Since last week I've been thnking about my final project, which is going to be a wiki to connect with another classroom next year in September. Since the students will be using this wiki I will need to have a Safety and Security policy in place. My students will use the web to communicate and share projects via the wiki. They will also be using the interent for some small research based projects and other websites that have been approved by the district for games and intervention programs. I think that best policy format that I can put in place would be a checklist that is kid friendly. The checklist would have no more then 10 items on it and would be in a language that the students could relate to. Each item would be added one at a time as we discuss each policy. In other words I wouldn't just hand ou the checklist and say "Here it is." I would take mayb two a week and realy try to embed those policies into the students. The final result would be a checklist that the students helped create.
I will try not to make the list a list of "don't's!" I want it to be positive for the most part and have each student know the consequences if they don't partake on the internet correctly. Some ideas for items on the checklist are...1. Game sites like (insert sites here) may only be used during lunch, recess, or if the teacher says it's ok. 2. 3 clicks per website, try not to get lost. 3. On the Wiki, never mention your name or anything else about yourself.
I think that students learn new information the best when they are a part of constructing it, that's why I would take each item as it's own little mini lesson and reinforce them as we constructed new ones together.
Here is Philadelphia's School District AUP
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ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I like the idea of having students help create the policy so that they have more understanding and ownership of it.
ReplyDeleteI would stil have a list that I created and make sure that my students' created list covers all of the points I valued. --Jen A
Great ideas Phil. I like the checklist for your younger kids, and I might even use it with my high schoolers! I think that you might be better off having the 10 items pre-selected and introducing a couple a week like you said. I would worry that the kids wouldn't know enough about the internet yet to make a comprehensive list themselves. You could maybe do a different subject matter each week like "safety" or "respect" and have the kids brainstorm things that could fall into these categories and make the list from there.
ReplyDeleteGood ideas! LIke Karen said, you could generate the list first. As the kids learn about each point and learn more about the internet, you could revisit each statement and adjust it. This way the kids are still involved in "creating" it, but have more knowledge to do it.
ReplyDeletePhil, I love that you're having the kids make up their own rules. Have you thought about HOW you're going to get the kids to come up with the rules? I'm having that problem with my lesson and AUP.
ReplyDeletePhil,
ReplyDeleteVery constructivist! Having them make their own rules. Positive wording and kid-friendly language is really very important. All too often, our rules are a list of things kids can't do, instead of a list of common sense freedoms. I look forward to reading your AUP!