Literature Review: Avoiding the Digital Abyss: Getting Started in the Classroom with YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs

Mullen, R., & Wedwick, L.. (2008). Avoiding the Digital Abyss: Getting Started in the Classroom with YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs. The Clearing House, 82(2), 66-69.  Retrieved May 17, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1592650451).

I chose this article because I feel the topic is very relevant for this class. The article starts out with the following statement by Blain, an eighth grader, in a blog post:

"Students should be able to use modern technology in

the classrooms because that is the world we are growing

up in and it is a skill to know how to use the latest

technology."

Blain, eighth grade, blog post

Blain hits the nail on the had to use an old cliché. The authors go on to say "Being literate no longer only involves being able to read and write. The literate of the twenty-first century must be able to download, upload, rip, burn, chat, save, blog, Skype, IM, and share."

The authors focused on three technological tools: YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs. They discussed their use of these technologies in the classroom and gave specific examples.

The YouTube section of the article was thought provoking. On one hand, the wide availability of videos makes this technology very attractive to teachers and students. On the other hand, there are so many extremely inappropriate videos posted on YouTube that many schools ban the site on their networks. Thus, a valuable learning tool is lost. The authors make a valid point, instead of banning YouTube in the classroom, instead, focus on teaching students how to use it safely and productively. We all know the students will go home and access YouTube there. So why not teach them how to be responsible?

I visited Seattle last August to see my brother and his family. My niece is only six years old and I had just bought her a computer of her own. Part of the reason for my visit was to set it up (my brother is technology challenged lol!). She had already experienced surfing using her dad's computer and, during my visit, she was trying out her own computer by accessing YouTube and searching for videos on the Beatles! I was struck by how comfortable she was in using the computer. I can definitely see her wanting to make use of YouTube for homework assignments where appropriate.

Next they talked about Digital Storytelling and gave an example of how they introduced it to the students. There were challenges because students had to share equipment, but everyone felt the experience was positive and valuable.

Finally, students were introduced to blogs. Prior They set up a classroom blog on Blogger, and students were educated on blogging prior to posting. The blog was well received and students were active in using it. Again, a technology tool had a positive result.

I think this article clearly described ways to use these tools and pitfalls teachers need to think about, such as inappropriate material (YouTube), equipment considerations (Digital Storytelling), and protecting the students identities (blogging). It is definitely an article to refer back to.

Creative Commons: What Every Educator Needs to Know

When I spotted this K12 Online Conference, I thought it tied right into this week's class. The presenter is Rodd Lucier from Komoka, Ontario, Canada.

Mr. Lucier explains how we live in a culture where "cheating" is widespread. Mobile devices are banned from classrooms for this reason. Even online gaming has cheats because the games can be too hard to play without them. I actually can related to the last point. I play World of Warcraft and, while I definitely do not "hack" the game, I do frequently look up how to complete quests. In fact, just yesterday, I realized I am not even trying to complete the quest on my own first, I am going right to www.thottbot.com to look it up. And I do this even for quests I have already completed on another character.

He also made the point that educators often add graphics and music that does not belong to them to student materials, and that we have to start being an example for the students in this area.

Mr. Lucier then explained what Creative Commons is, why it is important, and how to license your works so they are usable by others. He also mentioned the fact that when President Obama took office, the official White House website started licensing with Creative Commons. In fact, Creative Commons had to create a new license type for government works.

He also mentioned ccMixter, a site where music is available for reuse, and talked about several other sites where you can find legally licensed materials. He also discussed the fact it might be possible for students to license their own works. The trick is to know the laws for your country.

You have to realize that when you license your work with Creative Commons, someone might use your material in a way you might not approve of, but if you grated the license you have no recourse. Mr. Lucier told the story of a photo posted by the photographer of a student that Virgin Mobil took, flipped, cropped, added text, and then used in a promotional manner. The owner of the photo had no recourse.

This was a very enjoyable conference. It built on the material we discussed in this week's class and went into a lot of detail about why it is so important  to use legally available materials in the classroom, and how to do so.