EDTC: Blog Post #4 for Module 4

Math is a subject that people feel is a bore. In popular media it is viewed where students come in, sit down, the teacher lectures, students write down notes, leave, do the homework and repeat. With the use of technology it has allowed math teachers to get away from the myth of math being monotonous. Social media has especially allowed teachers to create more ways for students to branch out and communicate with others about mathematics. A question to help me figure this out is, “How can I teach my math students appropriate digital social interactions around mathematics with others outside the classroom?”

In order to have my students utilize social interactions online, first the students have to be taught proper digital behavior. Since the birth of social media the use of it by students has surged. This brings new situations for students to go through in their daily lives.

“The Pew Research Center’s 2011 report, ‘Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network Sites,’ indicates that 25% of the respondents said that an interaction on a social media site led to a face-to-face argument, 22% said that it ended a friendship, and 13% reported that it made them nervous to attend school the next day.” (Ribble, n.d.)

From that a new threat focused around bullying has emerged called cyberbullying in which people are harassed or victimized using technology. All over the world, students are facing these issues as social media has become more prevalent in their daily lives. Having digital citizenship is necessary to combat these issues so students are able to feel safe at school, home, or online. Another SPU cohort student, Conrado Julian, found in his article, “The Strategies for Digital Citizenship,” that we teach positive values in everyday life, but we lack in the digital realm. By focusing on digital citizenship we acknowledge that our students’ lives on the internet require the same amount of attention (Don & Edward, n.d.). We as teachers need to focus on digital citizenship because it can have dire consequences if left alone.

To be able to teach this type of digital citizenship the teachers have to be the ones demonstrating how to act. To be able to connect students with other classrooms from around the world, teachers have to do so first (Lindsay & Davis, 2010). That means teachers have to try it out, figure out the issues that may arise, create plans for said issues, then demonstrate to the students proper etiquette. Students can then emulate what is being asked by the teacher in order for them to communicate with others from around the world about mathematics. Even with demonstrating proper etiquette students will forget. Teachers should always be prepared with consequences for misuse. When moderating all collaborative online discussions, if a student is out of line, then there are steps such as screenshotting the misconduct, having the student make an open apology, and suspending or even banning students from the social network (Lindsay & Davis, 2010). With these ideas on how to demonstrate and monitor proper digital behaviors, I can focus on working with students to be able to communicate with others on mathematics in order for them to collaboratively solve problems.

After teaching digital citizenship students can utilize online discussion boards. There are major benefits to allowing students to work collaboratively online with others on problem-solving activities and other discussions. It gives students an opportunity to create their own learning community with people separated by distance, culture, organizational, and international borders and lets students who are usually isolated in face to face observations to communicate (Brodie, 2009). One school used this idea for creating online learning communities that allowed students to work with each other in cohorts. University of Southern Queensland located in Australia looked to improve their online engineering program. They implemented more discussion boards and online meets for the students to utilize instead of having no interaction with other students (Brodie, 2009). This provided major benefits toward the students academically. The school found in comparison to their on campus classes that the online students were performing better. The number of students passing the course went up higher than their in-class counterparts. It also allowed students that weren’t already able to work in a team and more confidence in their work (Brodie, 2009).

I have already looked into ways that I want to implement social media sites into my classroom for students to work collaboratively with others on mathematical problems, such as social media sites that are made specifically for students to communicate with others about any academic subjects. The social media site Docsity allows students to connect with a plethora of other students around the globe and engage in activities, study posted materials and simply have discussions with others about any subjects. It is even available for androids and iOS devices so it can be more accessible to students since all of my students have access to an iPad everyday. I will experiment with the social media site for its potential to help my students communicate with others about mathematics. A major goal of mine is to utilize its communication potential and create mathematical problems that would have students communicating with others from around the world to solve them.

Works Cited

Brodie, L. M. (2009). EProblem-based learning: Problem-based learning using virtual teams.    European Journal of Engineering Education, 34(6), 497-509. doi:10.1080/03043790902943868

Lindsay, J., & Davis, V. (2010, April). Navigate the Digital Rapids. International Society for Technology in Education, 12-15.

Don O.; Edward C.; Illustration by Aaron Sacco. (n.d.). Independent School Magazine. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.nais.org/Magazines-Newsletters/ISMagazine/Pages/The-Strategy-for-Digital-Citizenship.aspx

Ribble, M. (n.d.). EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN AN ONLINE WORLD: CONNECTING STUDENTS TO TECHNOLOGY RESPONSIBLY, SAFELY, AND ETHICALLY. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17(1), 137-145.