The Next Big Innovator Could be You!

This week, my group used our discussion leader status to sneak in a "fun" question - What do you wish you could do with technology?
The answers we got were innovative and amazing.  Some of the things already exist, some have not yet been created. I do think that is how most inventions start - with a person who is frustrated by an inability to accomplish something quickly and easily.
Now, with the availability of so many app builders, we can all contribute our little bit to the world.  Code.org introduced me to the MIT App Inventor that was much easier to get started with than the original one I found at the Android Developer Site.  I'm sure the second one has more flexibility and options than the first - but the MIT one comes with an easy to understand tutorial. Mashable has a list of 5 app building options that seem fine at first glance - I will have to update this when I've had more time to "play."
Our ideas do not have to be earthshaking.  Small changes make our lives more efficient and us more effective.

So perhaps boring is actually good. “The most successful ed tech companies among students, teachers and institutions often get ignored by the mainstream media due to a misplaced focus on ‘world-changing innovation’ instead of effectiveness,” said StudyBlue CEO Becky Splitt. (Gannes, 2014)

So, here's to us and our students - the innovators of tomorrow. All because we say, "That darn technology, I wish I could....."

Gannes, L. (2014).  In Education Technology, Startups With Big Impact Tend to Be Rather Simple. Retrieved from http://recode.net/2014/02/28/in-education-technology-startups-with-big-impact-tend-to-be-rather-simple/

Removing temptation rather than teaching restraint

Today, my Google News Ed Tech RSS feed threw me food for thought.  A father found  out his son downloaded Grand Theft Auto to his school laptop and had been using proxy sites to circumvent the school content filter and visit social networking sites.
The father's solution?  Ban the internet at school. For high school students.
The internet is attractive.  Computer screens suck student attention away from a teacher.  In a perfect world I would have my lessons structured so well that the students are lead by their own curiosity to discover nuggets of wisdom for themselves.  In this flawed world, I have the student close their laptops or I turn off the daisy chain of monitor power cords whenever I need to model an activity.
But banning the internet altogether? There has go to be a better way.
At the Maryland Google in Education summit last June, I go to hear Holly Clark speak.  She had a very interesting perspective.  She feels that the reason that students rebel against Acceptable Usage Policies and other such rules is because these rules are dictated to them - the students have no choice and are told what to do and what not to do.  She feels

Digital citizenship is not a one time discussion. It is an ongoing process that needs to be taught to all grade levels and to all stakeholders. The problem is that things are changing so rapidly that it is difficult for everyone to keep up to date with the trends.  Everyone has to be educated and develop an understanding of the role digital citizenship plays in our everyday lives. There is so much that goes into being a digital citizen; from taking photos of others to knowing when it is appropriate to share something online. (Clark, 2013)

Clark suggests that the students have a voice in the AUP.  If the students have a role in reasoning out why these rules should be in place, the students might be more likely to follow these rules. Clark is also of the opinion that schools should not use content filters, but, instead, should teach the student how to search smart and how to deal with inappropriate items when they appear.  I see her point on giving the students a voice, but am not completely sold on doing away with the content filter.  Enough sneaks past our best efforts to allow us to teach students how to handle issues without making it an every day occurrence.

I have noticed though, that the students at my school who are the ones who are guilty of the worst transgressions tend to have the parents who say, "Well, you should not have allowed my child to....."  The students who get caught in mild transgressions have parents who talk to their child about their behavior.  There is only so much a school can do. We encourage kids to be smart and innovative.  If we don't (with the parents' help) teach them to also be honest, conscientious and responsible, that innovation will be used in ways that will be less than admirable.