I have been really learning. Learning a lot about teaching from my Twitter Peeps. I have found more ideas to steal, questions answered, opinions to ponder and encouragement to help get through a tough year on Twitter. I hope I have helped a few people too.
I was disappointed to discover that two weeks ago someone requested Twitter to be blocked by our filtering service.
I couldn't help but wonder why... I suppose they were worried about what kind of radical things could be done with 140 characters. Maybe the thinking is "Twitter brings down governments, you know."
Couldn't help but wonder if those governments came down because it was their time.
No. Maybe, they were worried about what students would do with it. They may get an idea that wasn't controlled by the school... but isn't that what we want students to grow up to do? It could be a bullying problem spot... but isn't bullying a behavior problem that can (and should) be dealt with student by student?
I have seen some pretty ugly things done with paper and pencil and we are not banning those. The last two major problems that disrupted school here were done with a marker in the rest room.
What do you suppose I did next? I'll give you a hint. I got this yesterday from Tom Whitby on my Twitter feed: "The #1 tool today for accessing the internet is a Mobile Learning Device.Schools do not control the acceptance or direction of Tech. #Edchat http://twitter.com/tomwhitby/status/73179714616967168"
Of course I just pulled out my phone.
Think about that.
If we aren't teaching kids how to behave properly, they are going to go around us and cause problems. We no longer control the flow of information and ideas at school. A simple ban isn't going to do it. We do need to continue to teach manners and respect.
If you were thinking life is easy behind the filter, think again. You've got work to do.
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