EDIM 508 Unit 6 Summary Posting

Open Classrooms, Open Minds

Ive enjoyed reading your discussions this week on the challenges with using
digital media and technological tools to develop students respectful and
ethical minds.
Id like to highlight some thoughts from this weeks discussion.

Adrian- Students are always watching, and we, as teachers, must demonstrate a respectful mind at
all times. If we treat a student with disrespect in our classroom, the other students will notice, and that can
result in other signs of disrespect from students. I am a firm believer in the fact that you have to give respect to
get respect. If I am disrespectful to a student, I cannot give them a punishment if they
are disrespectful back in that same situation. Sometimes emotions can get the best of us,
we are all human. It is how we react in specific situations that will help us to save face
in the end of a situation.

Amanda- I try my hardest to provide an environment where students feel

safe and respected. Since respectful and ethical behavior isn't always being portrayed at home, I find it so very
important for me to set a good example in the classroom. I want my students to have the social skills to succeed
in life after school.

Amber- Students need good examples to understand what is expected, this is true when cultivating a
respectful and ethical mind. I think part of the process of cultivating a respectful mind is setting up
expectations, modeling what it looks like, then discussing good examples throughout a given project.

Andrea It is important that kids learn about the world outside of their neighborhood, outside of their
district. One of the best ways to learn about respect, ethics, and tolerance is to spend time with or learning
about people and customs that are different than ours and understanding that just because they are different, it
does not mean that they are incorrect or less. Multiculturalism and exposure to other groups of people lead
students to be more accepting and hopefully more respectful.

Bianca- Teachers have to ask their students that question, what does respect means to you? They
need to hear students define that word themselves and share their responses with the entire class so that
everyones outlook on respect is established in the learning environment; the same must be done the term
ethics. Many students, especially young adults, either heard of the term ethic but dont know its meaning or vice
versa.

Danielle- I believe that within the ethical mind it can be modeled and
students will start seeing how educators treat their colleagues and their students.
It is unfortunate that all our students do not get to see how to treat and respect
one another appropriately in their own homes. It is important to treat each student equally but also to meet
their own individual need, which can be challenging.

Elizabeth- Besides our daily behavior and how we treat others, students also are impacted by topics
we teach and what we use to teach these topics. It is important that materials are selected that demonstrate this
respect, and if they dont, it is important to have an open discussion with students about the topic. Students
utilize digital media both in and out of school. I feel that it is important to teach students what it means to be
respectful and that what they say has meaning.

Emily- Digital Media itself as well as students ease of access to it, and its presences in the
classroom poses a challenge to developing respectful and ethical students. So much of the material that students
see on social media, TV, in video games, and throughout the web attacks the appearance, values, beliefs, etc of
another group of people. As a high school teacher, I see the various viral videos, memes, videos games and
other social media clips that circulate around school, and more often then not they are the farthest from
respectful.

Erin- I believe that modeling respectful behavior should be the daily demonstration to what should
be explicitly discussed at the beginning of each school year. As I set up our Google classroom at the beginning
of each year, I discuss proper use with students. They are expected to interact with each other kindly, and to
treat the digital classroom with respect (i.e. not use it as a chat room or a space to post inappropriate or
unrelated media.

Erin K- It becomes even more difficult when the rest of the students (who are respectful) are
observing such disrespectful behavior. I have had instances where my respectful students begin to "test the
waters" by mimicking the behaviors of the disrespectful student. Children are so impressionable at the primary
level and it is even more important to instill an understanding of the importance of respect at an early age.

Jennifer- I don't believe modeling is enough. Modeling is a crucial element needed, but we most
go farther. Gardner suggests reading books, watching movies, and to engage in games that model respectful
relationships between differing groups (2008 p. 115). I believe we need to explicitly teach the students ways to
treat each other respectfully. On page 115, Gardner agrees that "a significant amount of time should be spent
dealing explicitly with issues of group membership and group conflict." (2008)

Jessica- I think digital media can have a negative impact on helping students to develop a
responsible and ethical mind. I think often times they feel "safer" behind the screen and say and do things
online or through digital media that they wouldn't do in person. However, if we teach our students how to use it
responsibly, we can help to build their respectful and ethical mind using digital media.

Jonathan- Developing the respectful mind in students is an ongoing

challenge that teachers will face each year. Elementary teachers will have their
specific challenges that they face with their students and the challenge will continue all
the way up to the high school level. It is important that teachers focus on these aspects
right away to help students understand other backgrounds. We as teachers need to
explain demonstrate to the younger students what respectful mind looks like so that
they can apply their respectful and ethical minds to similar situations.

Julianna- I have had several issues arise in my virtual classroom simply because the students did
not understand the context of the conversation. Chat rooms do not leave room for tone in conversations, which
can make communication very challenging. I encourage students to remember that my classroom is a space
where we should be respectful and understanding of each others opinions, even if we do not agree.

Katelin- I strive to be a role model not only in my classroom, but in my school hallways and in the
community as well. As teachers we are under a microscope someone is always watching, even when we are
out to dinner with our family we have the chance of running into a student or family from our school district.
Our profession comes with great responsibility that never ends.

Kelly- Overall, the effect of digital media on the respectful and ethical mind varies by student. We
may spend many hours with our students, but the other influences that are at work in their lives are many.
Students who have been taught respect at home are more respectful. Those who have had disrespect modeled at
home are often disrespectful. Ideally, the responsibility of engendering respect among different groups, and
displaying that respect publically, should be distributed across the society (Gardner, 2008).

Laura- In order to develop ethical minds in the digital era, teachers need to model good digital
citizenship. Lessons about respectful use of content, proper citations, and Copy Right law need to be included
in units of study. In addition, students need to understand that there is a purpose to what they are learning and
assignments they are completing. Lessons should have a real-world connection.

Mark- I attempt to develop student's respectful mind by having a very open conversation about the
word before they come across it in the novel. Not a lesson, or an activity, but a straight forward, open
conversation. I start by telling them that we are going to have an adult conversation, and for the 14-year-olds
that I teach, the use of the word "adult" alerts them to the seriousness of the talk we need to have. According to
Gardner (2008) when discussing the prospect of bringing such issues to light with students, "airing these views
is a necessary, though often uncomfortable, aspect of learning" (p.116).

Nichole- I believe teachers need to model it, but also give students the opportunity to practice
respectful behavior with digital media. Emails, texts, etc. do not convey tone. Sarcasm can be taken seriously.
If students have the opportunity to practice writing an email to a pen pal or asking a company for information
about a product, this would provide them with meaningful practice with digital media. It is also important they
learn to respect the equipment as well as the communication done using the equipment. They need to learn to
take care of the technology in our classrooms so that it is available for everyone to use in full working capacity.