Dr. Alec Couros, a professor of educational technology and media at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina held an informative presentation for the parents of Wilkie students, "Maintaining a Positive Footprint" Jan. 9 at McLurg High School.
The following morning he spoke to the McLurg student body. McLurg Student Community Council sponsored the event.
The main goal of the council, made up of seven parents, three staff and two Grade 12 students, is the sponsorship of presenters for the students at McLurg, but have also helped supply turkeys for Christmas supper and provide lunch or coffee treats for Staff Appreciation Week.
With the ever growing presence of the digital age, the council felt this presentation would benefit the students, teachers and the community. SCC chairperson Cheryl Herle said, "Technology is a way of our lives and the students will need to keep up in their secondary schooling as well as the work force. The way our teachers teach will change in the future as well."
From Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube, to the blogs available to view and follow, the Internet and current technologies hold an open door to access any kind of information one is looking for. Many are used as a platform for one's life, but is there thought put into the impact of the use? If you have used the Internet, you have a digital footprint; pieces of us linger online. It could be photos posted online or information from our email accounts.. It is there and cannot be erased. We now have a digital citizenship.
Couros went over digital footprints that you didn't want to leave and how a 'negative citizenship' can and will affect employment and relationships. An interesting and thought-provoking negative is to live in our digital age and not have a digital footprint at all. He also talked about creating a positive digital footprint just as we would create positivity in our physical community.
An informative presentation intermingled with current examples of social media and digital literacy to support his points, led to a positive experience among the crowd.
A few comments from the student body:
Cody Thomas said it was "eye-opening to see that everyone knows these same things."
Cam Pernitsky "appreciated his humor, he even kept me awake," and Susan Walsh said it was "very informative, knew his stuff, very current."
With prompting from Couros who first spoke at McLurg several years ago, the school has incorporated one-to-one computing. Starting with just the Grade 7 having one-to-one netbooks, the school has added a grade each year and currently Grade 7-10 have one-to-one computing.
Vice-principal Thelma Cey says, "This has allowed us to move forward in transforming teaching and learning, and above all increasing student achievement while preparing them for the expectations of a new century."
As a parent I constantly battle myself on the pros and cons of technology in school, but as the world changes I am aware that so do the ways in which we learn. I am for growth and helping my children excel in many different fields and I will do what I can to learn what they are learning so they are guaranteed a positive future. But with this comes great responsibility and awareness to deal with any negatives thrown their way.
If you have questions about technology in your schools, talk to your educators. McLurg's vision statement is "McLurg High School challenges learners in a safe, supportive, and collaborative environment to empower all for lifelong learning and success." Know what your school's vision statement is and see what their goal is regarding digital citizenship. Educate yourself and have open dialogue with your children. Monitor your child's activity with the technologies available to them. And first and foremost, be a leader; create a positive digital footprint and the children will follow.
