SBISD EdTech Blog

PBS recently broadcast “Growing Up Online.” If you missed the show, you can watch it online from here.

When we wired our schools, we put in firewalls and web filters to protect our kids from cyberbullies and cyber predators, limit our liability, and to be compliant with the laws. As technology becomes more a part of teaching and learning, some are questioning this practice. The Internet is a valuable resource for research, data, and information in general yet many sites are blocked as a result of broadly categorized filters. Often filters present nothing more than a challenge for students to find a way around them. We ask teachers to learn how to use technology with their curriculum and to teach 21st century skills one of which is learning to evaluate information found on the web. There is no question that our students’ safety is first and foremost, but can we teach them Internet safety instead of locking everything down? Is it time for us to rely on the education of students and teachers on Internet ethics and accountability rather than filters?

We are interested in what you think. There are six chapters–watch all or just the ones that most interest you and then post a comment on this question: Are acceptable use policies (meant to protect students and to protect personnel from lawsuits) decreasing the availability and effectiveness of integrating technology into teaching and learning?

Click to watch “Growing Up Online”

Please support Spring Branch’s new podcasters. Some have already begun to podcast on a regular basis…some are still getting their sea legs and will begin podcasting in January. There are some really great ideas out there. Take some time, every now and then, stop by their sites and see how they are doing.

1. Susan Sisler
   MHS - German — Unter vier Augen
2. Patricia Mennes
   MHS - Broadcast — MBC Pony Express
3. Richard Fanning
   SWHS - Language Arts — Book Talk
4. Jessica Waltman & Sandra Harvey
   WAIS - Humanities — Thoughtcasts
5. Meredith Tolson
   WAIS - MS Language Arts and Social Studies — Tolson’s Top Ten Books
6. Cheryl Wegscheid
   WAIS - MS Science — Wegschizzle’s World
7. Cynthia Tuma & Julie Seeley
   LMS - MS Language Arts — Stories to Capture the Imagination
8. Mary Drawl & Stephanie Walton
   NBMS - Fine Arts & Broadcast — KNTV: Focus on Fine Arts
9. Kathryn Rose
   SWMS - MS Science — Sci Kid
10. Joseph Alvarado
    Buffalo Creek - 2nd Grade — Mystery Readers
11. Ann Martin
    Hunters Creek - 2nd Grade — New From Second Grade
12. Noemi Lopez
    Hunters Creek - 4th Grade — Book Brag
13. Linsey Chafin
    Memorial Drive - 2nd Grade — Second Grade Scoop
14. Bonnie McSpadden
    Pine Shadows - Music — Secret Songs and Rhythmic Riddles
15. Karen Harrell, Lisa Davis, & Judy Juan
    Rummel Creek- Library, 2nd & 5th Grades — War of the Words
16. Sandra Henao
    Ridgecrest - 2nd Grade — Energy to the Wise
17. Terry Herblin
    Thornwood - Library — My Pod or Yours?

Spring Branch ISD community has officially made their first steps towards blogging. The Educational Technology Department has created a new site, My SBISD Blog, to meet the needs of a few teachers in the district who have expressed a desire to introduce blogging into their curriculum. The goal is to have a few teachers throughout the district at various grade levels who’d like to blog with their students.

If you are a teacher who’d like to be considered for this first round of blogging in the district, please contact Kary Boan in Educational Technology. In order to keep students safe, but still be able to participate in “real world” blogging, it is imperative that any teacher who’d like to do this carefully read the blogging guidelines and acceptable use guidelines set up by the district. All students who will participate MUST read and sign a release form, along with their parents. To review these documents, please visit the EdTech website.

One of our very own Spring Branch librarians is walking the talk–right down the virtual isle in the virtual SecondLife world to pick up her Edublogs Award for Best Librarian Blog. Congratulations Vaughn Branom!

Spring Branch’s vision is to make the library the “hub of technology” stretching our very talented librarians expertise to include digital media in addition to written resources. They are also setting a good example for the use of Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning.

Read all about the award ceremony at http://edublogawards.com/and-the-winners-are/. Then treat yourself to a good read by going to Vaughn’s blog site at http://alibraryisalibrary.blogspot.com/.

 

 A Vision of Today's Student: Play Now | Play in Popup

A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University.