Activity 9: Fitness Assessment

Scenario 3: Anonymous Blogging
Ms. Gifford learned about a new blog that does not require the arduous process of setting up individual accounts for each student. This seemed like an easy way to jump into blogging as a class. Ms. Gifford talked about acceptable use with her students but did not inform the principal or parents of her instructional goals or objectives for using a class blog. Because students did not have accounts, they were able to post comments on the blog anonymously. Although, this protected student privacy, it snowballed into a barrage of inappropriate and harassing comments. Ms. Gifford quickly shut the blog down and went back to the drawing board.

1.  Discuss the possible ethical issues involved.
First, I don't think this is a very likely scenario, but it is certainly possible.  The ability to be anonymous allows kids to recognize a real-world situation where they can affect and be affected by words as they try to express themselves.If the site is controlled by Ms. Gifford, she should consider making it private and taking it down while they discuss how to use the site after problems.
2.  Determine if the safety or well-being of anyone is in jeopardy. 
Certainly well being is in jeopardy, but kids will be exposed to this pain at earlier ages as cell phones and social media become more available.
 3.  What advice, strategy, or policy would you recommend to individuals or schools based on this scenario?
I think Ms. Gifford should filter all comments and maybe show examples of proper and improper communicating.
 4.  Share any real-life incidents or personal connections related to the scenario.
As stated earlier, this situation models what has become fairly commonplace for kids and adults.  Since this history may affect a young person's college and job prospects, these lessons need to be taught at home and at school in some way.  
We have been using iPads and it has been a struggle to deal with instant messages and photos.  There is a market for full-featured iPads that can be locked better.

 Scenario 6: Course Management Overload
Ms. Carlson is excited to use Edmodo, a course management system similar to Moodle with her students.  Although Edmodo isn’t officially supported by the tech department like Moodle is, she is excited to use it because she finds it much more intuitive to use and she likes the interface better than Moodle.  Ms. Carlson is vigilant about the privacy settings, has informed her principal and parents of her instructional goals and objectives. Her students jump on board and post to the discussion at record numbers. Ms. Carlson is pleased to see such motivated dialogue on a novel that had previously felt like pulling teeth.  Two weeks into the unit, she receives a parent complaint. The complaint is as follows:
     Dear Ms. Carlson, Mr. Miller, Mr. Hamilton and Ms. McIntyre,
     Although my son is a motivated and active participant in all of your classes, I am concerned that the school does not seem to have a unified course management system. He is using Moodle in Math, Edmodo in English, Schoology in Science, and Kidblog in Social Studies. Furthermore, all of these sites require different logins and passwords. As a parent, I am having a difficult time keeping this all straight and am requesting that the school discuss this issue and figure out a more streamlined approach.
     Thank you for your consideration,  
     A supportive but confused parent

1.  Discuss the possible ethical issues involved.
I don't see an ethical issue, but I think the school can develop greater buy-in with parents if we make our websites and systems more consistent.  This uniformity can be boring for kids, but parents have a tough job.
2.  Determine if the safety or well-being of anyone is in jeopardy.
No real safety issues here.  The student's success hinges on parental involvement so the child may be able to avoid necessary work because of the parent's frustration and confusion.
3.  What advice, strategy, or policy would you recommend to individuals or schools based on this scenario?
This is an executive decision I believe.  They should do some research on robust and user-friendly platforms and narrow down the options.  Even if they allow 2 options, parents would feel a bit more support overseeing student work.
4.  Share any real-life incidents or personal connections related to the scenario.
I have avoided using Moodle because of problems and occasional cumbersome use.  I have been fortunate to have a lead teacher that has worked in a couple formats and has decided on Google.  Google will be motivated to keep customers happy, although as they "monetize" their free software, there could be issues we need to deal with.