comments posted from outside users.

Reflection:
Yikes!  This is a meltdown situation!!  Safety is a HUGE issue here! Once something is on Facebook, it could go anywhere and be there indefinitely! Also, it is unfortunate, but not surprising, that the students were not able to be trusted to use the account as intended.  These may be in part because it is so easy to post (as I have now learned!!) and everything seems to make it onto You Tube.  Kids honestly may have a misguided view of what is truly appropriate.  There is a lack of knowledge and desensitization to what could really happen from photos and videos being displayed.  Before allowing any students to screencast, the teacher should have a good sense of how trustworthy the students are and be able to monitor their input.  She should also make sure students and parents understand the technology use policy and consequences of misuse before doing the activity. A simple solution may be to have the students send the casts to the teacher first.  She could then post them or monitor while the students post them at school.  Another option is to have the students have their own accounts (parents permission first).  This would be harder to monitor though. In this situation, obviously, the You Tube account should be immediately closed.  The teacher should get support for the repercussions that will surely come her way from the photos being posted as well.

Although my personal experience is not via computer, it was still a misuse of technology with disastrous outcomes.  A student I worked with (8th grader), received a text with a photo of girl in a compromising pose.  She had sent it to her boyfriend… who later became her ex-boyfriend.  The ex-boyfriend then sent the picture to one of his friends who sent it to a couple of his… and so on.  The photo spread like wildfire.  The student I worked with was one of many who received the photo and passed it on as well.  My student ended up having his phone confiscated for using it in a classroom when this was all coming out.  As a result, his phone was checked (by police… not sure how that really works with privacy stuff??).  He was added to the list to be possibly criminally charged.  It was a HUGE ordeal for the school, parents, and students involved.  In the end, the ex-boyfriend was the only one charged.  The others were given stern warnings and phones were taken by some parents… but not others. The girl ended up moving to another school.  It was very sad all the way around.