Bullying, online instruction, and The Virtual Revolution

Lest someone accuse me of using the extra time to do something unproductive, like writing reports, I've committed to re-starting my Pro-D emails while I'm sitting in Lisa's office. Lonely. Waiting for someone to ask me a question (although thanks to Paul & Harold for at least pretending to need help). Either I'll introduce enough ideas that people will start creating problems, or someone will come and see me just to reduce the clutter in their Inbox. Either way; win/win. (Does anybody actually ever try for a win/lose? "Most Obvious Concept of the Decade" goes to....)

First up is a blog article titled "Facebook, Privacy and Cyber bullying" on the social pressures that exist with social media. I found it interesting in and of itself, but more importantly introduced me to a book "Letters to a Bullied Girl", which seems a fascinating collection of letters of letters by both the bully and the bullied. I've asked Eileen to get it for the library - excerpts can be read in the Amazon link above.

Secondly, in the area of research this study found that classes with an online learning component (whether completely online, or blended with a regular classroom) on average produced stronger results than classes with face-to-face instruction as the sole instructional type. My first thought imagined a classroom of children, learning without teachers; a future where a teacher was as necessary as the liftman.

Second and third thoughts seemed to suggest otherwise. Reading more closely suggested that blended classes, that used both online and face-to-face interaction, performed the same as purely online courses, but both are taught by professional teachers. The study makes the point that essentially the instructor made more of a difference as a variable when comparing these two scenarios. I view this positively; when choosing between online or blended courses it's the teacher that still makes the real difference. (Of course, I couldn't find any comparison's to boarding schools, which would be yet another relevant detail for us.) Nor were these online or blended classrooms static environments of delivered content - in each case there is a teacher providing resources, teaching, creating and guiding. For all those tirelessly putting in the time and effort necessary to create those Moodle sites, and provide online interaction for your students, your time is being well spent. That's always nice to know.

It's a big report, and I've only skimmed/scratched the surface. Share what you think here or here.

And in other news - strong traditional literacy skills has been correlated positively with phone texting. Even my students had a hard time believing that one. Maybe I should be buying Ciara her first phone?

Thirdly, the comment was made today about how well our students were connected digitally; to their home, to each other, and other extended networks during their recent trip. While some schools are banning social media, and other modern tools in the classroom, the correlation between online study and improved results suggests this is not only the future of education, but perhaps also its foundation. Once we had static textbooks. Although some students did choose to interact, the writing scrawled inside and on the edge was never terribly unique or educational. Now we have textbooks - with accompanying online problems and text, videos, sound, and accompanying forums where students can discuss with other students some of the problems and difficulties with the subject. Where these are absent, students expect similar teacher-created resources, whether on Moodle, WebCT, or just a class in Facebook.

It's going to be an interesting decade.

The BBC has recently broadcast a new documentary called "The Virtual Revolution" - billed as an open and collaborative documentary. They've made available their own media for re-use through a permissive license, and overall it appears interesting and comprehensive. I've only seen some sections, and my main critique is it assumes that its audience hasn't heard of the internet; the "gee whiz" factor can be overdone. It's worth a look though, and they have provided a lot of the content online.

I hope there was something here that piqued your interest. If not, this last tidbit that floated past my email. Forget the issue about dress - parents creating and/or participating in a Facebook protest about a school? Extrapolate that to the next generation, once our connected students become even more connected parents.

And finally, just for a laugh, a Professor that absolutely does not want anyone bringing laptops or cell phones to class.

Regards,

Ron