Sunday, January 22, 2012

Empowering or Enabling

In a recent meeting with my headmaster, we were discussing the implementation of a text and email messaging system for closings and delays. We currently provide such information on our info line, school website, Facebook and Twitter accounts; However, with the recent New England storms taking out power, we think there is a need for an alternate way to notify our families of important information.

So it got me looking for a way to easily send text message and email notifications. I found a few web based options, Remind101 and Class Parrot. These sites tout themselves as a great way to disseminate information to your students. One even allows them to text you back.

This is astounding. I was surprised when teachers became responsible for maintaining websites with assignments and information. This was the first step in taking the ownership off students. Now with social media and texting, are we making students less responsible?

Difficulties in the area of executive functioning have become notable in the last several years. These difficulties often arise in organization of assignments. While the current tools related to assignment posting can be argued to support students, empowering them by providing with opportunities to check assignments, could it also be pointed out that it possibly enables the dysfunction. Knowing that they can easily check assignments later, or contact the teacher, takes away the responsibility for them to attend initially in class.

We all like our information immediate and within easy reach, but should it be the first thing we model for students.  I recall my college Sociology professor once said to our class that he was not going to teach us information, but teach us how to find it.  Students need to learn the responsibility for their successful learning, and this "Wikipedia World" seems to be taking that important skill development away.