The 2015-2016 school year has begun!
Welcome or welcome back, for there is much to do and learn at our bustling new campus where our Primary and Secondary programs have come together in one place for the first time in 25 years. As I walked into my first day in our shiny new classrooms, I was asked to say in six words or less what motivates me to be a teacher. The answer was easy:
My name is Matt Dolmont, technology integrator and teacher of tiny humans! It's my role at the school to facilitate the use of technology in our learning of all things, making sure that it enhances and redefines learning in new and exciting ways. Technology exists in many forms though... the mighty pencil is technology in it's own right, and I also strive not to lean too heavily on tech that is not appropriate for the task.
This year we will take our learning to amazing places, just you watch. From literacy and numeracy, art, puzzles, games, digital design, photography, videography, coding and simulations, we're doing it all! Feel free to check back here for inside info on our initiatives, tips for parents and families, and some events you might like to join. Hope to see you around!
-M
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| Comic by xkcd |
Whether you're reading the public comments on a reputable news site, blog, or beneath your favourite videos on youtube, scroll too far into that section and you're likely to start asking yourself the question "Who wrote this junk?!"
The question I am asking is can we, as educators and members of an international community, start replacing junk with quality discourse, respectful decorum, and perhaps a more balanced use of CaPsLoCk?
Not overnight. But our chance to improve the web for everyone starts with educating children how to responsibly use it from the beginning.
As most students eagerly leap into the world of email, blogging, creating and sharing online, their lives are becoming even more integrated with technology tools. They may be more excited to try new things than their parents and teachers, and although that's not necessarily a bad thing it does burden us with the responsibility of keeping up. We may love to throw around terms like "real world" and "digital" or "online world" to differentiate between the types of activities we are doing on computers and those with our physical selves, but the difference between them is less obvious with each new collaborative tool we adopt. The decisions we make and the actions we take are not limited to a single environment, and that is a lesson for all to take very seriously.
Teaching young people to be principled, responsible users of technology is no different and no less important than teaching them to be principled, responsible human beings. It may be more difficult if you lack technical expertise, but I want to help you develop and understand the implications of the use of technology while we can make a difference. We can make the internet a better place. We want to make the world a better place. These students can do both.
Click here for a brief overview on digital citizenship initiatives at ISPP, and feel free to contact me for sessions on this important topic or help integrating these principles into classroom and homework activities.
