As crazy as it sounds, I wrestled with the task of adding RSS feeds to my pages for some time now and just couldn’t seem to do it. I research through various websites and followed the suggested procedures step-by-step and still couldn’t do. Pretty pathetic, I know, especially when you think that I teach technology for a living. But, I’ve got it down now, and kick myself after discovering how easy it actually was.

As literacy is being redefined and reshaped, educators and students are coming to the realization that education does not merely come from within the walls of the classroom.  Information comes from hundreds of different resources, many of which we take for granted, i.e., radio, internet, social media sites, CD’s, DVD’s and Ipods. Unlike yesteryear, when the teacher stood at the front of the class and recited facts and figures, classrooms are now being equipped with laptops, computers, projectors, SmartBoards, etc., and teachers are intertwining real-time, live streaming media into their lessons.  In addition, students are being taught to sift through the endless piles of garbage out there in order to find useful, intellectual information.  They are being taught to recognize what is real, and what is not, and apply the information accordingly.

As a Technology Teacher, I have already applied several processes into the curriculum that I have learned from this class, such as RSS, Boolean Searches, and Internet Search Evaluation Tools, and passed on the same to the faculty. If this continues, and I have no reason to believe that it won’t, then there is no doubt that my students will be ready for their future.

Case Summary:

This case revolved around Olathe School District’s refusal to allow for two controversial books to be made available in the school library to High School students.  

On August 29, 1993, Dr. Ron Wimmer (Superintendant of Schools, Unified School District #233, Johnson County, KS.) was contacted by Mr. Robert Birle (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/Kansas City and Project 21) regarding the organization’s desire to donate two books; All American Boys by Frank Mosca and Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden, both with gay or lesbian story lines, to the school district.  Dr. Wimmer notified the school board members and shortly thereafter, the books were delivered to the district high schools.

In October 1993, it was discovered that existing copies of the books were already on the shelves of several middle and high school libraries and were made available to the students.  Librarians were instructed to review the books as per district policy and provide conclusions to the District. The school librarians gave Annie on My Mind and favorable review and rejected All American Boys. The results were passed on to Dr. Wimmer and Mr. Birle was notified of the District’s decision.  

In December, after a meeting with the secondary school librarians about the book donation, the District sent out a press release stating that district schools would not accept the books, and therefore not make either of them available for student use.  The decision was supported by a 4-2 vote from the school board.

In January, Amanda Grebb (Olathe high school student) met with Dr. Lowell Ghosey (Principal, Olathe High School) to show him a copy of a flyer regarding the book removal.  After several discussions and revisions, the flier was distributed without incident. 

A Civil Action lawsuit was filed with the U.S. District Court by several students, former students, parents of students, and a teacher claiming that the removal of the book(s) violated their first and fourteenth amendment rights. The lawsuit consisted of four counts; two of which were seeking declaratory and injunctive relief for defendants in violation of their First and Fourteenth Amendment Rights.  A third count was seeking relief for Olathe School District, and the fourth count; censorship of fliers in violation of their First and Fourteenth Amendment Rights.

On July 24, 1995, after much deliberation, the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas held that the Olathe School District did, in fact, violate the First Amendment Rights of the students and parents in the Olathe School District. 

Impact / Implication

Judge Van Bebber used a similar case; Board of Education vs. Pico, 457 U.S. 853, 73 L. Ed. 2d 435, 102 S. Ct. 2799 (1982) as a precedent in his ruling.  In Pico, a New York community school board removed several books from their school libraries as a result of a list of books that were deemed objectionable by a local conservative community.  The school board’s actions were claimed to be an attempt to “..protect the children reflecting the values of the community.”  A Judge later ruled that, although the school board had the right to make decisions about curriculum and had the right to remove books that were deemed “educationally unsuitable,” or “pervasively vulgar,” they could not restrict access to books merely because that did not agree with the ideas in them.  The books were returned to the library shelves.

Both cases dealt with censorship in our school libraries.  Both court decisions supported, and will further support the 1939 ALA Library Bill of Rights, specifically paragraphs II, III and V, which note that libraries should provide information and materials that present all points of view on current and historical issues. Books, magazines, and periodicals should not be added or removed simply because of a difference in beliefs or personal opinions.

Application

The decisions on both Pico and Stevana Case provide support to librarians who are approached by Administration, parents and faculty and ordered to remove books based on their own moral or political judgments. If we as a society allowed our school libraries to be controlled by the ideas and perspectives of parents and faculty, our shelves would be empty.  Because the decision has already been set in stone, school officials and librarians now have the tools to stop any controversy over book titles before a battle even begins.

Sources:

Stevana Case vs. Unified School District No. 233, 895 F. Supp. 1463 (U.S D. Kan. 1995)

Freedom to Read Foundation News, Volume 20, Nos. 3-4 / 1995

Intellectual Freedom in School Libraries by Linda J. Shirley (http://www.llaonline.org /fp/files/pubs/if_manual/eleven.pdf)

Library Bill of Rights, American Library Association / June 19, 1939

Reflection:

Although I understand the discomfort and anger that some people might feel regarding controversial books and literature in school libraries, I do support the decisions that were made in both the Stevana Case and Pico. Who is the one that decides whether a book is deemed “unsuitable,” and, what are they basing their decisions on? Personal opinions, religious beliefs, morality? And, if my beliefs are not the same as yours, who wins, and why? No matter what community we live in, there are going to be people who believe that what is being presented to our children is in someway inappropriate.  We as a nation created the Bill of Rights and within them, the 1^st Amendment.  Despite whether people agree or disagree with an issue, it is necessary that we abide by the laws that we created. If books or informational items that are carried in our libraries are deemed “sensitive,” simply place the books behind the counters to be issued “by request.”  This way, the items are still available to students, but perhaps under specific guidelines set by the librarian.

I believe that the ethical use of information is essential if for nothing more than to simply recognize an individual(s) efforts and hard
work.  Granted, unlike the literary products of yesteryear, when you were able to pick up a book, note the author, publisher and copyright date, and slap it at the bottom of a research paper, today it takes a little more work in deciphering who wrote what and when.  Either way, it is important to instill in students today that someone did, in fact, produce the item and should be recognized for it.

That being said, I support using websites like www.turnitin.com to enforce ethics. The fact that students (and adults) think that it is alright to cut and paste information from an internet site and call it research is horrendous.  There is no thought or effort into the act of cutting and pasting.  As a matter of fact, most of the time, when asked, students have no clue as to what they copied. The only thing they are happy about it the fact that they covered a page with words.  The act of plagiarism is nothing more than laziness and unfortunately, it is placed on the shoulders of the teachers to enforce this.

As mentioned in David Warlick’s Redefining Literacy 2.0 , I think having student’s copyright their projects and material is a great idea.  It gives students a sense of ownership. I also highly encourage the registration of student work as Creative Commons.  It both  adds to the pool of available “free” information and also reemphasizes the fact that most, most if not all information comes from someone and is not for the taking… unless permission has been specifically granted.

I remember sitting in class years ago and cringing when the teacher asked for a composition, or research paper on something archaic… something I could care less about.  And the thought of having to open a book and spend time on researching this topic was absolutely painful.  IN the end, a paper was handed in that of course resulted in a less than glamorous grade.

There are so many new tools out there today that weren’t available when I was a kid.  A pen, paper and an encyclopedia was about the extent of it.  With all of the various forms of technology today, we as teachers should encourage students to spread their wings a bit and get away from the dry mundane assignments of yesteryear.  If we want students to use their creative minds, we should (a) let them explore the topics that interest them, and (b) encourage them to use every available tool that they have available to them. Now, I’m not saying that they should have free reign of the subject matter, but if we provided a topic, and allow them to choose and research a specific “angle” surrounding that topic, then they would essentially own the paper and perhaps want to expand on it in order to fully explain their points of view.

To encourage students to use all available tools would essentially open the door to endless possibilities in terms of creativity.  Video, sound, desktop publishing, presentations, and online media… Not only would the end product be impressive, but the information gained through the entire creative process would be highly beneficial.

I’m sitting at my desk preparing for a 6^th grade class that is scheduled to begin in exactly 17 minutes.  I was unable to prepare earlier because the internet connection was lost in half the building and I was busy getting us back on line.  A student walks in and states that her teacher needs me immediatly because some of the student’s can’t seem to print.  On my way there, another teacher meets me in the hallway and says that two of her students can’t log on to Accelerated Reader.   I tell her I’ll look into it.  I now have 4 minutes until class starts.  I then get a call from the Principal who states that he needs me to provide instruction to the new secretary on how to print report cards. He adds that I can take my time, but if it can be done before lunch it would be helpful.  I now walk into class full of sixth graders staring at me… I’m totally unprepared and completely frustrated.

Needless to say, if you have been teaching in the Technology field, you are more than familiar with this scenario.  It is frustrating and exhausting.  You would think that there might be a simple resolution to this problem, but unless your budget allows for another employee or two, you’re unfortunately on your own and have to somehow deal with it.

If you stand back and look at the situation as a whole, you might notice that the stress that you’re feeling is most likely resulting from your continuous time constraints.  So, in order to get rid of the stress, you need to learn how to better manage your time.

Spend a few minutes and complete the online time management survey and see how well you do.  This will give you a snapshot of how well organized you actually are… or aren’t.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_88.htm

Many of us know that we could be managing our time a bit more effectively.  Watch the video  below (narrated by me – no narrator bashing afterwards ) and note the 10 Common Mistakes we often make when managing our time.  See if you can spot any things that you do.  Afterward, comment on two areas that you think best apply to you and explain what you think you can do to change it.

10 Common Time Management Mistakes

In the educational environment, stress in the workplace is rampant. Overworked and underpaid, meetings with confrontational parents, tending to students, writing curriculum, and meeting the demands of the administration is extremely stressful. In a recent poll, 58% of people who participated stated that they were either close to burnout or battle burnout every day on their job. By learning to reduce the stress associated with every day events, you diffuse the stress associated with those events, bringing yourself greater peace.

Stress can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Psychologist Connie Lillas (HelpGuide.org, 2011 Understanding Stress ) uses a driving analogy to describe the three most common ways people respond when they’re overwhelmed by stress:

• Foot on the gas – An angry or agitated stress response. You’re heated, keyed up, overly emotional, and unable to sit still.
• Foot on the brake – A withdrawn or depressed stress response. You shut down, space out, and show very little energy or emotion.
• Foot on both – A tense and frozen stress response. You “freeze” under pressure and can’t do anything. You look paralyzed, but under the surface you’re extremely agitated.

Despite your initial response or symptoms, stress can be linked to a number of health problems. Depression and anxiety are very common among those with high stress levels and it affects the ability to sleep. It will also increase your blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease or heart attacks.  Because of this, it is very important to keep your stress at bay and learn how to manage your levels.

Are you stressed at work? Read the article below or view the video to learn more about the signs and symptoms of stress and how to successfully battle it.  Afterword, comment on how stress affects you at work and what you do to combat it.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgeOaygSgIY

Assignment Recap:  

1.  Comment on two  (of the 10 time management mistakes) that you think best apply to you and explain what you think you can do to change it.

2. Comment on how stress affects you at work and what you do to combat it.

One thing I really enjoy about teaching the Technology curriculum is sharing new programs, gadgets, and applications with the students.  Every day, I hear a student saying “…that’s cool,” or “I’m going to try that at home.”  Although these are great comments to great classroom experiences, I really wish that they could be somehow applied to educational applications, outside of the typical educational software that every school uses.

After reading Chapter 3 of Redefining Literacy 2.0, I was pretty interested and quite enthused about the use of Web Mashups.  What a great idea.  Basically, you’re using two to three different applications and “Mashing“them together to create an educational tool or production.

David F. Warlick’s example of David Jukes’ JFK’s assignation project was perfect. Utilizing Google Maps, and Screencast, David Jukes gave a  virtual historical tour of the route that JFK took, and the building from where the shot supposedly originated from. Teachers could assign similar projects, and have the students giving virtual tours and talks about every subject ranging from Historical to Scientific, to just simpyl projects focusing on the abstract and the artistic.

Web Mashups opens the doors to huge possibilities.  Perhaps throwing Audacity into the mix and inserting a musical soundtrack or sound effects into the production.

   As an experiment, I conducted a (Boolean) search on the topic, “Is there life on Mars?”  Naturally, NASA popped right up, along with a few other official government websites.  As I continued to scroll down the page I noticed a few other supposedly official / somewhat questionable sites that I couldn’t help but click on.  This one in particular was entitled, There is Life on Mars!  At first glance, when opening the webpage, all looks reasonably legitimate…. A lot of data, no bells or whistles.  Then as you look closer you quickly notice that many of the words are highlighted in crazy colors, and the information seems to go nowhere.  Scroll down a bit, click a few links and before your eyes snaps a ridiculous picture.
Granted, as an adult, you can quickly see through this site, but as a child, it may not be as apparent. With all of the information out there, and the millions of sites to pull from, who is to say what is legitimate and what is not? After all, most blogs are personal opinion and little fact.  And, if they are deemed factual, what is that based on?
As teachers, it is important to instill in our youth that research doesn’t necessarily lead to “truth.”  In order to sift though what is good information and what is garbage, it takes some investigative work on the student’s part.  It takes asking the questions outlined in Chapter 2 of Redefining Literacy 2.0 (By David F. Warlick); Who, What, Where, When, and How.  And, if that doesn’t clear things up, maybe taking a close look at the source and Domain.

The idea behind this “Classroom” is the fact that there is no classroom.  Through the use of various forms of technology, teachers and students from across the globe work together in a virtual setting to complete projects, conduct research, share thoughts and ideas, music and entertainment, etc.  There would be no books (as we know them), whiteboards, or libraries.  All information would come through the vast online sources of informational technology, live sources provided through VOIP, as well as streaming, webcams, podcasts, etc.  Teachers would then capture this information and apply it to their lessons.

First of all, the first Chapter of Redefining Literacy 2.0. was enjoyable.  Wow… it really makes you think, especially when you think about the
statement “…our job as educators, is to prepare our students for a future that we cannot clearly describe.”   Isn’t that the truth.

In keeping with that thought, I think that it should be obvious to any educator in practice today that we must shift from “old school” teaching methods and reshape our classrooms to one without walls, a.k.a. The Virtual Classroom.  Accepting the model of literacy from yesteryear , i.e., the three R’s and integrating technology into various subjects by assigning PowerPoint projects and online research is grossly missing the mark. Students are way passed that. These brief splashes of technology into their course work is actually holding them back, not helping them.

A student enters the classroom everyday with huge amounts of information, gathered from countless tech sources, and doesn’t quite know what to do with it.  To simply know the 3 R’s and have no idea as to how to use informational technology, and understand it, could easily  be defined as being illiterate in today’s educational environment. Technology is everywhere and it is imperative that we know how to use it… as much as knowing how to read, write, and “rithmetic.” Our jobs as teachers is to not only to help them decipher the information gained from tech sources and make sense of it, but also teach them how to use these tools and intelligently put the sources to good use.

If we instill this tech skill into our students today, then they will have the confidence and intelligence to take whatever technology the future holds and succeed.