Webinar: Graded students teach peers in Peru about ePortfolios

Our English 9 students interacted with Design Technology classes at Roosevelt, The American School of Lima, Peru, to share their experience with ePortfolios. This interaction happened in the form of a webinar over Skype, where students could not only see and hear each other over the webcam but also share the computer screen to show examples of ePortfolios. The English teacher, Dr. Geoffrey Carpenter, was responsible for organizing the webinars with the support of the Technology Coordinator, Dr. Silvana Meneghini. This collaborative project was the result of connections Dr. Carpenter made at the Innovate 2013 Conference.

Grade 9 English, together with HS Arts, have been pioneers in the exploration of individual student ePortfolios to serve as collection and reflection of learning, including artifacts that demonstrate the learning process and the final product. Students currently use Google Sites as a platform for creating the ePortfolios. During the webinar, students showed how their ePortfolios are organized, what type of work is displayed, how they address memory issues, and how they used cloud-based resources.

Enjoy snapshots of the webinars below!

The Mind Reader and The Man Without Facebook

Earlier this week I posted the survey results showing the online habits for parents and students. Recently these two videos were shared with me and both relate to digital tattoos and online identity. The first one reminds us how vulnerable we are while the second is about being invisible online. Enjoy.

Digital Tattoos: Parents vs. Students

Early on in the semester we surveyed the students during a flex assembly to find out their views on their online habits. Just recently we asked parents the same questions. Here is what the groups said.

The majority in all groups are relatively cautious but 83% of the parents are "very cautious".

40% of the parents report that they are "non-existent" online and only 13% say that it is "not something I worry about" There are big discrepancies between students and parents on this item. 

Very few students and parents are concerned about cyberbullying. Most are worried about identity theft and 79% of parents are worried about this.

There is general agreement across the board that it's "manageable" to take care of online identity. 

While there is consensus that file sharing is illegal, 43% of parents are totally against the practice, while only 2% of the 11th graders and 6% of the 10th graders agree with this statement.

Finally, many students and parents feel that uploading photos is "risky"

What are you thoughts on these results? Anything that surprises you? 

Flex Assembly - 30 Minutes, 3 Messages

Mr. Bair and I met with students today to discuss three very different topics. Try to imagine a discussion on respect and tolerance that stemmed from racist graffiti that was found in the middle school; the Global Issues Network Conference and the story of the hummingbird; and tattoos, Mike Tyson, Shelly Dorf and Nina Bair.

Message #1 - Unfortunately, the first item focused on racist graffiti that was found on maps in the MS hallways. As a community, we need to do everything within our powers to put an end to this type of hatred. Mr. Bair's message was clear, we have an international student body and we will continue to strive for every member to to be respectful and tolerant of others. Respect and Tolerance as defined by our Core Values.

• We believe in respecting people (their integrity, sense of self-worth, individual identity).
• We believe that diversity has a positive and enriching value and should be recognized and appreciated.
• Acceptance of differences fosters solidarity, unity, and empathy.
• We respect safety and the protection of property.
• We stress respect for cultural differences and diversity.
• We respect agreed upon values as expressed by Graded as an institution and as expressed in our relations with each other in the school community.

Message #2 - Pollo Suàrez shared the story of the hummingbird (see video in presentation) and asks the group, "What's Your Drop?" He also announced that the GIN committee is looking for student volunteers for the October 12 - 14 conference.