Communicating with the World

After reading through the article, 21 Things 4 Teachers: Communication, I had a million ideas swimming through my head on how I can involve the world with my classroom. The best part? I would not need to leave our classroom space. We could skype or have a google hangout with a guest speaker who lives 4,000 miles away and ask them questions as if they were sitting with us in Bogota. I could have my students utilize “backchats” where they can ask each other questions about misunderstandings in a lesson I was currently teaching, without the interruption of asking me directly. There are a variety of tools used for students to be able to communicate with each other and the world around them, which indicates that I, as an instructor, should be showing them how to use those tools.

Now if you are a teacher who wants to use this “thing” or technological education tool, you are most certainly going to want to visit your schools Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). This policy should be in place for you to refer to in regards to how students will use the communication resources mentioned (i.e. skype, google hangouts), so that they can continue to have proper digital citizenship. It is vitally important for them understand what it means to have the responsibility of using online tools and communicating with people that they may not know. Students should be able to use the resources provided, but need to know how  to do it so that it is purposeful and safe.

So the question I have for you is this: When you show your students these tools and give them a chance to communicate with both each other and the world around them, are you setting them up for a safe and successful experience?