EEND 681 Artifact #2 Expository on Educational Technology Leadership

Artifact #2

Hello Class,

For my second Artifact I chose to discuss our module 2 assignment on technology Leadership.  I chose to write a piece on the benefits and challenges of implementing the use of social media in the classroom.  I feel like this was a really authentic assignment for me because I am implementing social media in my classroom a lot this year do to this being our first year of 1:1 instruction.  There are many benefits to utilizing social media in the classroom, but there are equally if not more pitfalls that come with social media in a classroom setting.

One obstacle that technology leaders must address when using social technology as a means of delivering or sharing lessons is the ethical dilemmas that may present themselves. This is why as a technology leader I feel teaching digital citizenship is an important part of any classroom that utilizes social technology.  Students are growing up in a world that plays out on social media, but code switching to using this type of technology in the classroom can often be difficult for students.  

The most important thing an educator can do is Modeling proper digital citizenship in a professional setting.  It is critical to make sure all students feel safe participating with social technology in their lessons.  Students, and staff, need to feel comfortable using social tech if it to be successful and often need guidance on how to make sure all students can participate and feel safe while doing so.   Staff development is a great place to start and educational technology leaders should provide these opportunities for peers who may feel less comfortable implementing social tech in the classroom.  It is also dangerous to assume that students know how to utilize social media in the classroom, which is why they to need to be taught how it can benefit them in an educational or professional setting. 

I focus a day in class at the beginning of the year and revisit digital citizenship often as we use blogs and Google + communities all the time now.  You still have issues that need attention, as students often treat school assignments on these sites like they would a social conversation.  By holding students accountable, with digital citizenship points that they bank at the beginning of the year and only lose if used improperly, students usually develop good digital citizenship skills. 

Another aspect that I visited during this piece was the importance of considering if all students have equal access to the technology needed to complete the lesson.  During school hours, this is often not an issue, but for lessons that are beyond the school day, many students don’t have access to technology at home, or transportation needed to access libraries where it may be available. Even in a 1:1 school, students may not have access to the internet off campus, and therefore do not have equitable access to technology.  As a educational technology leader, it is important to consider this when developing curriculum that utilizes social media, and build in ways to make sure all students can equally benefit from the use of the technology.  This can be difficult when assigning work outside of class, but creating a plan for students without access is an important part of any lesson using social technology.  Student without access outside of the classroom must be provided with opportunities during the school day to complete lesson using social technology or given alternative assignments covering the material to make sure all students have an equal opportunity to learn the material.  

Overall, this was a very helpful and authentic assignment for my classroom.  I feel each year I step up the amount of technology we use to deliver or help students with the curriculum.  This includes social media, which is both dangerous and beneficial, but must always be used properly. 

Thank you,

Jim Nielsen