Organized by the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning, this Show N Share session was an opportunity to showcase different ways of organizing courses in VIULearn (Brightspace). I was lucky enough to be invited to present!
Please check out the blog post and session recording from the Learning Design for Deep Learning blog here: https://wordpress.viu.ca/ciel/2020/11/12/taking-a-peek-how-do-other-instructors-design-their-viulearn-courses-ravi-mohabeer-and-stephanie-boychuk/.
The following letter was written as part of conversations about articulation of online and traditional labs in BC Adult Basic Education. I believe the resources discussed and listed below may be useful to others, and am sharing the letter in full.
Hello,
I wanted to address some points on the online labs versus traditional labs conversation. I think it is important to state first that I feel all laboratory experiences – whether online, traditional, or home kit/kitchen lab – have value for our students. Personally, I feel a mixture of different experiences is beneficial. However, as the conversation was focused on the value of online labs, that is what I have focused on for this email.
There were a few big themes our conversations settled on, and I wanted to share what I have found out regarding a few of them.
Admission Requirements and University Preparedness
One concern that came up a number of times was making sure our students can apply competitively for university programs. I have gone through the admission requirements for science programs at UBC, UVIC, SFU, and UNBC and found no evidence that modality of learning is considered when applying to these universities. UVIC, SFU, and UNBC have lists of “approved high school courses” on their sites, which also do not specify modality. When asked by phone, a UBC registration assistant specified that if the course was listed with the BC Ministry of Education then it was considered approved. Additionally, in our own Articulation Handbook, there is no specification of laboratory skills required for the recognition of the BC Adult Graduation Diploma from any of these institutions.
I could also find no evidence in these searches that specific lab skills were expected from students entering general science or chemistry courses, and specific lab skills are not specified in the BC Ministry of Education learning outcomes, or by the BC Adult Graduation Diploma Program.
Ability to Meet Learning Outcomes
There are, of course, many research-based studies and literature reviews looking at the efficacy of online laboratory activities versus traditional laboratory activities. It is also true that this branch of research is still developing. However, I would like to point to a few articles that have found equivalent learning outcome achievement can be attained in both online and traditional labs.
Faulconer et al. (2018) looked at 823 students in introductory chemistry and report no significant difference in pass rates between online and traditional courses. They did find a difference in the grade distributions for labs, where students in traditional labs tended to get more “D” grades then their counterparts in online labs, who tended to get more “A” grades.
Zendler & Greiner (2020) looked specifically at learning outcomes related to chemistry. They found that students who conducted online labs had equivalent or better achievement of learning outcomes compared to students who completed traditional labs with respect to specific learning outcomes.
Hawkins & Phelps (2013) also found no significant difference in learning electrochemical concepts between online and traditional labs. However, this study is particularly interesting in that they note traditional students had a knowledge gap regarding the placement of voltmeters when assessed, and the online group had a knowledge gap regarding placement of a salt bridge. The authors suggest that insufficient materials (traditional labs) and not including the salt bridge (online labs) as considerations that likely caused these gaps. In both cases the gaps could potentially be closed but they illustrate the importance of careful consideration of the experience over modality with regards to outcomes.
Irby et al. (2017), found that replacing some wet-lab chemical experiments with virtual experiences had no negative impact on student learning and increased dialogue between students with regards to the chemical triplet (macroscopic, microscopic, and symbolic). Although the authors are not proponents of online-only lab courses, they did find value in the use of online laboratories for their students.
Brinson (2015) reviewed 56 articles comparing online labs and traditional labs. Overall findings include equivalent or better achievement of learning outcomes with online labs, based on data most often related to content knowledge.
Most studies will stress the design and time on activity are factors that must be considered when discussing achievement of learning outcomes. Intuitively, online labs tend to give students additional time to work through labs and can therefore lead to better outcomes for students, as time in specific physical spaces may be limited by a number of factors.
Access for Education and Employment
One of the four policy objectives of the Adult Education Policy Framework is that “[d]omestic students in Adult Education programs have the supports needed to progress and complete their studies and transition to post-secondary education or employment.” (British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training). Or, as stated by the British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS), “To be effective, adult basic education must be accessible to all who need it” (2015 ABE Backgrounder).
It is difficult to find exact statistics, but we know that more then 20 000 students a year will enrol in public post-secondary institution’s ABE programs and that many of these students will be from marginalized groups, including 14% who will identify as Aboriginal (Adult Education Policy Framework and Student Enrollment Summary 2015). Our students are not traditional learners and are balancing work, family, school, and other commitments: 55% will be employed and 20% will be supporting a family while taking classes (2015 ABE Backgrounder).
The decisions we make about whether or not online labs should be articulated separately from face-to-face labs will affect the accessibility of our courses and programs for already marginalized students. As demonstrated in the previous section, online labs are a viable support to allow students to meet learning outcomes for ABE courses. Online labs allow students to complete some ABE courses fully-online from their home communities. This reduces barriers by removing additional pressures like the time and cost needed to physically come to campus. Additionally, students can access labs at times that work in their schedules.
The majority of our students will have already completed high school and are returning to ABE to pursue post-secondary education or employment (2015 ABE Backgrounder). If articulation of ABE courses including online labs was limited or changed, students may be delayed or be unable to pursue further education or employment. According to WorkBC, in the next ten years post-secondary education or training will be required for 77% of job openings. By creating barriers to ABE courses, we in turn create barriers to economic stability and future opportunities for our students.
If we decide that online labs cannot be used as a substitute when accessing traditional spaces is a barrier, we may exclude marginalized students from ABE science programs. Online labs can be an important support for many students allowing them to pursue post-secondary education and employment while balancing the commitments they have in their lives.
Precedent for Specifying Delivery Method
The BC Ministry of Education curricular overview specifically states “…the Ministry of Education defines the “what” to teach but not the “how to organize the time, space or methods to teach it” so modality is not a consideration of the BC Ministry of Education. Our own Articulation Handbook also does not specify teaching methods or modes at any point.
I worry that our articulation group choosing to begin specifying methods or modes of instruction sets a dangerous precedent. Although I recognize that currently we are only discussing the method of laboratory activities, this kind of precedent could be used to argue further specifications at a later time.
Specifying how instructors can “acceptably” teach their courses or labs implies ABE instructors are not capable of making informed, professional decisions about how best to teach their courses or support their learners. Privileging a specific instructional type also undermines the ability of ABE instructors to customize or personalize instruction for their location or student population.
Overall, given that major universities do not specify modality of learning for program entrance, research-based studies report no significant difference in outcomes, and access issues for students are a paramount concern; I feel that it is inappropriate to specify any lab experiences must have a face-to-face or traditional component to be fully articulated. I also feel that any attempt to specify delivery modality for courses or labs undermines the professional judgement of ABE instructors and limits their ability to be responsive to the needs of their student population.
Below you will find a listing of all links and articles referenced above, organized by section.
Respectfully,
Stephanie Boychuk
Instructor
Adult Basic Education
Vancouver Island University
Referenced Links and Articles
Admission Requirements and University Preparedness
British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Adult Basic Education: A Guide to Upgrading in British Columbia’s Public Post-Secondary Institutions: https://www.bctransferguide.ca/docs/ABE2020.pdf
British Columbia Ministry of Education. Curriculum overview: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/overview
British Columbia Ministry of Education. Explore Curriculum – Science: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science
Simon Fraser University. Admission requirements for Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry: https://www.sfu.ca/students/admission/programs/a-z/c/chemistry.html
Simon Fraser University. Approved BC and Yukon High School Courses: http://www.sfu.ca/students/admission/admission-requirements/approved-courses.html
University of British Columbia. Admission requirements for Canadian high school students: https://you.ubc.ca/applying-ubc/requirements/canadian-high-schools#british-columbia
University of Northern British Columbia. Undergraduate Admission Requirements, Science: https://www.unbc.ca/apply/undergraduate/admission-requirements#science
University of Northern British Columbia. Approved Course List: https://www.unbc.ca/sites/default/files/sections/calendar/undergraduate/bchighschoolcoursesjan2020.pdf
University of Victoria. Admission requirements for Bachelor of Science, Chemistry: https://www.uvic.ca/undergraduate/programs/undergraduate-programs/pages/chemistry.php?residency=D&level=HS&school=HD&curriculum=BC
University of Victoria. Approved high school courses: BC and Yukon: https://www.uvic.ca/undergraduate/admissions/how-to-apply/approved-high-school-courses/bc-yukon/
Ability to Meet Learning Outcomes
Brinson, J. R. (2015). Learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) laboratories: A review of the empirical research. Computers & Education, 87, 218–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.07.003
Faulconer, E. K., Griffith, J. C., Wood, B. L., Acharyya, S., & Roberts, D. L. (2018). A comparison of online and traditional chemistry lecture and lab. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 19(1), 392–397. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7rp00173h
Hawkins, I., & Phelps, A. J. (2013). Virtual laboratory vs. traditional laboratory: which is more effective for teaching electrochemistry? Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 14(4), 516–523. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2013/rp/c3rp00070b
Irby, S. M., Borda, E. J., & Haupt, J. (2017). Effects of Implementing a Hybrid Wet Lab and Online Module Lab Curriculum into a General Chemistry Course: Impacts on Student Performance and Engagement with the Chemistry Triplet. Journal of Chemical Education, 95(2), 224–232. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00642
Zendler, A., & Greiner, H. (2020). The effect of two instructional methods on learning outcome in chemistry education: The experiment method and computer simulation. Education for Chemical Engineers, 30, 9–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2019.09.001
Access for Education and Employment
British Columbia Federation of Students. 2015 ABE Backgrounder: http://www.wearebcstudents.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ABE-Factsheet-2015.pdf
British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Adult Education Policy Framework, April 2018: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/post-secondary-education/adult-education/adult_education_policy_framework.pdf
British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Adult Basic Education (ABE)
Student Enrollment Summary 2015: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/post-secondary-education/adult-education/abe_leaners_bc_mar22_2016_final_for_2016_post.pdf
WorkBC. Good Jobs for Today & Tomorrow, February 2020: https://www.workbc.ca/getmedia/30a4a0d6-57bd-4047-8b8b-250c54b505c3/BC_Good_Jobs_For_Today_And_Tomorrow_2019.aspx
Precedent for Specifying Delivery Method
BC Ministry of Education. Curriculum overview: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/overview
British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Adult Basic Education: A Guide to Upgrading in British Columbia’s Public Post-Secondary Institutions: https://www.bctransferguide.ca/docs/ABE2020.pdf
For the original activity please see Chi Klein’s post here: http://hybridteareflections.tumblr.com/post/73374338866/trouble-with-lagging-strands
I enjoy the “invisible” parts of Biology – the enzyme cascades and processes that underpin many of the macroscopic changes we can observe. It is maybe for this reason that I was originally drawn to molecular biology, and why the Cell Cycle and Genetics pieces of Biology 067 are my favorites.
The challenge, of course, is that these processes are invisible and happen on time scales that we cannot observe as a class. So, when I started planning my lesson on DNA Replication I really wanted something to help make it “real” and visible.
I found the “Trouble with “Lagging Strands”” Activity (linked above) and immediately felt a resonance with the goals I had in mind. Although this activity does contain some additional details my students did not need to know, I thought it would be relatively easy to adapt and provide a good summary activity for my students.
Iteration #1
The first thing I did was to create a summary sheet for my students: DNA Replication Summary Handout. I wanted to make sure they had some kind of take-away from the activity so they knew what parts were important. We started this concept as part of our online day – students should have watched a detailed video about DNA structure and replication (DNA Structure and Replication: Crash Course Biology #10 from CrashCourse) followed by a few review multiple choice questions using the TED ED Lesson Creator. In class the following day, we watched a shorter animation of the processes (DNA replication – 3D from yourgenome) and jumped right into the activity.
I walked the students through the steps, and asked them to follow along the process a second time together. This immediately drew the attention to me as the person who controls the process, and the second walk through of the process fell very flat. The students struggled to fill in their worksheets, and after reviewing them turned into a lecture. Although some students did say they enjoyed getting to “walk through” the process, I felt like the activity wasn’t utilized to its full potential.
Iteration #2
For this iteration I kept the same summary sheets I had created the first time. Unlike the last time, the students did not get exposed to this information in the online day, due in large part to scheduling. We began this lesson with a review of DNA structure and the cell cycle (which they had learned previous days). After that, we watched the same short animation as the first iteration. This time I directed students to pay attention to steps in the process and not worry about the names of each enzyme yet.
After the video, we did a short lecture on DNA replication, referencing the video to remind us of the visuals and giving attention to the important enzyme names. After that, we launched into the activity to “Try it!” (inspired by Bill Nye the Science Guy).
For this iteration I set the ground rules (which parts of the foot were 5′ and 3′, where the nucleotides were). After that, I asked for help remembering all the parts we needed folks to play. Some students would call out an enzyme, and then encourage someone to volunteer to be that enzyme. I kept asking “do we have everyone we need?” until students confidently answered “yes”.
After that, I used a series of questions to get students who did not volunteer to be enzymes to direct those who did on the correct steps to follow. This way each step was a group decision, and there was less pressure on the volunteers when something seemed “off”. We had a great learning moment when a student playing DNA Polymerase laying down paper nucleotides said aloud “Oh wait, that should be a “T” not an “A”.” I paused the activity and we discussed together how the student had illustrated a key job of DNA Polymerase and why certain bases join to others.
This version took longer (20 minutes compared to 10), but the students seemed to retain the details much better. They were able to collaborative fill out their summary charts with very little help and reviewing it was much quicker. The students reviewed this information in the next online day.
Final Thoughts
In hindsight, it is clear the first iteration was too teacher-driven and didn’t require the students to engage with the process enough. The second iteration gave students more agency, although we had a few uncomfortable moments where students were silent and waiting for direction.
These iterations were a good example of how letting go of some control lead to a better experience for students. I have thought back on this activity often when playing other activities or trying to find new ones. I try to ask myself “How much direction do the students really need?” and keep it to a minimum. I also write myself notes (along with facilitation notes and timing suggestions) to remind myself to ask more questions instead of answering right away. Often the other students can help put together a better understanding together then if I had simply provided an answer they did not feel the need to question.
Who: Offered by BC Campus and facilitated by Nancy White
When: February 22 and 23 2017
What:
Liberating structures (http://www.liberatingstructures.com/) are a series of practical facilitation strategies that can be used to break down the the traditional power structures in meetings, workshops and other interactions. These structures include everyone and help create an atmosphere that engages more people and brings a greater variety of perspectives into conversations.
Although the Liberating Structures website contains all the information you need to apply these structures to your classroom, workshop or meeting, this workshop provided an opportunity to use about half the structures as a participant.
As a participant, I really appreciated getting a chance to engage with a variety of different people in different roles through the use of Liberating Structures. This gave me a “feel” for what structures are a bit more difficult to use, and which felt more natural from a participants’ perspective. I also appreciated that all the facilitators made their thinking about how they introduced and applied the structures clear, which helped to frame how these structures could be applied in a practice sense.
The structures we experienced at the workshop were:
OLTD Learning Outcomes:
Evidence to Support Outcome:
Reflection to Support Evidence:
This evidence piece was the final major project submitted in OLTD 508 for Spring 2015. The video details how Minecraft could be used as an educational game in two contexts – Biology 12 and Science 7. There are strengths to using this tool, but there are also challenges that should be carefully considered before it is used with students.
Many of the challenges associated with using Minecraft as an educational game in the contexts I considered is the need to scaffold the exercises and the amount of time that would need to be invested. Allowing students to access regular Minecraft, as opposed to Minecraft Edu, also presents significant challenges in terms of digital safety and digital citizenship. Creating this assignment allowed me to become very familiar with Minecraft, but it also gave me the opportunity to connect with more experienced Minecraft players in order to learn more about it. Due in part to its simplicity, Minecraft is extremely customizable and can be personalized to students’ needs with some work on the part of the teacher (provided they know how!) which is very powerful. Minecraft also allows student to explore, troubleshoot and create – getting at higher order thinking skills – and encourages deep engagement and deep learning. Although my comfort level may not be where it should in order to conduct the lessons with live students, the experience of working with a tool like this and being frustrated into learning new things was extremely valuable. I don’t think these types of activities would speak to all types of learners, and would either need to be part of the options they can pick in order to complete a project, or would require significant teamwork and scaffolding.
It is important when considering educational games, mobile apps or other digital tools to ensure that the students are sufficiently supported in using the tool so they can be successful. An added complication of many mobile technologies is the built-in sharing that removes the walls around what students are doing and allows them to showcase their work more widely. It is critical in those circumstances to ensure that students are prepared for that level of exposure, and that they are supported in interacting in the online environment. Use of mobile technologies and games should always transform what is happening in the classroom, and games are very good at accessing a level of understanding and engaging students in ways it is difficult to do in normal circumstances. Although that is a wonderful use of the tools, without careful planning and critical assessment it can be very challenging for students to find success in these environments, so it is the teacher’s role to facilitate the student experience to help them find that success.
OLTD Learning Outcomes:
Evidence to Support Outcome:
Reflection to Support Evidence:
This evidence piece was created in Spring 2015 during OLTD 508. This evidence piece is a Google Doc that was shared between myself and Darci Gilmore. We used this Google Doc to create an assessment tool for educational use of mobile apps. The document contains an explanation of our rubric categories. We also assessed several apps using our rubric and provide detailed information on how they were rated.
The completion of this assessment tool and review of mobile apps for education allowed me to become familiar with some of the research around mobile apps for the classroom. The creation of the rubric categories was based on research as well as personal and professional experience. We focused on transformative use of mobile apps in education, because many apps and other tools are used simply to replicate an existing activity instead of making an activity better or trying something new and different to get at the same learning outcomes. We also had categories focused on the abilities of the mobile app to differentiate activities or personalize them. Given that many mobile apps are made with education in mind, while many others are simply repurposed by educators, a clear idea of how these apps can be used to transform existing practice to personalize learning for students is important to their successful use in the classroom.
Being able to critically and objectively assess the usefulness of a tool in the classroom allows faculty to focus time and effort on tools that can be more transformative in their practice. With the ever-expanding options for mobile apps, and the marketing some get as “educational”, without a critical eye it could be quite easy to forget key factors – like the ability to personalize and share learning – when evaluating a tool. Especially in the case of mobile apps – where students are more likely to be accessing a tool 1:1 – it is critical to think of how using a mobile tool can enhance or improve what would normally be done in the classroom. With the busy pace of teachers lives, they must prioritize which tools are worthy of full investigation. Those mobile tools that are best suited to online learning will be the most transformative and allow for the biggest shift in sharing, personalization or accessibility.
OLTD Learning Outcomes:
Evidence to Support Outcome:
Reflection to Support Evidence:
This piece of evidence was the second major assignment for OLTD 507 in Fall 2014. The video above outlines a series of lessons developed using the “Standard Online course design” as described in 507. Within the LMS I used a variety of LMS and non-LMS cloud tools to create a series of lessons that allowed learners to interact with each other and develop a project in the course of 5 weeks.
This video shows my ability to put together a basic lesson sequence using a variety of tools, both within the LMS and outside of the LMS. I took care to allow options for tool use when cloud tools were suggested to learners so those that did not want to use cloud tools could still participate fully in the lesson series. This lesson series tried to take advantage of what cloud tools were good at doing (sharing and collaborating) and what the LMS was good at doing (providing a skeleton for the series and displaying information). Throughout the lesson series I attempted to provide instructions and content in a variety of ways (text and audio/video/images) and also tried to incorporate active projects and interactive discussions, following UDL principles. I borrowed content heavily from a variety of courses were appropriate to the lesson series, but customized information as needed for the specific audience I was targeting. My lesson series contains all major unit pieces, including getting ready for learning, content and assessment and reflection.
Designing online lessons and lesson series is a critical aspect of many online instructors’ positions. Being able to leverage the advantages of a variety of online assets (both within the LMS and outside of it) will create a richer and more dynamic learning experience for students overall. An online instructor must also understand how to structure online assessments so they are fair and allow students to demonstrate what they know. Given that the online environment is a challenging one for many students, instructors must be able to provide the most accessible and inclusive environment possible to meet the needs of all learners.
OLTD Learning Outcomes:
Evidence to Support Outcome:
Reflection to Support Evidence:
This piece of evidence was created in Fall 2014 during OTLD 507. The linked blog post features a tool I developed to assess cloud-based tools for certain features such as their support of UDL principles, the ease of use, and the privacy considerations. The blog post also features my review of a selection of 7 cloud tools, shared out with a Creative Commons licence.
The creation of this evidence piece allowed me to explore many of the different cloud tools and their potential use in online and blended programs. The development of this tool allowed me to identify many of the qualities web tools should have in order to be used in high quality courses. The creation and sharing of this tool also exposed me to the aspects of quality that are most important to other members of my cohort, which helped me to identify aspects of quality cloud tools I would not have otherwise identified. The best practices captured in my assessment tool helped me to identify which aspects were most important to me in an online learning context.
Educators teaching in an online and blended environment must be able to critically assess and evaluate resources and tools to make the most out of those environments. Due to the rapidly changing landscape of cloud tools, educators need to be able to assess the utility of tools as they become available, and be able to find tools to replace those that may be out of date. It is equally important for educators to assess how tools reach principles related to UDL, accessibility, privacy and utility. Especially in an online environment, the tools used will affect the learning experience of students and can help or hinder learning with their use.
OLTD Learning Outcomes:
Evidence to Support Outcome:
Reflection to Support Evidence:
In Fall 2014 I created this video summary of my learning for OLTD 506. This summary outlines my learning using the 5 Pillars of Risk (Hengstler, 2014) outlined in the course. I used “Knowledge” and “Skills and Training” as cornerstones to discuss “Practice and Experience”. All of these items together create confidence when assessing and dealing with risks.
This evidence piece outlines my understanding of various facets of social media use in post-secondary classrooms, including the importance of managing and maintaining your digital footprint, the need to understand and commit to safety and privacy online, and the ways in which social media should be thought about from the lens of social justice. The creation of this evidence piece required close reading of both the social media guides for K-12 education as well as post-secondary education, and it was valuable to compare and contrast the two guides. Although parents and guardians are not commonly involved in post secondary students’ choices, looking at issues from the perspective of those stakeholders is helpful when evaluating risks. Throughout OLTD 506 I was able to develop better ways of analyzing and sharing information about social media, so I am better able to support faculty and students in its responsible and compliant use. My attitudes toward digital sharing and safety have shifted to be more cautious, and the need to focus on tools that complete desired functions (as opposed to those that are new or popular) has been underscored by this course.
Educators need a good understanding of the terminology and history behind the use of social media in the classroom in order to become or maintain their compliance with BC legislation. It is critical to the success of students that tools are used effectively and safely, and that all concerned persons (including parents) are partners in that process. The responsible use of social media in the classroom is an important part of developing digital literacies,which can lead to better digital citizenship outcomes for students regardless of age or grade level. With the growth of blended and online learning the importance of supporting the growth of these types of literacies is critical to future student success.
References
Hengstler, J. (2014). Safety boundaries. OLTD 506 (VIULearn). Retrieved from https://d2l.viu.ca/d2l/le/content/56545/viewContent/622567/View
OLTD Learning Outcomes:
Evidence to Support Outcome:
Reflection to Support Evidence:
During Fall 2014 for OLTD 506 I created a resource package focused on a specific social media web 2.0 tool – Wiggio. The resource package contains a description of the tool, a listing of all Vancouver Island University policies that would relate to that tool, a draft permission slip for tool use, and a risk assessment on the use of the tool.
The creation of this resource package gave me a lot of experience reading and assessing privacy policies and end user agreements. I needed to also practice explaining the pertinent items within those agreements to an audience that may not be as well versed in privacy rights or the risks associated with using social media tools. Completing this package gave me a lot of experience with the language of privacy and protection of privacy, and gave me a much clearer understanding of the vetting process needed when considering implementing or deploying a new tool on our campus. Due to my current position at the university, it is extremely important that I am able to articulate the critically assessment of new tools for faculty members so they and their students are protected. The process of developing this package was very challenging, and I feel I am better prepared to assist in the vetting and adoption of tools when and if our department pursues them.
Educators need to have a strong understanding of how to critically and objectively assess the risks and rewards of different educational tools, or else they will leave themselves and their students open to potential dangers. Without having to go through this process and have your work assessed by someone who understands the challenges of social media, it is easy to be swept up in what a tool can do while marginalizing the risks. An educator must have a strong understanding of the policies governing social media, or they will be unable to adhere to them. They must also have a strong understanding of the tools they plan to use, so they can explain to students and/or parents how best to keep themselves safe online.