Ask.Fm: The Newest Teen and PreTeen Social Media Sinkhole

In the hallway at my school yesterday, a parent of a fourth grader asked me if I had heard about "Ask.fm." Ashamedly--because I'm supposed to be on top of these things--I said I had not. Apparently, it's the newest cyberbullying hotspot amongst some of the fourth graders. After a bit of research, I've discovered that it is in fact being used by several members of our community. The idea behind Ask.Fm is that it's like a game of 20 Questions. Only, there are unlimited questions. You have a photo, a tagline, sometimes a link to your feed (like Instagram or Tumblr) and then anyone either on your feed if you're private, or anyone at all if your're public, can ask whatever questions they want. You can answer, and the idea is that you're supposed to answer truthfully. Here's a great example of a middle school student's profile. I don't know this middle school student, but her page is featured on the Ask.fm home page, so I clicked, read and saw a whole bunch of details about her and her life.

So, how did this become popular and what's the problem with it? Instagram--the most popular social media site among tweens at this point--includes a link to the site on its pages. Thus, lots of curious kids followed their clickers to see what it was. And down the rabbit hole they went. I gotta admit, the idea is intriguing to me too. I don't have to come up with anything interesting to say about myself, I just have to answer questions that OTHER people post for me! I'm a flipping exhausted parent of a toddler; anything that saves me time and brain cells is attractive. I'm not sure what excuse tweens have for taking the path of least resistance.

As for what the problem is, that revolves around the fact that it's an international Web site. Tweens are tweens and cyberbuyllying is largely just a reflection of the very real bullying happening both in schools and out of schools. These technologies just make it easier to do what they are developmentally most likely going to do anyway. However, Ask.fm has these peculiarities:

- A user can register and access full functionality of the site ANONYMOUSLY.

- Unlike most other sites, there is no way to "report" or "block" someone who is abusive.

- The privacy settings (and that's using the word very loosely here) are very limited.

- The site is based in Latvia, which has no laws designed to protect children. There is no one to sue for the fact that children under 13 are its fastest growing segment. There is no one to ask for help to identify anonymous cyberbullies.

Social media sites are a lot like terrorist cells: You take one down and another one (maybe worse) just springs up in its place. Today's Snapchat is tomorrow's Ask.fm is next month's ______ (fill in the blank). For those parents and teachers out there, I'll tell you the same thing I always say, "It's not about the technology, it's about the child." If you have open and regular discussions about ethical behavior both online and offline they are much less likely to engage in cyberbullying. If your child has issues with self-control, you could consider using your filtering tool to limit access to this site. Either way, this is a parenting issue. I'm not sure Ask.fm has any redeeming qualities, but it's important that we are all aware that it's the next big thing...for now.

Image: abstract250206cameraobscura3.jpg By vicky53

Magazine Cover Creator

It’s the last couple weeks of school and we all probably have our curriculum in place and know what we’re doing. In case you could use one last project or could use a new idea for next year, here’s a neat one:

http://bighugelabs.com/magazine.php

This simple site allows kids to make up their own magazine covers. I plan to use it, for instance, with my second graders who are studying an animal. The animal will be on the cover and ‘articles’ will be about the animal’s features. You could use this for:

-Scientific Breakthroughs

- Characters from Books and from History

- Significant Events from History (to show understanding of key points)

- Math processes (Upload an image of an equation) the headlines explain how to solve it? (this might be pushing it)

I got the link from Teachers First. 

Social Media Presentation Number 2,896 and What I Give Parents

This year has been among my busiest ever making presentations to parent groups about Social Media. There has of course always been a casual interest by most, and an intense interest by some. As an outside observer without kids for some of those years of making presentations (and an insider now), I think social media was seen as an afterthought. Kind of like I view toothbrushing with my toddler. Should I do a better job of making sure he gets to all of his teeth? Yes. However, instead I stress out about exactly how many minutes of screen time he has had a day and how much his overall IQ has diminished as a result. Is that nonsensical? Yes, probably. However, I just don't pay as much attention to tooth-brushing as I know I should. I think most parents have had that mindset about social media for the last decade.

This year, however, there has been some existential zeitgeist in American culture. Perhaps world-wide culture, if including the use of media in the Arab Spring. But, I will stick to what I know: social media in suburban culture among tweens and teens. What I know is that parents have awoken, as if from a dreamy stupor, and realized that they have no idea what is happening in their kids' social media lives. When I speak to other parents, there is no way I can give them control over what is happening. Instead, I am giving them the knowledge and the certainty that they do actually have the deciding vote. They do, like the 80s cartoon character He-man, have the power.

A great example is when I explain to parents that the cell phone, the iPad, the Kindle Fire are all MOBILE devices. That means they move. Don't spend hundreds of dollars a year on a fancy app or device that can automatically shut your kids' devices off at a certain time to make sure they are sleeping at night. You'd be surprised how many parents spend hours combing the Internet for solutions for the fact that Apple won't let any one app control any other app. The revolutionary idea I share with parents is that they can physically demand that a device be collected and stored in a set space every night at a certain time. The parent bought the device, the parent pays the bills, the parent is actually the owner of the device, not the child. The parent is completely within his or her own rights to collect the device. I would argue that it is their responsibility.

The other way that most parents have abdicated their rights (unwittingly) is forgetting the power of the group. A concerned and insistent group of parents can together decide that their kids will not use a given application or Web site. A great example is Snapchat. If you and the parents that you know were aware of the fact that the primary use of Snapchat is to send naked images that then "self-destruct"....but not really...you could decide not to allow your children to use it. If everyone decides it's not allowed for their kids then none of them can argue that "everyone can do it." The power banding together as a group of informed parents is limitless.

So, how do you become an informed parent? And stay that way? I cannot tell a lie, it's work. You must read the news. Some colleagues of mine have set up a wiki for parents called Digiparenting. This is a site with links to blogs, books, Web sites and more, all on the topic of raising digital kids. Common Sense Media is also a great resource. They post reviews of apps, movies, games and more. Finally, the very best resource is your child. Be a part of the conversation. Learn how to use Instagram. You might not find it very interesting, but your child does. Your very best source of information about what's going on is your child. If they trust you and you have a dialogue open about the topic, you're more likely to find out what's happening online. All of this is to say that although the parents have more power than they might know, to quote another superhero, "With great power comes great responsibility."

Image Source: http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/He-Man-Masters-of-the-Universe-he-man-604198_393_616.jpg

1:1 and Learning Outcomes

Last week, there was an interesting thread on the ISED listserv about how 1:1 programs affect learning outcomes. One of the most cogent replies came from Dr. Damian Bebell, an Assistant Research Professor at Boston College's Lynch School of Education. Here's what he said (posted with permission):

"As a full-time researcher and policy adviser, I hear this important question A LOT :)


As others have pointed out, defining and measuring "student learning and outcomes" can be tricky. Also, it is important to remember that 1:1 programs, by definition, mean nothing more than the access ratio of students to computers. So, a 1:1 program in a progressive educational setting may look and operate completely differently than a 1:1 program used exclusively for test prep and productivity in a different setting. So, it is critically important to define and measure your student outcomes (how do you define success?), but also to define what teacher and student practices and uses that the 1:1 program is supporting.

I often joke that policy makers likely imagine that laptops arrive down on students desks on parachutes and instantly test scores start improving (or other student outcome). It really has everything to do with how the 1:1 is implemented. My own research of 1:1 laptop and iPad programs suggests that even in schools with clear expectations and directives for new technologies, individual classroom teachers play a HUGE role deciding when, how, and why students access and use any resource. So, a middle school math teacher in a 1:1 school might have their students using their laptops or tablets for a rich host of self-paced learning activities, peer-initiated projects where kids regularly model 3D relationships and functions. Across the hall in the same grade and school, a different math teacher could have the same resources but use them very differently; perhaps to have kids follow along on a PowerPoint or play a simple math skills game once students had completed a paper-based exercise. My point is that even within a really well-designed and intentional 1:1 school program, we generally see a wide variation in how and when teachers and their students use these tools. From a design perspective, this further complicates research and evaluation efforts since different students are using the technology in different ways and for different amounts.
To answer the original question, most studies do find that the 1:1 programs yield positive results (or at least those get published!). Here are some examples (with links) from my own work conducting and publishing empirical research from 1:1 settings that may be useful:
JTLA Special Edition on 1:1 Laptop Research
This 2010 special edition of the Journal of Technology and Assessment (Vol. 9) presented four empirical studies of K–12 1:1 computing programs and one review of key themes in the conversation about 1:1 computing among advocates and critics.

This journal edition provided a forum for researchers to present empirical evidence on the effectiveness of 1:1 computing models for improving teacher and student outcomes, and to discuss the methodological challenges and solutions for assessing the effectiveness of these technology-rich educational settings.

In the summary article below, editors Bebell and O’Dwyer provide an introduction to JTLA 1:1 special edition, and synthesize results and themes across the studies:
Bebell, D. & O’Dwyer, L. (2010). Educational Outcomes and Research from 1:1 Computing Settings.
http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/jtla/article/view/1606



The individual 1:1 research studies included:
Bebell, D. & Kay, R. (2010). One to One Computing: A Summary of the Quantitative

Results from the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative. http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/jtla/article/view/1607

Drayton, B., Falk, J.K., Stroud, R., Hobbs, K., & Hammerman, J. (2010). After Installation: Ubiquitous Computing and High School Science in Three Experienced, High-Technology Schools.
http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/jtla/article/view/1608

Shapley, K.S., Sheehan, D., Maloney, C., & Caranikas-Walker, F. (2010). Evaluating the Implementation Fidelity of Technology Immersion and its Relationship with Student Achievement.
http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/jtla/article/view/1609
Suhr, K.A., Hernandez, D.A., Grimes, D., & Warschauer, M. (2010). Laptops and Fourth-Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth-Grade Slump.
http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/jtla/article/view/1610
Weston, M.E. & Bain, A. (2010). The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change.
http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/jtla/article/view/1611
-----------------
2 other studies:
Ipad Kindergarden study
Freelance journalist Audrey Watters summarizes the first look at the results of Auburn, Maine’s 2011-2012 study:
http://www.hackeducation.com/2012/02/16/ipads-in-auburn-maine-kindergartens-literacy-learning/


Newton Public School 21st Century Pilot Study
Through the integration of 1:1 student and teacher laptops as well as additional digital tools (such as interactive white boards) in a pilot classroom, a 13-month research and evaluation study was conducted to examine how such digital resources impacted teaching and learning in a traditional middle school environment.

http://www.bc.edu/research/intasc/researchprojects/nps21/nps21.shtml

Dr. Bebell's Contact Information:
Damian Bebell, Ph.D.

Assistant Research Professor
Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative
Lynch School of Education
Boston College
www.intasc.org

Image: By cohdra
Image URI: http://mrg.bz/o0ebQQ

Stuck in Between: Device Decisions

As much as we strive to keep the conversation focused on curriculum, at some point, a school implementing 1:1 pilot is going to have to choose a device. We're at that crossroad right now. We have examined so many devices and visited a variety of schools. I have created a pros and cons table. Yet, I have not been able to come to any conclusion. We're stuck between iPads and Chromebooks. There are so many reasons to try the Chromebooks in our middle school, not the least of which is that the students themselves seem to like the idea! The management of the devices is quite simple and requires very little from our non-existent technical support department. Our families can afford the cost associated. However, most of the high schools to which our students matriculate use iPads. Is it in some way irresponsible to ignore that fact? I always argue that we should be preparing our students for their future. We know for a fact that their futures include iPads. However, what about after high school? Are businesses adapting iPads? Some of them, but I would argue that more of them are adapting Google Apps. In the long run, we want our students to be proficient across multiple platforms. Will they retain the knowledge gained in middle school? Probably not, but they might not be afraid when they see it, telling themselves, "oh yeah, in some corner of my mind I have familiarity with that." As I write this, I can tell that I am slanting towards Chromebooks. Is that because it's familiar to me? Ugh! Sturm und Drang! One week to clear this up.

Image :By kaagen
Image URI: http://mrg.bz/9HTxut

Tablets or TV: which is better?
http://mashable.com/2013/03/01/ipad-kids/

Social Media Safety for Parents (Feb 2013)

Social Media Safety presentation for parents.

Social Media Safety for Parents from bermandry