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clickbait fish hook black and white
CTO/CIODigital Literacy

Teaching Kids (and Adults) about Clickbait

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

I noticed something happening on my Facebook the other day. Suddenly, I was getting a lot of “sponsored stories” (ie. ads) with salacious headlines. Things like “Stop eating chicken breasts immediately!” and “You won’t believe what this famous star has become.” Then I noticed them showing up on my news websites: “Enter your name, wait 12 seconds, and brace yourself.” (Really? Why 12 seconds? Isn’t 10 standard?) And once I started seeing them, suddenly they were everywhere. Welcome to 2017, the year that clickbait becomes the norm.

What Is Clickbait?

According to Wikipedia, clickbait is a term for “web content that is aimed at generating online advertising revenue, especially at the expense of quality or accuracy, relying on sensationalist headlines or eye-catching thumbnail pictures to attract click-throughs and to encourage forwarding of the material over online social networks.”

There are several parts of that definition that jumped out at me. First, it’s all about the bottom line of selling stuff to unsuspecting internet browsers (like your students). Second, the people who create clickbait are very okay with sacrificing quality and accuracy. And third, they really want us to forward this garbage on to our unsuspecting friends and family and maybe help it go viral.

Why Clickbait Is So Dangerous

What makes clickbait so insidious is that, according to the latest research, American adults are fooled by their headlines 75 percent of the time and believe that the headline is true and factual. This is very scary and explains, to a large degree, the great divide we see in our country today.

A recent study on how well students can research conducted by the  Stamford Historian Education Group (SHEG) titled Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning was released in November 2016. The study of 7,804 student responses was conducted between January 2015 and June 2016 for students in middle school through college across 12 states. In summary, SHEG described students’ research ability as “bleak” based on the following:

  • More than 80 percent of middle school students believed that  an advertisement, clearly identified by the words “sponsored content,” was a real news story.
  • Less than 20 percent of high school students used key details to notice that an unreliable source for a photograph was presented as evidence that nuclear radiation caused unusual growth.

I think all of us can agree that clickbait is something that we wish didn’t exist. It’s annoying and distracting. Even I, who consider myself a well-informed individual, find it hard to pull my eyes away from some of their headlines. And that’s why they are so powerful. They are created to appeal to our sense of curiosity, which makes them a natural for children and teens to click on.

The other thing that makes clickbait so dangerous, especially to students, is that it appears the most on social media sites. Since today’s youth practically live on social media, this means that they must be taught how to avoid clickbait and the problems it can cause. And because clickbait works, its use will only continue to grow.

What You Can Do

Here are some tips that something you are thinking about reading is not worth your time. If you follow them, you will easily be able to recognize clickbait when you see it.

The headline or title tells you nothing at all about the content of the article. For example “This Teacher Liked a Facebook Post; What Happened Next Is Awful.” Notice that the headline really doesn’t convey much about the story. What it does do is put a question into your brain: What happened to the teacher? They are counting on you wanting to know enough to click the link. Don’t!

clickbaitThe headline is too good to be true. I think my favorite example in this category is “17 Cats Who Should Be Running for President.” Really? Cats for president? What’s the point of this article? If it’s too ridiculous to be true, it’s too ridiculous to be true and isn’t worth your time.

The headline is in poor taste. Examples include “The Party Is Titanic!” and “10 Things Only People with Dysentery Will Understand.” Good journalists will not stoop to this type of headline. Enough said.

The headline is too funny, too positive, too terrifying, too exploitative, or too anything else. Headlines should simply tell what the story will be about. It is not their job to engender strong emotions. They are supposed to be simply stating the facts.

The headline follows a standard formula.

  • [?] tries to [?]. The reason why will make you [?]
  • [?] tries to [?].  You won’t BELIEVE what happened next!
  • This video will prove that [?]
  • 10 [?] you should never [?] to [?]
  • X was Y. First you’ll be shocked, then you’ll be inspired
  • 10 [?] that look like [?]
  • 10 [?] that you won’t believe [?]

Teaching Students About Clickbait

Share the tips above with your students and have an honest discussion with them about the fallacies and dangers of clickbait. Then try some of the activities below to help them learn to recognize clickbait.

  • Have them take a familiar story, like The Three Little Pigs, and create some obviously clickbait headlines for the story, the stranger the better!
  • Provide them with two headlines for the same story and ask them to decide which one is the clickbait. My favorite example is this one: Headline #1: “You Won’t Believe What This 13-Year-Old Did on His Holidays!” Headline #2: “The Kid Who Climbed Mount Everest”
  • Have students use a headline generator, like the Link Bait Title Generator. Simply enter a topic, like “cats” and the generator will create numerous useless headlines. Discuss why it is so easy for a website to create so many headlines on one topic and what this says about the quality of the headlines being created.
  • Discuss with them why clickbait can be bad. Have them create a PSA using video, audio, drawings, or writing to warn others.
  • Take a historical event and write clickbait headlines for it. Then ask the students how these might color our view of the actual event if they were the only thing we knew.
  • Ask students to write clickbait headlines for common teaching moments. An example is “You have a test today. You won’t believe #17!”
  • Assign a different topic that you have studied in the past to each student and have them create a clickbait headline for it. Then have other students try to guess what the topic is.
  • With older students, have an honest discussion about what problems fake news stories, such as clickbait, can cause. Make sure to have examples handy.
  • Have students play the Factitious online game. a way to test their news sense.
  • Your high school students can try their hand at “spreading” fake news in this ten-minute online game from Cambridge social psychology professor Sander van der Linden. The goal of the game is to teach people how disinformation is made and spread.

All of us can become better and more informed purveyors of the news stories being provided to us, but it will take a little work on our part. How will you help your students become better at this?

This blog was updated with additional content on February 22, 2018.

 

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internet cafe
CTO/CIOCybersecurityDigital LiteracyTechnical Support

Phishing Attack: Evil Google Email

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Have you received a strange email sent to someone with numerous letter h’s in their name? If so, even though you may know the person who has invited you to view the document (and their photo may be displayed), you are seeing a phishing attack. Stop and take a moment before you proceed.

What’s a Phishing Attack?

Phishing is “…the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication” (Wikipedia). That means, even though you see the face of someone you know in the email sharing a Google Doc with you, two things are still possible: 1) Their email has been compromised and 2) They didn’t send you that phishing attack. You can find more information and some helpful infographics about phishing attacks in this blog post by Pixel Privacy. In an earlier blog entry, It’s Not the Phishing, It’s Your Lack of Influence, I pointed out that education is all important when dealing with clever attacks like this. Let’s break down what’s happening.

Scott Laleman (Director of Technology, South San ISD) shares the following:

We’ve blocked mailinator.com in our firewall, filter, and management console, but the messages look like they’re coming from in-house and are “to” an address at mailinator.com (the address with the hhhhhhh in it) with bcc to each person or group, but blocking any messages to or from that domain seems to have stopped them from coming in at this point.

How Do I Avoid the Trap?

But before we do that, let’s ensure you know what your options are in this type of situation:

  • When you see a suspicious email asking you to enter your login credentials, you have several options. With Google Docs, simply go to http://drive.google.com and check the Shared With Me section. This will let you know if a document was actually shared with you.
  • Open a fresh Compose message and send it to the person who allegedly sent you the message, or call them, tweet them, or Slack them. Ask the question, “Did you share a Google Doc with me?” If the answer is “No,” then delete the document.
  • Scrutinize the From: and To: to verify they are authentic.
  • If you must click, copy the link to OPEN DOC and create an incognito or private browser window. That way, your login credentials stored in cookies in your browser will not auto-populate or show up in the username/login box. I keep a Firefox browser around for exactly this purpose.

As you will see, each of these steps would have foiled the phishing attack many fell prey to earlier today.

What’s Happening?

At approximately 1:57 pm Central time, users (Update 5/5/17: Google reported, as cited by Threatpost, 1 million user accounts affected) began receiving emails purporting to share a Google document:

Phish Attack

If they clicked on the button shown above, the user was taken to a site that looks like this:

phish attack

 

If they entered their email, they would see a screen that pulls in their name and email, then asks for their permission. This is unnecessary for Google Docs, and would normally be a red flag (but most users are unaware that it is).

phish attack

Image Credit: Robert Stubbs, Lockhart ISD

If you were one of the many users snared by this phishing scheme, make sure you follow the steps below to remedy it.

How to Mitigate the Phishing Attack?

If you have fallen for this particular attack, you will need to take the following action:

Go to Apps Connected To Your Account and REMOVE access, as shown in the image below:

Image Credit: Bryce Anderson

Unfortunately, two-factor verification would not have prevented nefarious hackers from accessing your account if you had granted permission. This particular attack has little to do with how you login, and more with how third party apps connect to your Google account.

For a more detailed step by step, check the Reddit Google Forum.

Update 05/05/2017: For school technology administrators, Amplified IT has offered a solution that takes advantage of GAM. “GAM is a command line tool that allows administrators to manage many aspects of their Google Apps Account,” states the GAM Wiki. You can access Amplified IT’s solution online. This solution can only be implemented by your technology administrator and is not intended to be an individual user solution.

What’s Next?

If you haven’t enabled two-factor authentication for your Google Suites for Education domain or begun to educate your staff on how to avoid phishing attacks, then those are your next steps as school district leaders. If you need professional learning on how to accomplish this, don’t hesitate to contact TCEA for assistance.

 

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payment system
CTO/CIOTechnical Support

Choosing an Online Payment System

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Need to start collecting payments from students, but don’t have a system in place? Take a moment to look at some criteria that will help you select an online payment system for your district. You will also find a short list of common payment systems in use in Texas schools.

Scenario

Over 800 AP exams totaling tens of thousands of dollar are manually processed. The High School Counseling Office expects to handle more than 1,000 exams during the current school year, at approximately $90 per AP exam at full price (slightly less for students on free/reduced lunch). A host of issues have arisen as a result of handling fees by hand, rather than through a web-based automated system. There is a clear need to streamline this process that brings in over $40,000 per year to the district, eliminating student and parent wait times and inconvenience. Given the AP exam fee program’s high participation, an online payment system is needed that addresses these issues. As the technology director, you have been charged with researching solutions and bringing a solution forward.

Possible Solutions

Looking for possible solutions? Here are a few in common use in Texas schools:

Features and Points to Keep in Mind

Here are some considerations you can use to make a selection:

Cost formula

  • Initial launch costs/Setup costs
  • First year cost
  • Maintenance cost for year 2 and beyond
  • Login identifies or provides for two payment tracks, including 1) free/reduced lunch or 2) regular.

Criteria

  • Customer experience
  • Bank transaction fee for processing payment (for example, $.42 of $10 payment)
  • Average cost for a district processing fee that can be charged to parents
  • Requires student/parent to agree to disclaimer that all payments are non-refundable, etc.
  • Online credit card payments are accepted and deposited in a school district account
  • Online echeck/direct withdrawal payments are accepted and deposited in a school district account
  • Online payment allows for partial payment options that include automatic withdrawal from customer credit card or bank account (eCheck)
  • Online refunds can be initiated as credits back to customer credit card or bank account
  • Solution provides for the ability to generate emailed purchase confirmations for customers
  • Solution provides for the ability to generate print receipts

Solution Administration

  • Training on administrative portal
  • Administration console available that provides access to various reports that allow staff to see who has paid for what and when
  • Administration console allows staff to enter information
  • Solution allows a campus to set pricing (e.g. $90) for each exam based on needs of student
  • Solution allows a campus to set a handling or processing fee for transaction
  • Solution allows a campus to set up discounts for payments made before a certain deadline
  • Solution allows a campus to turn it off/on as needed and post an announcement that purchases are no longer permitted
  • AP exams double-booking is prevented by registration

Marketing Materials/Support Available

  • Parent helpline to assist with online support

Technology Considerations

  • Import of data files for students that pre-populates data fields
  • Accepts https:// (SSL) secure web-based payments
  • Access to confidential student data is assured and verified by having a letter on file from the vendor

What payment processing solution have you adopted in your school district?

 

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capacity
CTO/CIOLeadership

Three Things to Remember When Building Capacity in Staff

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Whether you are working with a small number of staff that report to you or a larger group that you supervise, building capacity is an important skill. You may need to work on building capacity in a particular staff member due to a changing job environment. Or, building capacity may need to be done because your department is receiving additional work but without the addition of positions to take on the additional work. Here are three things to keep in mind when trying to build capacity in your staff.

Set Them Up for Success

capacityTaking on new skills and the learning curve that goes along with it may be a frightening and/or frustrating task for your staff members. When possible, always try to set them up for success. They may not know how to break the skill down into manageable pieces, for example, so you may need to help model that aloud. Depending on the skill, you may also need to provide additional resources or training to help them become confident and successful. Put yourself in their position and consider what might be helpful in order to stretch…without breaking.

Have a Dialogue

capacityTalk to your staff about the additional tasks and the need to grow and take on new skills. Having an open discussion can alleviate some of the fear that comes from encountering something new, different, or unknown. When possible, ask questions to find out what they think. They may have a completely different understanding based on their past experiences (or lack thereof). Open dialogue should not be constrained to a single staff meeting however; encourage the conversation to continue. Let your staff know that you want to hear their ideas. Though you may have no control over the growth that needs to take place, you do have a great deal of influence on how well they develop capacity to meet that need.

Set Realistic Expectations

capacityWhen talking with a friend about building capacity in his team, he mentioned that he has a few people that can juggle six or seven major things, and he has one person that can only juggle four. No matter how much he wants the four-task-juggler to grow into a five-task-juggler, he realizes that it just isn’t going to happen. And the best thing he can do is recognize it and use it to both his and his staff member’s advantage. In doing so, he needs to set realistic expectations for each individual staff member. Just because you and I find certain tasks easy to juggle doesn’t mean that a another staff member will obtain the skill with ease. If we think back over our experiences, we probably had much more time (and resources) to build capacity in that area. With that in mind, consider how you can adjust expectations, but still arrive at the required destination.

The goal in building capacity in your staff is that you all come to work with the same (if not more) joy than what you had previously. If you will take into account these three tips, you’ll avoid many of the pitfalls that can end the joy and introduce despair.

 

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post its in rows
CTO/CIOCybersecurity

When People Fail Technology: Digital Evidence Search

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

As a technology leader in a school district, we’ve all had that worrisome call from HR to pick up an employee’s computer for immediate action. In most cases, it’s not that the technology that has been overcome by spyware and malware. Rather, it’s a school district staff member that has failed the technology, causing it to be collected for evidence. What do you do?

Steps to Take

In my tenure as technology director, I encountered at least seven to eight situations where campus technology had to be confiscated and staff terminated due to inappropriate use of technology. Accounts in district systems had to be frozen, passwords changed, or, heaven forbid, deleted. In other cases, a Google email account had to be delegated to another for review. What steps should the technology leader take to safeguard the district and its assets?

As a matter of course (e.g. in cases of porn on a staff member’s computer), I caution districts from expecting the technology department to play a digital forensics role. This ensures that the technology department staff, well-meaning as they often are, will not inadvertently destroy evidence. Larger districts have the benefit of in-house police detectives who specialize in computer forensics, and in smaller districts, there is a push to get a district officer trained in digital forensics. It only takes one Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS/DOS) attack by a dedicated group of students, or inappropriate technology use by staff, to make this a worthwhile investment.

Some steps I have overseen include the following:

  1. Require a complaint form to be submitted and authorized by the Superintendent and/or Human Resources leadership staff. If a principal has a complaint, I refer them to Human Resources immediately. I explain that the Technology Department can take no action until HR becomes involved. This prevents a host of issues from derailing the evidence gathering process later. In the meantime, I recommend confiscating the affected equipment.
  2. Conduct a digital evidence search. Again, computer forensics is not something to be entered into lightly. But there are other things that can be done without affecting the evidence, such as a detailed search of internet logs to see what an individual user has been up to. Of course, any user with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Private Internet Access (PIA) for all devices or Windscribe VPN on a mobile device (to mention two which I have used, but this is not an endorsement) can protect against prying eyes.
  3. Submit confidential findings to appropriate staff and then take action as directed.

Digital Evidence Search

Below, you will find the digital evidence search form I used in a previous school district. It is adapted from many you can find online. Here’s the Google Docs version.

Digital Evidence Search Request

Directions: HR staff will complete Section I of this form, then send it to the technology department for completion.

Section I: About the User

(to be completed by Human Resources staff member)

Active Directory (AD) Username:

___________________________________
Current Assignment: ___________________________________

 District Equipment To Be Assessed:

__Desktop computer (Win / Mac)

__Laptop computer (Win / Mac)

__Tablet (iPad / Android)

__Mobile Device / External USB Storage

Requested Actions Authorized by: __________________________

__Recover district equipment issued

__Investigate computer storage for suspicious (e.g. offensive, explicit, graphic) content

__Review internet logs for suspicious website traffic and/or content

__Suspend Account (Circle: Email | Gradebook | PD Tracker | Computer Login/AD)

__Change Google Apps Password/ New Password:__________________________

__Change Computer Login/AD/PD Tracker Password

__Change Web Content Management System Password

__Delegate email account to _________________________ (designated district employee)

Requested Completion Date/Time: ____________________________

Section II: Digital Evidence Discovery

(to be completed by a technology department staff member)

Actions Taken by Technology Department
(all efforts will be made to protect evidence from contamination)

__Internet Logs Reviewed __Internet Browser(s) Cache Searched and Analyzed

__Hard Drive Search and Analysis __Made copy of computer hard drive

__Files copied to compact disc (CD) __Suspended accounts requested in Section I

__Anti-malware software verified as up to date __Review Computer Registry and/or Preferences

__Review of software/apps loaded on device(s) to ensure appropriateness and legal status

__Requested Actions Authorized by:____________________________  /  Completed (See above)

Notes:

Section III: Findings

  1. Was inappropriate content, as defined by the Responsible Use Agreement (RUA) and District Policies/Procedures, located on any of the user’s devices? (Circle: YES | NO )
  1. Describe in detail what inappropriate content was found, including websites, descriptions of images, video, documents, unauthorized software, etc. in the space provided below:
Sources of Digital Evidence: Description
Device Storage
Internet Logs, including websites and IP addresses
Images
Videos
Documents
Computer Registry, Preferences, Library
Concealment of Data (e.g. wiped hard drive, encrypted data, steganography)

Recommendation

__No suspicious content was found.

__Recommend that further digital forensics investigation be conducted

__Other: _________________________________________________________________________________

  1. When and to whom has this form been submitted to in Human Resources:

Whom:____________________________ Date and Time:______________________________

Conclusion

If you have been on the receiving end of a call from district leadership about a staff member who is digitally behaving badly, what steps have you taken? Please share your experience in the comments section below.

Update: This blog entry was updated with fresh links for the VPN on 4/23/2018.

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advocacy update
AdvocacyCTO/CIOFunding

Advocacy Update: IMA, Planning, Student Data Privacy

by Jennifer Bergland
written by Jennifer Bergland

TCEA is working very hard to ensure that the Texas Legislature enacts good public policy that is necessary to implement digital learning in Texas classrooms. Below is an update on what is happening related to educational technology.

Technology Lending Grants

The Texas Senate Education Committee took testimony on SB 1483 that would provide grant funds to help give access to devices and internet for students who are unable to afford them. These grants would ensure that students have access to digital content both at school and at home. In the Project Tomorrow Speak Up survey, 81 percent of Texans who identify themselves as community members indicate it is important for students to have consistent, safe internet access Chairman Larry Taylor outside of school time to be successful in school. The survey also revealed that 75 percent of Texas 6th through 12th graders use the internet at home for school work. Those who do not have internet access at home are at a distinct disadvantage. Not only do they have fewer options in terms of access to content; they are unable to develop the technical skills necessary in an economy driven by technology. SB 1483, authored by Chairman Larry Taylor (right), is designed to address this problem.

Student Data Privacy

Representative Gary VanDeaverOn Tuesday, April 11, the House Public Education Committee will take testimony on HB 2087 which is authored by Representative Gary VanDeaver (left). HB 2087 gives schools the much-needed ability to use digital tools to individualize and customize learning and improve student educational outcomes, all while maintaining strong privacy protections for student data. Among other features, HB 2087 will:

 

  • Totally ban the sale or rental of student data
  • Ban targeted advertising to students based upon their use of educational services
  • Ban building a profile of students for any purpose other than for education
  • Sharply limit disclosures of student information obtained by educational tech providers
  • Require educational tech providers to maintain reasonable security practices and procedures to protect student data, and
  • Require deletion of student data whenever a school or school district requests that the data be deleted.

You can watch the hearing live on the Texas House Video/Audio page.

Instructional Materials Allotment and Planning

Also on Tuesday, April 11, the Senate Education Committee will take testimony on SB 1481. This bill is designed to help districts utilize the Instructional Materials Allotment as intended: a dual purpose fund for instructional materials and technology. In a survey conducted by TCEA, only 44 percent of the respondents said their district always includes technology staff when making decisions on the use of the IMA funds. This bill is designed to make it clear what the legislature’s original intent was for the IMA. SB 1481 will:

  • Change the name of the IMA to the Instructional Materials and Technology Fund to communicate the intent and purpose behind the creation of the IMA
  • Require the SBOE to update the Long-Range Plan for Technology at least once every five years
  • Require the SBOE to consider the technology needs of districts when planning the adoption process and proclamation schedule
  • Update statute language to align with industry usage by replacing “open source” with the more accurate and applicable “open education resource” to identify these educational resources
  • Require school districts to consider Open Education Resources when they adopt new instructional materials.

You can watch the hearing live on the Senate Broadcast page.

advocacy update

TCEA Lobby Day 2017

TCEA is working on behalf of Texas school districts to ensure that good policy is developed to assist in their implementation of digital learning. You can monitor these and other bills as they move through the legislative process and learn how to be more involved on the TCEA Advocacy site. Together, we can make a difference!

 

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BYOT
BYODCTO/CIOProfessional Learning

Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation, Part 4

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Note: This blog post is part of a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD.

“We have spent three years in professionally developing teachers,” shares Dr. Joy Rosseau from Arp ISD, “on how to manage, deliver, create, implement, and appropriately select digital content, resources, and third party services to build on their TEKS and student needs.” Given BYOT in many school districts, helping teachers learn to deepen their blended learning expertise has become a priority for schools. A casual search reveals several Texas districts are already engaged in BYOT/BYOD implementations, such as Lewisville, Northwest, Abilene, Richardson, Fredericksburg, Judson, Lumberton, Allen, Elkhart, Nederland, and Harlingen ISD.

Vocabulary Term: “Blended learning” is an instructional approach that includes a combination of online and face-to-face learning activities.

Dr. Joy also shares this advice:

  • Teachers should first have access to or have created digital content before students need to bring their own device.
  • Teachers should work together, building expertise that caters to their students’ needs.
  • Teacher lesson plans should reflect that they are at least working at LoTI Level 3 (and preferably Level 4b – comfortable with digital online resources).

Dr. Joy hits upon key ideas essential to the adoption of BYOT-friendly instructional methods. Let’s summarize them below:

Key Idea #1 – Create Digital Content

There are an array of technologies usable for creating content. Here are a few:

  • Screencasting tools (e.g. Screencast-o-Matic , Screencastify , Nimbus Screencapture/Screenrecording, Office Mix) make it easy to capture videos of your screen. Screencasting is also a great way to to provide feedback for digital authors, whether from teacher to student or student to student.
  • Video reflection tools, great for assessment as well as content creation, include: Flipgrid.com , Recap, Vialogues, and VideoNot.es. Find out more about these.
  • Interactive assessments with EdPuzzle and Educannon. These last two allow you to use only what you need from any video, insert audio notes, or record over a video with your voice. You can add questions at any point in the video and track your students’ understanding.

Key Idea #2 – Increase Teacher Collaboration

byot
Source: Adapted from the work of Dr. Dawn Wilson and Dr. Katie Alaniz

As research shows, here are some of the requirements for professional development that works:

  • Supportive of teacher collaboration via coaching and mentoring
  • Job-embedded and specific to academic content
  • Ongoing, sustained, intensive (40+ hours), and includes technology
  • Focused on implementation in the classroom
  • Strong assessment component for both teacher and student
  • Supports reflection about strategies and implementation
  • Creates a culture of continuous professional learning

These make it imperative that teachers be supported in their implementation of BYOT instructional methods. “One and done” workshops or webinars are insufficient.

Key Idea #3 – Blend Technology into Pedagogy in a Routine, Learner-Centric Manner

Dr. Joy Rosseau highlights Dr. Chris Moersch‘s Levels of Teaching Innovation (LoTi) levels 3 and above. Consider, however,  Levels 4 through 6:

  • At a Level 4, students are fully engaged in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. The teacher is within his/her comfort level with promoting an inquiry-based model of teaching that involves students applying their learning to the real world. Student use of digital tools and resources enables them to answer student-generated questions that dictate the content, process, and products embedded in the learning experience.
  • At Levels 5-6, collaborations extending beyond the classroom are employed for authentic student problem solving and issues resolution. The emphasis is placed on learner-centered strategies that promote personal goal setting and self-monitoring, student action, and collaborations with other diverse groups (e.g., another school, different cultures, business establishments, governmental agencies, etc.).

Conclusion

Some might suggest that while BYOT environments enjoy Level 6 technology access, they are actually at a much lower level of teacher and student use of technology in support of academic learning. It’s not the technology that lags behind, but rather the professional learning that focuses on inquiry-based models and how digital tools and resources can enhance learning. Focus on inquiry-based learning and leverage technology for cooperative learning and problem solving at a distance.

 

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a group of teens staring at their smartphones
BYODCTO/CIO

Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation, Part 3

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Note: This is the third in a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD.

“Sixty-seven percent of parents are willing to buy their children a mobile device for educational purposes,” according to Pew Research Data. This shift towards BYOT in schools reflects the reality of the following facts:

  • 90 percent of students (and 70 percent of students under age twelve who have/use them) say mobile devices enable more effective studying.
  • 77 percent of parents agree that tablets help children’s learning and creativity.

While you can find excellent information on Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) in many places, please consider these implementation tips from TCEA and our members:

Tip #1 – Clarify Expectations

Have you set policy and procedure that provide for the responsible use of BYOT?  These two items enable the district to set clear boundaries that empower those involved in the educational process to be successful. Consider these additional points:

  1. Invite a stakeholder committee to develop the Responsible Use Policy (RUP). A  common effort, rather than a unilateral attempt by any one group, remains the best approach, no matter your district’s size.
  2. Implement a restorative justice approach to student and staff infractions. This approach addresses inappropriate actions/behavior taken by students in a different way than punishment and digital banishment. Restorative justice advocates in schools bring people to discuss harm caused to others, fostering an inclusive conversation on how to best bring about resolution.
  3. Determine who pays for theft, loss, or damage of student-owned and/or teacher-owned devices. Anticipate questions such as “Where will BYOT devices be stored during breaks, lunch, and physical education class?”
  4. Decide up front who will pay for student devices as BYOT takes off. Will it be handled like a band instrument owned by the school and checked out to the student? This is a conversation that should be had in advance of a BYOT implementation with as many key stakeholders as possible.
  5. Expect all to register their BYOT devices, along with serial numbers, to facilitate statistics and tracking. This can help school administration get a picture of what devices are in use.

The BYOT adoption process works best when it engages stakeholders. Meet with them up front, or plan to do so under less than ideal circumstances later.

Tip #2 – Ready Your Technology

Making the decision to go BYOT is only one of the steps on the journey. Readying your technology infrastructure remains a critical “pre-first step.”

  1. Allocate sufficient wireless access points, as well as electrical power, in meeting and learning spaces in proportion to three devices for every one learner, where learner includes adults and students that may fill a space.
  2. Ensure your campus/district has multiple service set identifiers (SSIDs) to allow devices to connect to the appropriate network from a single access point. This includes networks that allow for 1) private, secure information sharing and 2) public access to district resources.
  3. Avoid over-spending on security protocols (e.g. Identity Services Engine). Ease into your BYOT implementation with the minimum amount of security needed, with a plan to add more over time. This can save money up front while helping you gain greater insight into the types of users you have.
  4. Implement a content filtering and bandwidth throttling solution for your network. CIPA-compliant filtering and managing bandwidth remain top priorities.
  5. Communicate what technology support will be available for student-owned devices. This can range from malware/antivirus software “licensed for home” use to getting students devices connected so they can print as appropriate.

What other technology readiness steps would you take? Thinking ahead in the technology readiness area can ensure success and eliminate frustration for end-users. And, finally, the most important of all:

Tip #3 – Scaffold Blended Learning

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Supporting all learners with blended learning, a mix of online and face-to-face learning activities, enhances learning.

  1. Take advantage of one of the many virtual classroom environments. Whether it’s Microsoft/Google Classroom  or one of the many other choices available, decide what you’re going to use as a campus/district. Involve key stakeholders to ensure everyone gets their two cents in.
  2. Connect teachers to professional learning network/community to facilitate collaborative planning and deployment of initiatives. Whatever social network you choose, make sure it works on mobile. Find authentic ways for adult learners to connect.
  3. Support teachers in creating engaging, inquiry-based learning opportunities. Embrace problem-based learning or project-based learning to create engagement opportunities.
  4. Model for teachers how technology can be used to amplify learners’ voices and make thinking visible.  Podcasts/vidcasts/blogs make it easy to amplify student learning.
  5. Facilitate professional learning that is ongoing, job-embedded, facilitates teacher collaboration, and scaffolds implementation of technology-enhanced instructional strategies in the classroom.

Conclusion

Going mobile with learning remains one of the big challenges schools face today. Make every effort to seize learning, whenever and wherever it may be possible, with whatever device is available to teach and learn.

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Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation, Part 2

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Note: This is the second in a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD.

“Mobile learning is all about changing instruction. Because if the instruction doesn’t change, allowing the kids to bring their own device will do nothing,” shared Lenny Schad, Katy ISD Chief Technology Officer. Another approach, once you’ve explored BYOT from various stakeholder roles, is to review the checklist below and ask, How am I going to get there from here? Make this as specific as you can for YOUR role on campus.

Seven Question BYOT Checklist

Item Question to Ponder Taking Action
1. Have you defined and aligned the goals for the BYOT program to the Campus Improvement Plan and district mission? Tip: Connect BYOT use to differentiated instruction, the district’s mission, and specific instructional strategies in your CIP.
2. Have you outlined expectations for teachers and students about using Google Suites for Education (e.g. Classroom) or Microsoft Classroom to create online, virtual classrooms? Tip: Encourage teachers to spend some classroom time answering questions from students on specifically how they will use the technologies in class.
3. Have you decided what to do when students and/or staff bring too many devices that slow down the network (one BYOT device per person is recommended)? Tip: Let students know they can only connect one wireless device to the network and why.
4. How will teachers be supported on campus–not just through district professional development–to transform classroom learning activities from being paper focused to electronic to eliminate the need for printing (for example, students can’t print from BYOT devices)? Tip: Use the Classroom Learning Activity Rubric.
5. How will you share BYOT program goals, define expectations, show students what they can do with the device, help students connect to the wireless network, and address concerns from stakeholders? Tip: Encourage teachers to attend online webinars they can participate in from their classroom or home; have frequent parent communications; share with staff what is appropriate to say about BYOT. Instead of, “Why isn’t this working?” encourage them to say “We’re working together to learn how to best take advantage of BYOT in the classroom.”
6. How will campus leaders and teachers respond to questions of equity (e.g. I can’t afford to buy my child a device)? Tip: Share that the campus has devices available for students who can’t or don’t want to bring their own school. The more BYOT is practiced, the more school devices are available for those with the greatest need.
7. How should I answer questions from staff/students/parents about which devices to use? Tip: Refer to the BYOT Mobile Device Chart online at the bottom of this blog entry.

 

As you have seen, the focus of these crucial conversations involves flushing out tough questions in advance, clearly laying out answers to anticipated questions so that all stakeholders know what’s up, and constantly asking “What questions am I not asking that will enhance instruction now that we have these devices available?”

BYOT Mobile Device Chart

Wondering which mobile device does what and how it can be useful for teaching and learning? This chart attempts to map out that information. While it would be impossible to map out ALL devices, this chart does select some of the more popular, affordable mobile devices and their potential uses in the classroom. Please note that mention of a device in this chart does not constitute a product endorsement; these are offered for informational and/or reference purposes only. All data is subject to change. The 5-star rating is as follows:

  • 5 star = BYOT Exceptional – mobile creativity, storage, and sharing device (e.g. WiFi iPad/Nexus allows for Google Drive/MS OneDrive, cloud storage options, video/image editing and creation, GoogleDocs/Office 365 accessibility, etc.)
  • 4 star = Great – allows for wide range of creative apps (e.g. pictures, short video clips, texting) and wireless sharing (WiFi) only limited by account options and apps. Devices include iPod Touch, iPhone, laptops, netbooks)
  • 3 star = Fair – allows for some use (e.g. allows for research via Internet, pictures, video). WiFi access
  • 2 star = Acceptable – usable for specific purposes (content consumption) only (e.g. eReader without Internet or apps) and WiFi
  • 1 star = Limited – Not appropriate for BYOT classroom use (e.g. may lack WiFi support, difficult to get media on or off device, gaming options).

Note: Here is the Mobile Device Chart in MS Word or PDF version for modification and/or printing.

Device

Features

Rating

Netbooks/Laptops
Windows/Mac Laptop
approx >= $230. Find out more at your local retail or computer store
  • WiFi access
  • Local hard drive storage and Google Drive/ MS OneDrive Access
  • Various creativity programs including Office suites
  • Requires anti-virus/anti-malware
  • Built-in webcam
  • Web browsing
 *****
Google Chromebook approx >= $249
  • WiFi access
  • Local hard drive (small) storage and Google Drive/ MS OneDrive Access
  • Various creativity programs including Office suites
  • Built-in webcam
  • Web browsing
 *****

Tablets
Microsoft Surface Pro 3-5
  • WiFi access
  • Local hard drive storage and Google Drive/ MS OneDrive Access
  • Various creativity programs including Office suites
  • Requires anti-virus/anti-malware
  • Built-in webcam
  • Web browsing
 *****
Apple iPad
approx >= $330 minimum
  • iTunes App Store
  • WiFi access
  • Google Drive/ MS OneDrive Access
  • Wide variety of creativity apps, including Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera(s)
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • Bluetooth compatibility for external keyboard
 *****
Android Tablets (>=$200)

Examples:
  • Android tablet with access to Google Play apps
  • Google Drive Access
  • Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • Bluetooth compatibility for external keyboard
  • eBooks via Barnes and Noble and Amazon
  • Handheld (7inch)
 *****
Apple iPod Touch
(>=$200)
  • WiFi
  • iTunes App Store
  • Google Drive Access
  • Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • eBooks via Barnes and Noble and Amazon
  • Handheld (4.3 in x 2.4 in)
 **

SmartPhones
Apple iPhone
  • WiFi
  • iTunes App Store
  • Google Drive Access
  • Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • eBooks via Barnes and Noble and Amazon
  • Handheld (4.3 in x 2.4 in)
 ****
Android Phone
  • WiFi
  • Google Play Store
  • Google Drive Access
  • Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera, depending on model
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • eBooks via Barnes and Noble and Amazon
  • Handheld
 ****

eBook Readers
Barnes and Noble Nook (Samsung tablet) approx >= $99
  • WiFi
  • No creation or sharing features
  • Touch screen
  • MP3 player
  • eBook formats supported: PDF, EPUB, eReader, PDB, JPG, GIF, PNG
 **
Kindle Fire 
approx >= $69
  • WiFi
  • No creation or sharing features
  • Touch screen
  • MP3 player
  • eBook formats supported: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively
 **

Other Devices
Nintendo DSi approx >= $100
  • WiFi
  • Photo/Video
  • Touch screen with stylus
  • Not appropriate for BYOT
 *
Gaming consoles
  • Not appropriate for BYOT
 *

 

References

Walker, Michael. (3/12/12). 6 Steps for Increasing Student Access with BYOD

 

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Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation, Part 1

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Have you stopped, taken a breath, and thought about what BYOT means for YOU and your teachers, students, and parents? That’s a question that is screaming its way into the rarified atmosphere of public schools, like a cataclysmic meteor smashing tidy learning and technology plans. Still, many schools are now coming to terms, one way or another, with bring your own technology (BYOT).

Bring your own technology intrigues many and frightens others. As a result of that fear and concern, campus leadership teams are compelled to craft a strategy to implement BYOT successfully.

Planning Ahead

This two-part article offers two approaches you can use as part of a strategy session for campus leaders:

      1. BYOT Scenario: In this problem-based learning scenario, explore BYOT issues from your particular role. You will develop a solution in a face-to-face session.
      2. Seven Question Checklist: You will use this checklist to self reflect as a group as to whether you have addressed some key ideas. Links are provided to help you access appropriate resources.

Before exploring these two approaches, consider the inevitability of BYOT in schools.

The Inevitability of BYOT

“BYOT- it happens no matter what; it’s only called BYOT,” shares ed tech specialist Josh Davis, “when your curriculum takes advantage of it.”

Some statistics to keep in mind:

  1. Young adults tend to have higher-than-average levels of smartphone ownership regardless of income or educational attainment. (Source)
  2. More Hispanic (49 percent) and African-American (42 percent) middle school students are using their smartphones for homework than Caucasian students (36 percent). (Source)
  3. Smartphone use for homework also crosses income levels, with 29 percent of the students from the lowest-income households reporting smartphone usage to do their homework assignments.(Source)
  4. More than one in three middle school students are using mobile devices to complete homework, and more of those who use these devices for learning in the classroom express a strong interest in science, technology, and math than those who do not, according to a new national survey.  (Source)
  5. Nationwide,  55 percent of middle and high school students, as well as 25 percent of elementary students, own a mobile device (e.g. cell phone).
  6. Teens in the lowest income category are most likely to use their phones, instead of computers, to go online.

Approach #1 – BYOT Scenario

“Effective leadership without consistent, clear communication does not exist,” shares one district technology director. The scenario below is intended to tease out differing perspectives on BYOT. It will help you reflect on the issues that arise when implementing BYOT:

In a few weeks, students like John and Maria at a 5A high school will be bringing their own technology to school. While some teachers like Jennifer are excited about the possibilities—mainly, those that have taken the time to learn how to use the Read/Write Web to collaborate, create, and connect in alignment with academic goals—others like Rick are afraid things will not work as well. Rick is comfortable with students working with pencils and paper, not using their own devices. He is concerned about what they might do on them when he isn’t looking.

James, the campus principal, recognizes the need for a campus strategy towards BYOT. He’s worried that teachers will fail to take advantage of BYOT in their lessons and its use will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Failure,” he points out with a smile, “isn’t an option in our small community.”  This is a fact the district technology department and district leadership are well aware of as well. The Classroom Learning Activity Rubric is one instrument that’s been offered to help teachers employ strategies that take advantage of technology in the classroom.

Parents like Ms. Jones (involved in the PTA) are wondering, “How will the school communicate with me about this and will there be a consistent message from campus leaders? Will that message match what teachers are saying and doing in the classroom when students misbehave?” So much is at stake, jobs are on the line, high stakes accountability is in play. At a time when technology is everywhere, teaching, learning, and leading with technology has real consequences.

As you reflect on this scenario, ask yourself some questions, such as the ones below:

  • What hunches (intuitive guesses) do you have about this scenario?
  • What do we know for certain about the problem?
  • What questions can we ask that will get us the information we need to help the protagonist solve the problem?
  • Who are the stakeholders in this scenario and what solutions do we need to develop for their particular situation?

Pick a stakeholder role–teacher, campus leader, technology department, student, parent—that you have some affinity with and then try to develop a solution. Consider using a KWHL chart like the one below to get you started. While the example is a great beginning point, it’s not intended to be all-inclusive of the conversations embedded in the role of campus leader.

Stakeholder Role: Campus Leader

What Do I Know? What Do I Want to Know? How Will I Find Information? What Have I Learned?
    1. BYOT is a certainty
    2. Not all teachers have the training to take advantage of BYOT
    3. Parents expect consistent messages about this initiative from all staff
    4. I’m not sure why we’re doing this myself.
    5. This is a high-profile project that can’t fail. Digital citizenship is key to successful behavior for students.
 What is expected of me as a campus leader?

How can I better support classroom teachers and encourage them to use BYOT?

How can BYOT enhance instruction rather than become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

How do I hold teachers accountable for what they are doing or not doing?

 The District should have a BYOT Support site with online resources focusing on facilitating online learning. The site should also include a webinar schedule, along with micro-credentialing or badges teachers can earn.

End of Part 1

In Part 2, we’ll explore some specific tips. Be sure to check back tomorrow!

 

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