Citation Needed

Wikipedia is a siren. It lures a poor mortal in with the promise of information and catches them with endlessly interconnected articles consuming any productivity into an infinite circular quest (can you tell I have been playing Dragon Age much?). Fancy metaphor aside Wikipedia is a very interesting source of information that has never existed in history. Before only experts in the field can provide overview information on their own given topic. Without knowing one of these experts the information was inaccessible. This has now changed. Anyone and everyone can view, comment, add, subtract, or alter the database of information. It is a true collective of the knowledge of the people.

When starting a new research project, especially one that I am not familiar with, I find I am often at a loss. Vocabulary is the largest issue. I do not know the terms used in the field, who wrote what or when. For this reason Wikipedia is my near exclusive starting point for research. It scaffolds the basic structure of the topic or builds upon what has been discussed in class. Referenced works is also very critical as it can help point me where to look next for further research.

Research papers are considered the only valid source of information at the collage level. These papers are highly specific, and the language is difficult to access for many students. Its accuracy is equivalent to that of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I find it difficult to develop a sufficient argument on why I should not accept it as a resource. This is not without caveats.

While the articles are just as important the Talk and History sections are very important. Unlike any other source of knowledge the history of the editing process is visible to all. Science education fell short for many, many people in teaching them how to evaluate knowledge claims. This is critical for everyone to learn with the information density we are living in now. If students wish to cite Wikipedia they can, but they will also demonstrate in their research the context and history of the information they cited.

In my humble opinion a Wikipedia article is more reliable than a random webpage. Forever self correcting the probability that it will contain too much bias or inaccuracies remains low. A standard web page is static. It only updates when someone with access to the site updates it. A great deal of analysis is needed to determine the validity of a site. Wikipedia articles are flagged by users if they feel there are issues.

At this time my classroom policy will be simple. For any source cited students will need to provide a few sentences for each site/book/fortune teller why it is an acceptable source and what problems exist with it. Or I can just not assign research papers.

I'm kidding.

Can you learn me now?

My initial impression of cell phones was that they are distractions in the classroom. It did not cross my mind that they possess educational value. This is a new vantage point for me and, in general, I believe that cell phones can be educational tools. There are concerns that must be addressed however and I will need to find a way where they can be a useful tool. I feel that technology is a tool to meet certain ends. If I am unable to find a way to utilize cellular phones in my classroom then I do not plan on teaching technology lessons that have no context to the rest of the content.

The classroom policy for cellphones will need restrictions. It will be a white list. Parents are the most likely payers of the students cell phones. To address their needs I plan on implementing some sort of licensing system. The students will sign a contract of expectation of behavior for cell phone use in the classroom, and parents must also sign that their child has permission to use the cell phone in class.

There will be issues to implement cell phones in the classroom. Josh Allen failed too fully realize his arguments. His most legitimate concern is the financial pressure to make sure cell phones are supplied to all students. Not every student will have a cell phone, much less a plan with unlimited everything. Group projects will be the best level to implement the use of cell phones. Another possibility is to have cell phones be an option in student work but this risks creating unequal learning opportunity between students.

That being said there are possible uses in addition to the suggestions in the readings. Liz Kolb is a strong proponent of student audio blogging, namely interviewing. Many cellphones now have the capacity to record images and videos as well. Students can visually document projects as well as conduct field expedition and communicate with the rest of their group in real time. The importance of cellphones is their use in how we interact with one another. Any academic use of cell phones will need to keep this as the focus.

Cybermeanies

Bullies are like a computer virus; their only intent is to inflict harm. Cyberbullying takes bullying into the digital realm. Due to the unregulated nature of the Internet any "normal person" can become a "total dickwad." I've never been the target of cyberbullies (real life ones are a different matter) and never been a perpetrator of it.

Our schools are in a tough position. Cyberbullying can technically take place out side of the school walls and school hours. Yet the effects can reach inside the classroom environment. It is more difficult for adults to detect than normal rumor spreading especially if it was a private communication. Detecting it requires implimenting what I consider good management practices: know your students so you can detect changes in interactions, know the current whispers in the rumor mill, and have conversations with your students to know what is happening in their lives.

In a perfect world it is the parents responsibility to know what their children are doing online. This is not a perfect world and innocent lives can be lost in defense of ideologies. It is something schools and teachers should talk about with students. It can be reduced by creating digital community in the school with adult presence. This is probably the most preemptive, ideal solution that I hope to implement at the school I work at. Yet teachers can not be everywhere online, or administrators read through all student emails and instant messaging.