Photo from Erin Fletcher's Blog
Feedback on Erin Fletcher's blog post #1 regarding topic #1 questions: How can teachers effectively build relationships by encouraging safe communication and interactions in K-12 online & open learning spaces? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?
Erin, you provided an insightful blog post! I connected with your opening statement that because of COVID-19 teachers are required to use a multitude of “online tools that can be challenging to comprehend”. I am especially feeling the pressures of learning about various online resources with our upcoming final practicum in 2021. Though we do not know what school with look like by then, there is a strong chance part of it will still be online.
I agree with your assertion that educators need to make sure their students are aware of various privacy settings, and what information is being stored. This is information I wish I had known in middle school when I started making social media accounts and leaving an online footprint. I would like to further collaborate with you, to share ideas about what is would look like to teach students about these technology concerns and various activities you could plan to promote awareness of online interactions.
I appreciate the connections to make to this topic reading and sharing what you learned from them. I also believe that it is imperative that teachers make themselves approachable so that their students know they are there for them. You provide a great suggestion to “have times that you are available to students”, a form of “office hours” but in elementary school is so beneficial for students to interact with their teachers outside of instruction times and in smaller groups. This is a fantastic approach to relationship building, and a method I will be enacting in my classroom.
I notice that we both would like to know more about the specific policies in various school districts on Vancouver Island. This may be a good topic for us to inquire about and share our research with each other. I look forward to reading your next blog post!