Tagged (Cyberbullying)

Tagged is an Australian short film that deals with the effects and implications of cyberbullying. I mentioned it a bazillion years ago (Facebook and Cyberbullying), but only just got around to watching it, and I’m glad I did.

Tagged is brilliantly filmed, and deals with the issues surrounding cyberbullying in a fantastic, and highly realistic way. This is a must watch, particularly for anyone involved in schooling (teachers, staff, students, parents = anyone!). Digital ethics education is becoming increasingly important, and it is only through using and promoting films like this that we can ensure that everyone is aware of the implications of using the Internet for harm.

Go on, watch it! I think it’s fantastic.

Also, Tagged has managed to win Internation Media Awards for its portrayal of key social issues.

One last point before I go:

At the end of the day, cyber bullying and sexting don’t just affect the victim; it can have a significant effect on whole communities.

This is a serious issue for twenty-first century life and learning, don’t let it go unnoticed

 

Games as a ‘valuable learning tool’

After watching the Gabe Zichermann video ‘Gamification’ (see here), I started trawling the web for articles and research to support the idea of games as a tool of learning. And I found this…

Games and Learning

A good friend brought this video to my attention, and I must say, I was incredibly impressed by Zichermann’s presentation, by the concepts of fluid intelligence and gamification. I am a traditionalist (as noted on other occasions), I am one of those people who idealise sitting by a window with a cup of tea and a book, but I realise that such a situation is not for everyone, and particularly that it is not for many of the kids who are in our schools and our libraries right now.

That word…

Some days I feel like I might go crazy if I read the word evaluation again… It pops up over and over and over and over again during my course readings. Its importance is emphasised and discussed almost everywhere I turn, in almost every article I read.

Then again, it may be driving me crazy, but at least I’m getting the point.

The role of the Teacher Librarian: My understanding

The session is coming to an end, and it is time to reflect on how my understanding of the role of the teacher librarian has been changed. When I first began this subject (fittingly titled ETL:401 – Teacher Librarianship), I had little to no real idea what the teacher-librarian actually did. I knew I wanted to be one, but had very little real understanding of their role and responsibilities.

Facebook and Cyberbullying

I found this, quite ironically, whilst trawling facebook and I wanted to share it, but no way that I’m sharing it there… Such a poignant video, it made me want to do something, and yet, I’m not ready to leave facebook.

Changes in Society…

Another image that I have found recently. Hilarious and yet horrifying.

This one, I feel, perfectly depicts recent changes in the parental approach to teachers and education. Several of my friends are currently teaching, and I’m always horrified to hear about the power that parents and students can have over teachers…

One of my friends recently told me about a teacher at her school who was in the position of year 8 level coordinator. This teacher was an amazing coordinator who made sure students experienced the repercussions of their actions. If students misbehaved in class, dressed inappropriately or didn’t apply themselves to their studies, they knew that they would be sent to talk to this teacher. He was an excellent disciplinarian who knew the best way to get the best out of his students.

Until one complained to their parents.

Teacher and Teacher-Librarian Collaboration

I have been studying my Masters of Education (Teacher Librarianship) for almost a semester now, and again and again I have been told about the benefits of teacher’s and teacher-librarian’s collaborating. As part of a current assignment, I’ve been exploring the lack of such collaboration as an obstacle to the promotion and development of information literacy skills throughout a school. And I just can’t help but get angry at the complete lack of discussion that exists between the different departments of education and the different spheres within the schools.

Of course there is a lack of teacher interest in collaborating with teacher-librarians! I would argue that many teachers out there have no idea what could be achieved if they collaborated with their teacher-librarians, no idea of the benefits. I certainly wouldn’t have, and I qualified as a teacher at the end of last year.

I wish (it was 50 years ago)

I have wanted to be a teacher-librarian since August 2008. Shortly after returning from my very first teaching placement, I was struggling with the dissatisfaction and disillusionment of having not enjoyed the experience. I was nineteen and completely unsure of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life (in retrospect, not at all an unusual situation for a nineteen year old to be in). But I was aware that the aspect of my placement which I had most enjoyed were the hours I had spent in the school library.

There was nothing terribly special about this school library – it had a range of books, and around twenty computers scattered throughout for student use. Just like any other. But the experience of being in the library, surrounded by hundreds of books, hundreds of sources of information, had remained in my mind as a particular highlight. And that, I realised, was where I wanted to be…

Concerning Wikipedia…

Wikipedia. A word that can shivers of dread down any educator’s spine.

Since its launch in 2001, Wikipedia has experienced an almost viral spread that has seen it become the go-to source of information all around the world. The online encyclopaedia contains information on pretty much any topic that can, and has, been thought up: from the strange corners of science to largely unknown historical figures and influential inventors. Wikipedia is clearly a source of basic (and sometimes in-depth) knowledge on many a topic. And yet many educators refuse to acknowledge it as a useful resource.

During my previous university studies, I completed eighteen weeks of practical teaching placement in four different secondary schools. And at each of these schools I witnessed a teacher emphatically tell their students that on no account was Wikipedia to be used as a reference for school assignments. I myself have been guilty of flat-out refusing students the use of Wikipedia as a resource. But why is this?