Course 2 Beings…Reflections on: TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY for ISB
Today, I was introduced to ISB’s technology Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and found it an interesting document for a number of reasons. First, I don’t know how many teachers have seen it, as no one in my group discussion has ever heard of it, let alone seen it. (I myself didn’t know what AUP stood for.) Second, there is a definite need for such a document. Lastly, there is a need for some revision. The language needs to be more “kid-friendly” and some discussion needs to take place around some of the expectations laid out in the document.
After a short breakout session, we were introduced to our guest speaker: Silvia Tolisano
She writes at: http://langwitches.org/blog/
Silvia introduced us to using chatrooms in elementary (Gr. 6) classrooms…
Based on the idea that literacy is the ability to read, write, create and communicate, Sivia uses chatrooms to encourage participation, collaboration and to record thinking, as well as, reflections on learning.
We were invited to a chat room while Silvia did her presentation. According to the the entries in the chat room, there were mixed reactions as to the effectiveness of the tool. Some found it difficult to manage both the realtime discussion and the one taking place simulataneously in the background, in the chatroom. Others, found it an interesting tool to record thinking and encourage participation in group discussions. And then there were those, like myself who were interested, but skeptical of the real learning benefits of using chatrooms in the classroom.
It was interesting to see how the chat had evolved from friendly hellos, to more focused entries on the topic at hand. I also noticed a new method of directing your entry at a specific member of the chat room: @soandso, that I have not experienced before. Not a user of chatrooms, I thought this was a simple and effect way to direct your comment to a specific member of the group. What I also like about the chat is the ability to save the chat for future review (like what I am doing now). My only concern is that this takes up more time in a day that already doesn’t fit into 24 hours. In the classroom setting, what happens to students who communicate better verbally and not so effectively in the written word. And then typing skills are a mandatory prerequisite for keeping up with the discussion.
In the end, it was an interesting experiment…but one I cannot integrate in a grade 1 classroom 
True to form, I decided not to be beaten up about this. I used tinychat.com with my Grade 4 and 5 boys in the Boys Book Club. They loved it! It was amazing to see how quickly they got into the chat and how easily they were hooked in sharing their ideas and questions. When I first introduced the laptops and the website…they took off: writing, reading and responding to messages the other boys had posted. They were hooked! Once they were sent off to do some reading, now armed with the laptops and the chatroom, the club took on a totally didn’t feel. We were not only going digital, we were connected. Boys asked questions about what was being read. Some boys did some research on liquid nitrogen and before long, they were pasting their findings right on the chatroom.
One of the main reasons for starting up the Boys Book Club was to motivate reluctant readers to read, find material that they are interested in and to come together as a community of readers. Weary of how it would all turn out, the introduction of the chatroom put all my worries to rest. I had found a way to keep them, hooked, reading and loving it.
Technorati Tags: AUP, Silvia Tolisano, chatrooms, tinychat.com
