I met with Louis yesterday and got some great feedback from him on my project. I was relieved to hear that he thought my goal was too ambitious for the time period, which was a sneaking suspicion I had when I realized the class was only four weeks! I am up and running with my project and am in the research phase. I am just amazed at the abundance of resources for teaching Internet safety. I definitely have my work cut out for me. I think the best tactic will be to focus on my end product (thanks to Louis for this advice) and work backwards. I'm thinking of wiki pages for fourth grade and videos for fifth, but that's all I've got so far. I have had a busy week and am throwing a bridal shower tomorrow, so I'm squeezing school work into all the gaps between work and commitments. Luckily, I have a pretty tame week next week and will get a ton of work done then.
Louis always saves the day when we need a reality check! Having your end point in mind will certainly help you focus on what resources you need and what you and your students need to do to accomplish your goals. You are completely correct - there is an overwhelming amount of information and resources out there to help teach internet safety. Good luck with your project. I look forward to seeing what your fourth graders produce and learn. I may steal your ideas for my own class.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I got some great input on my project goals from Louis, also. I took a look at your project. I think it is great that you want to give direct focus to the importance of internet safety. Have you ever heard of the FBI-SOS (http://www.fbi-sos.org/) project? It is an FBI sponsored site that takes children through a series of activities to teach them about internet safety. At the end, classes test their knowledge. Their scores are entered into a national contest to win a visit by actual FBI agents to their school. Check it out! You may find it useful.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I also got the same suggestion from Louis, mine was a bit too much to chew for this time frame as well. I'm not sure why I thought this class was longer...anyways. I'd be interested in hearing about your project later on. I teach Internet Safety and am always willing to hear new ideas on how to make it better and more engaging. You have a great start and so much creativity you'll do great! Hope the shower was fun! :-)
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