Journal 4: It's Time To Trust Teachers with the Internet:

NETS-T 1, 2, 4, 5

Schaffhauset, D. (2010, December 1). It's time to trust teachers with the internet: a conversation with meg ormiston. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/12/01/Its-Time-To-Trust-Teachers-with-the-Internet-A-Conversation-with-Meg-Ormiston.aspx?Page=1

The article is an interview of Meg Ormiston. She has held many positions including curriculum coach, school board member, conference presenter, professional development specialist and grant facilitator. She currently serves as a consultant to bring technology into the classroom.

Ormiston finds that teachers are not trusted with the use of the internet yet they are expected to incorporate technology into their classroom. She argues that teachers are not receiving the adequate tools they need to successfully implement this ‘21^st century style’ teaching into the classrooms.

In some cases bandwidth is too limited or schools are blocking the internet entirely or the blocks have been created by outside sources such as private companies and non-educators. She mentions the fact that budget cuts are an everyday issue with our schools therefore a source such as YouTube would be extremely beneficial in the classroom. She claims if a teacher cannot be trusted to filter material on YouTube then they should not be even trusted to teach in the classroom.

If schools continue to block everything then teachers will give up on learning about or teaching technology. What’s worse, Ormiston points out is that when students get home they don’t have those blockers. At home “there's no filtering. There's usually not an adult to help them make good choices.” They are not educated on what is appropriate and what is not appropriate.

Teachers aren’t receiving proper education on the internet and it is constantly changing and advancing. Students need to be engaged and prepared for the real world. Education and leadership is the key to success. My favorite quote is, “They want multimedia. They crave the opportunity to work with other people--and other people outside of our schools.”

Q1- What are some ways you can use YouTube as a learning tool?

With budget cuts in place YouTube can serve as a wonderful source to tap into. Teachers can bring up all sorts of learning demonstrations including tutorials on how to use specific software.

Q2- What is the problem with blocking all access to the internet?

The problem is that when students go home often times there is not blocking or filter systems and students are then exposed to everything. They have no guidance on what is appropriate and what is not.