Techie in Primary

" student_ipad_school - 131 "  by  flickingerbrad  is marked with  CC BY 2.0 . What Are Acceptable Use Policies?  An acceptable use policy, or AUP, is an agreement between students and their school district that outlines how students should stay safe while learning online. AUPs are also sometimes called responsible use policies or responsible use expectations. The purpose of these documents is to outline how the district's internet and devices should be utilized by students. They may also be considered codes of conduct. If students do not follow AUPs there may be consequences ranging from loss of privileges to removal of devices. The tone of a AUP is critical in conveying how a school district trusts its student body and embraces digital learning. Student-centered language makes students assume responsibility for their actions, for example "I will not eat or drink while using technology."  This story from the Office of Educational Technology shows how Bost...

Looking Back This week I am finishing up my first class for my technology specialist degree at Dominican University. Before starting this class I was a little nervous. Do I know enough about technology? Will I be able to keep up? How much of it will go over my head? Am I flexible enough in my thinking and teaching to try new things? I thought back to last school year when my kindergarten team was piloting the 1:1 device initiative in our school district. I was terrified! My students didn't touch the iPads until October and every time they did I was filled with anxiety, expecting something to go wrong. I can say with confidence that I have come a very long way. Those devices really changed my teaching and my students learning. Creating, explaining their thinking, and sharing was really transformative for my students. That experience encouraged me to start my technology specialist classes at Dominican. This first tech class allowed me to try so many new things: my first blog, T...

Social Media This week in Edu 776, I learned about using social media in the classroom and reflected on my own use of social media. I read David Geurin's blog post 7 Reasons to Use Social Media in Your School . Here is his awesome infographic that summarizes his points. Infographic from DavidGeurin.com Social media is definitely not going away and to ignore it as an educator is to do a disservice to our students. Through my reading of various articles this week, one point was really hammered home: social media is generally safe for our students! Our students are more likely to be abused by someone they know in their real lives than they are to be attacked online. I think that teachers can feel comfortable using social media in our classrooms. Teachers can guide our students to make good choices, show them how to be responsible, but help them to see it as a great tool for learning and sharing. I think the opportunity to make connections outside of your building is one of ...

Gif found  via GIPHY Digital Tatoos This week in EDU 776, I learned all about digital tattoos. Digital tattoos are essentially the lasting impressions we have made in digital spaces. We live in an age where it's uncommon to not have an online presence in some way. Like body tattoos, digital tattoos (social media posts for example) last forever. Whether we want them to or not! Everyone, adults and children, need to think carefully about the personal information they are putting out in public digital spaces. For myself, I have personal and professional digital spaces. I interact with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram very differently. The social media space where I am visible and professional is Twitter. And now I can add Blogger to this list as well! Only in the last couple years has my viewpoint of my professional online presence changed. I used to think that I didn't want myself to be "seen" online at all. Now that I've been working for a few years for a...

My Experience with Twitter This week in Edu 776 I participated in some educator Twitter chats. I have been using Twitter in a professional way for about a year. The school district I work for really encourages us to use Twitter to share our classroom activities with our community. At first I was really leery of joining Twitter. I wasn't sure how much I was going to get out of it. However, I have really enjoyed being part of Twitter. I love seeing what other educators are sharing. Follow me on Twitter @MsRzewnicki . Participating in Twitter Chat There are a couple things to remember when participating in a Twitter chat to help keep everything organized and easy for participants. When you respond to a question, put A1 if you are answer Q1 (question 1) so on and so forth.  Add the hashtag of the Twitter chat you are participating in at the end of each answer you tweet.  When participating in a chat, search for the hashtag and then make sure you are following the Lates...