Romy Friedman

Archive for May, 2010

Technology and education together is a topic that fascinates me. So much so, that when it comes time to enter my Master’s at UBC (University of British Columbia) this coming Fall, I am giving serious thought to writing my thesis paper on a topic within this subject matter. Technology has benefited and revolutionized the way Science is taught in a major way. One reason I am sorry to be leaving my current position is that I ordered a microscope that can be attached to the interactive Smarboard for the upcoming year’s resource order. I can look at a slide or specimen under the microscope, and use my four coloured pens to annotate, circle features and various other teachingactions. However, technology has also led to problems or situations within teaching that need to be addressed.

Cell phones, ipods and various other electronic devices are coming more and more the norm for a student. I own both these first two items and carry them in my purse at all times. Both of these items are banned from my current school, however I would bet that on an average day most students have one if not both items in their possession. These items have caused little headache or problems within my teaching. As I teach the IB diploma students I tend to ignore student’s use of these items so long as it not obvious or detracts from my teaching in any way. Given the lack of landlines and ease of communication within Uganda, I understand the security and safety reasons behind the mobile phone. I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable going anywhere without mine, which is a big difference from how I felt towards this device when living in Canada and Germany. Though I own a Blackberry and pay to have my emails sent to this device, I do not like being accessible to others every minute of every day,The biggest problem for me is listening to student’s complain when they are stolen. However I have heard personal accounts from other teachers of horror stories where students send each other inappropriate pictures taken of themselves while at school. I certainly realize the potential for having “cameras”, a popular feature of most mobile phones, present in a school environment where children are. However, the biggest single item of concern for me is Facebook.

It would seem pretty obvious that anyone and everyone should not view certain pictures; there should always be a filter in place. This goes for any professional, such as teachers, but also for the general public. I firmly believe not everything in one’s life needs to be shared. With this in mind, I have always been careful of what I have posted on Facebook. However, since qualifying as a teacher I have been even more vigilant, especially after my Law class at teacher’s college where we were given many real life cases of teachers being prosecuted for unprofessional actions. This message was reinforced by my wonderful career counselor who also advised me to publish “positive” information on the Internet; I now own my own name as a .com web address, and have created this very website where you will reading this blog. I was told that I cannot prevent or control the “filth” that is put into cyberspace about me, however, I can have control over what comes up when people Google me by adding this positive content. However, as of yesterday I have decided to remove myself from Facebook completely.

Unfortunately an incident occurred where a teacher published pictures on their Facebook account that showed a situation that was not appropriate. Did it involve school or anything that impacts their professional integrities or capabilities? The answer is no.These photos were printed off and shown to the school director by another teacher. In my opinion personal life and school life should be kept very separate. Can I always follow my own advice? No I don’t and living within the city of Kampala, although large in population, does not make it very easy to do so especially when most of the school community lives within a small radius of the school itself, including me. The small expatriate community and lack of facilities like bookstores, shopping centers, coffee shops, bars, clubs and various other places I enjoy spending time make this even harder. However, I would never think that personal feelings and opinions should lead to professional consequences despite any lapse in judgment over their posting.

Students often request me to be their friend on Facebook as I did not choose a pseudonym. I have turned down many such requests despite not having anything of concern in my profile. I have added friends from my previous school once I have left and I do find it a very useful tool to keep in touch with these people whom I would not necessarily email.  Sometimes I wonder at why students would want to be my friend on Facebook and ask myself to they even realize at what I can see in their photos?

A friend from teacher’s college had her own problems regarding Facebook. Her account was somehow accessed by a parent of a student, and pictures and emails were sent to the Superintendent of her board. She subsequently was reprimanded. She is braver than I as she has reopened a Facebook account under another name.

Technology has the potential for both good and bad. It is the same technology that was used for the nuclear bombs in the Second World War and nuclear warhead that today gives us an important source of energy. Facebook is just another technological tool that is subject to the user, however currently I feel Facebook has become too much a tool for bullying, exclusion and the publication of derogatory comments. I am saddened that teachers do not adhere to a higher purpose; it has been my experience that teachers are just as problematic in this regard as students. So in the near future, please email me rather than sending a Facebook message because as you will see, I have disappeared!