Kate's Technology Specialist Blog

  The Importance of Teaching Media Literacy Skills                                                                       image source: thefulcram.ca     What is media literacy? Why is it important? According to the National Association for Media Literacy Education, media literacy can be defined as "...the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication" (PBS) . Media literacy skills have always been important, but are even more essential with the increase of media available through social networking websites and apps and the Internet. Teaching media literacy skills can help students to identify misinformation and seek out information supported by facts and evidence.      Renee Hobbes and the 5 Communication Competencies  Renee Hobbes , an educator, author, and media literacy advocate, developed the idea of the 5 communication competencies  that can be implemented across content areas in school to teach students about media literacy. Thes

 Maintaining Students' Privacy with CIPA and COPPA image source: woodstockschools.org     As educators, it is important to know and understand student privacy laws. CIPA, The Children's Internet Protection Act  (2000), requires K-12 schools and libraries to filter the content accessible by children and ensure that children do not interact with obscene or harmful content on the Internet. CIPA applies to all schools and libraries who receive discounts from the FCC's E-Rate discount program.  In addition to CIPA, schools must also consider COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (1998). COPPA focuses on how websites collect information from children under the age of 13. This applies to all websites and applications that children under the age of 13 may use. Although COPPA says that schools can stand in for parental consent if the website or application is being used for educational purposes only, these services must be vetted by the school and parents need to b

 Social Media Data Analysis: Instagram 2012 vs. Instagram 2024 image source: axios.com     My Social Media Use     Although I've had many social media platforms over the years (LiveJournal, MySpace, Snapchat, Vine, Twitter), I only use Facebook and Instagram today. My first experience with social media was with LiveJournal and MySpace in high school. I remember mostly posting "blog entries" and photos during this time. MySpace also had a feature where users could publicly comment on your page and users could assign their "top 8" friends, which undoubtedly caused a lot of drama. I first signed up for Facebook when I was 18 and enrolled in college. In 2006, a user could not have a Facebook account if they were not a college student. It felt exciting to sign up and connect with the people from my high school after graduation. I was not able to have Instagram until I bought an iPhone in 2012. It is hard to believe that I've had an account and been posting for al

  Acceptable Use Policies image source: www.compuquip.com              Acceptable use policies in schools are important to outline the intended uses for the technology provided by a school district. Not only should policies outline what students and staff should not do, but how they can most effectively use the technology and programs to which they have access. Analyzing example acceptable use policies and comparing them to the policy provided by my school made me realize that our policy could be updated in several ways.     The acceptable use policy from my school consists of five sections. There is some mention of students and staff at the beginning of the policy, but it only has spaces for parent and student signatures. The first section discusses the purpose of technology use, which is to provide experiences and resources outside of the classroom. The next section is about the opportunities and risks of technology use. This section mentions that websites on the Internet may contain

 Algorithms and Bias       image source:  tctmd.com                                  This week, I decided to learn more about algorithms, how they work, and how they affect what people view online. Before digging into some resources, I knew that algorithms could be biased but didn't realize to what extent. The phrase "it's just math" came up a lot in the resources I read and listened to, when in reality algorithms are not "just math." Algorithms are created by human beings, which means that technology, specifically algorithms, is not untouched by human bias.The resources I interacted with this week explained bias in algorithms, but also revealed some of the benefits of using algorithms.      Algorithms are an important topic to understand because as educators, we need to teach our students to access reliable, accurate information. We also need students to understand the concept of bias and how to fact-check and question the information they consume. This rel

 Professional Learning Networks image source: depositphotos.com     After watching Dr. Trust's videos about professional learning networks, I discovered that the cognitive benefits of PLNs are most relevant to me. What is most important in my collaboration with other professionals is sharing and learning new teaching strategies, tools, and resources. I work in a school with only four teachers, none of which have students in the same grade level. As many teachers report, this can be isolating and can hinder the development of new and creative ideas for classroom activities and practices. Therefore, it is helpful for me to connect with other middle school teachers to get ideas and tools for the concepts my students are learning.      The activity I participated in this week was creating an infographic using Canva on why educators should join a professional learning network. The infographic  includes the definition of a PLN, the benefits, and some resources for starting a PLN. I also