With all the technology we are using daily, there are unique challenges to protect our kids and maintain the integrity of learning. I’ve had two experiences recently that make me frustrated because while they still could have occurred in-person learning, it seems like technology makes it extra hard to control.
The first is a student cheating on an assessment by using the photomath app to solve the problem. Both she and her mom became very angry and defensive when I called her out on it. I’m still 100% sure she cheated. The situation made me upset because my sole intent was wanting her to understand the concepts, not wanting to sneak up and say “gotchya!” If I were to redo how I would have handled it I would have been a little less accusatory and I also would have reminded her I can’t accept her quiz because she did not show her work.
The second situation occurred this Friday late morning when a student was sexually inappropriate on camera during a google meet. This did not occur in my class, however I talked with the teacher who witnessed it. The teacher kept saying he did not want to look at classroom relay or use classroom relay to record it as he did not want that saved to his computer. I thought his decision was very wise and proactive to protect himself. The student is now going through a due-process hearing.
Teachers need to be prepared for these situations and respond swiftly. I think I’ve learned that while setting expectations and being proactive is crucial, there are also things that happen daily that I have to do my best to handle in the moment.
I completely agree, there are moments here and there that make the use of tech a little frustrating for this reason. I have one particular student this year who has a very hard time with impulse control when it comes to accessing sites he shouldn't be during class time or at home. His mom is not tech-savvy, so she gets frustrated very easily and relies heavily on me to make sure he's being responsible, even when he's at home in the evenings. Times like this remind me that we have to teach students digital citizenship, and how to use technology responsibly, but I am just as to blame as any teacher, because it hasn't been enough of a focus in my classroom this year!
ReplyDelete- Courtney Cunningham
That's an excellent point about teaching students digital citizenship. We need to be proactive and talk about these skills and model appropriate behavior ourselves. I think many of our kiddos from trauma backgrounds struggle with impulse control. It's made me frustrated we can't block YouTube because we need to set kids up for success and we're giving middle school brains too much freedom.
DeleteOh wow I haven't experienced any of those things yet. I don't know what I would do if I do encounter those experiences. I am thinking about my daughters now and worried about them seeing or hearing something they shouldn't in a meeting.
ReplyDeleteMisty