Nov 13 2007
IM in the Classroom
I just completed a review of three Web documents dealing with Instant Messaging (IM). All three gave a balanced look at IM. The reason that their creation was necessary is because of the cautious, even reactionary, outlook on all things technological in the field of public education.
The Education Learning Initiative’s .pdf presentation, 7 Things You Should Know About IM , is a beautifully balanced, global look at IM. It is especially important in that number seven discusses the implications of IMin teaching and learning.
A blog entry, The Case for Instant Messaging , is just that. It suggests multiple methods for integrating IM into classroom life. It is very convincing for its depth and enthusiasm.
Finally, IM – Collaborative Tool or Educator’s Nightmare! , a paper written (in APA format, I might add) by a Canadian professor, is a superior piece of work. It goes into great lengths to weigh pros and cons. The author makes some wonderful, creative suggestions.
I think a school district should think about setting up a Jabber server inside its firewall. The outlaws will be too bored to use it and the newbies and conventional folks will be glad that it’s there and benefit immensely.
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Skip, I think that is a great idea. Teacher’s need to be able to access these sights if we are going to teach students to use them responsibly.
Ann
Ann-
I think that we would do well to build a Web inside the firewall. I think that we would ALL benefit from it. Think about setting up mock viruses and having parents and teachers be mock predators to help to teach the students the reality that they face outside the firewall.
-Skip