A Digital Dad: 2 Kids and 1 Server

"I told my brother he needed to respect my Minecraft world...and he did."

This is an actual quote that my seven-year-old daughter said to me about my five-year-old son after discovering the ability to play Minecraft in the same world in the iOS pocket education. I think this quote exemplifies the idea of a digital playground and represents the central theme around this series of blog posts. 

Now, is everything all bubbles and flowers in the Cogswell household? Of course not! Less then five minutes after demonstrating such wonderful digital citizenship, my son and daughter were arguing about whose Minecraft world they were going to play in together and next yelling about not accidentally smashing the world in with bricks. There was whining...crying...and unrest as they navigated whose will would overcome. 

So here's my point...children learn many social skills when they go to places such as the playground. They learn how to make news friends, play collaboratively, and resolve conflicts. And, when kids can't resolve their conflicts, we as parents are there to step in to help facilitate.  On the same note, how often do we give kids a chance to interact or play with each other online? I say this because much of the time when kids are on devices, they are simply interacting with the device itself. Subsequently, when they do socialize online and a conflict arises, no one is available to help resolve their issues. And of course, when you add a level of anonymity to the online interactions, that's when trolls and cyber bullies pop up. So boomeranging back around, how are we teaching kids online social skills and digital citizenship, and when do they have a chance to play on the digital playground?

Before I move on, I must provide a disclaimer.  I am an advocate of balance and moderation. In the 1:1 classroom, students get time on devices, but they also need time with peers, paper, and pavement. Just like at home, we can't just always hand children a device when they get grumpy to pacify them. We need to let them be grumpy, kick them outside to physically release that energy, or have them take some time to chill. Of course sometimes as parents, we need a break and the tablet is right there. Give it to the kid, but not all the time, not even most of the time, we need to choose our battles. 

Back to the questions above. How do we teach kids digital citizenship on the digital playground? The same way we teach them everything else: we give them opportunities to explore in a safe environment while under supervision. We allow them to not only interact with the device, but other people through the device. 

One great place to go is artsnacks.org by Kevin Honeycutt. Children can learn how to draw and interact with others online. They can even post their artwork!!! Another resource provided by Kommein.com is 8 Safe Social Networks for Kids. This resource gives a few options on various social media sites. Also, a third is diy.org, which is a online community for creative kids giving kids chances to participate in a DIY camp online. If you are looking for even more, just use Google. There are a bunch out there.

In the end, it really doesn't matter what app or program it is. I would just encourage you to give your children the chance to engage online with other kids under your supervision. Build a digital citizen that can look both ways when crossing the Internet. Even better -- you can get in the digital sandbox with your child.

A Digital Dad: The Questions that Drive

2/3 of my Digital Children

So first off, let's get things straight. This blog post was inspired by Kevin Honeycutt, a super awesome educational technology guru and inspirational speaker. I had the privilege of watching him speak while attending the Alive Conference at Monte Vista Christian School near Watsonville, California, and his insights on digital fatherhood and the digital playground resonated with me as a teacher and a father. Thus the story begins...

 Leaving A Digital Signature

Uncharted territory lays ahead of us. As parents most times we have more experiences to draw from than our children. We can prepare our kids for life, warning them of the potential pitfalls based on previous experiences. We teach them the basics like to never talk to strangers and to look both ways when crossing the street. We do our best to raise successful people trying to instill morals and values based on our experiences. Fast forward...

Look who is standing on top!!

Now, the game changer -- the Internet -- which opened our world by connecting us in new ways. In 1990, when Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, I was 8. I experienced the Internet as a child and had limited supervision when I was on the digital playground. I made some poor decisions online, nothing major, but the scope of viralness was severely limited back then. I had a chance to play in the digital sandbox, learning along the way.

Now, excuse the cliche, but times are a-changin; mistakes are broadcast within seconds, and can go viral in minutes. On the other side, children, like EvanTubeHD, make millions on YouTube, while still having time to play!!! Our lives are becoming more and more public and viewable. Our children's pictures are no longer just on the four walls of our house, but shared across screens and devices. Families are connected; people are connected. The internet is a place of great power, which of course can be used for great good or for great evil.

This takes us back to this post's driving questions: who is on digital recess duty and what is our responsibility as digital parents? With this series of blog posts, I hope to explore my journey into digital fatherhood as a father and a teacher. Please add your thoughts and comments below and join me on my journey.

A Lesson in Grit!!

Salinas Police Officer's Association in conjunction
with the Alisal Rotary Club presenting the bikes

On Friday, June 5, 2015, at Tiburcio Vásquez Elementary in Salinas, California, there was a celebration of grit and determination. Sixty-one bikes and sixty-one helmets were given away for reaching perfection,
bringing sixty-one smiles to sixty-one students' faces.

Principal Dr. Roberto Núñez
and Officer Danny Garcia

So how exactly did these students attain perfection? It was not based on grades or merit, but simply showing up: a demonstration of grit. Google defines grit as courage and resolve and strength of character. I think this definition brings to light the characteristics such as resolve and strength of character that the recipients of the bikes demonstrated throughout this school year. Further, Romero and Lee's (2007) article exhibits the importance of attendance on student academic success. Formalities aside, it was a day filled with excitement.

Coach Ben with the Crew

The day started out with a surprise helicopter visit as Officer Todd Brethour flew Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin and landed on Vásquez's sports field. Students watched in amazement as the wind from the rotor blew them back a bit. The Salinas Police Officer's Association came with a full brigade of cars along with their police truck. Alisal Rotary Club members as well as Salinas City Council representative Kimberly Craig joined the Salinas Police in the presentation of bikes.

Principal Dr. Roberto Núñez

As Dr. Roberto Núñez, principal of Vásquez, read each winner's name, the students bounded over to the zoo of bikes looking for the one that called their name. Other students cheered with exuberance with the hopes of attaining perfection the next year. Overall, smiles were seen on the faces of all.

Thanks to all of those who helped make this event possible, especially the Police Officer's Association, the Alisal Rotary Club, and Councilwoman Kimbley Craig.  A huge kudos to our fearless leader and principal Dr. Roberto Núñez who coordinated the whole event. Of course, a huge thanks to the behind-the-scenes crew; there were many hands involved to make this event a success.

A Course Reflection

Go back and reexamine the NETS-T Standards - There are five standards identified as skills and knowledge teachers need to support digital age learning: Digital Citizenship, Digital Age Learning, Digital Age Work, Professional Growth, and Student Learning. The Essential Conditions, showcase the conditions necessary to effectively leverage technology for learning (iste.org). Create a personalized reflection in a Google Doc or other Web 2.0 tool that focuses on your areas of strengths and your areas of needs based upon the NETS-T standards and Essential Conditions listed above. Support your reflection with the corresponding NETS-T standard.  Share your reflection with your course facilitator via link.   Where do you see alignment with these standards and the 21st Century Technology Leadership Certification coursework? Which NETS-T standards correspond to your areas of strengths and needs? What is your action plan for applying what you have learned after this course? All reflections must be done in a Google doc and published publicly.
Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity	I think many of the activities we did over the course connected to this standard. I especially thought the module on communication, as well as, the module on curation and creation gave me an opportunity to explore this standard. Students built projects that engaged the them because of the tools they were learning. One of my strengths in this area is modeling collaborate knowledge construction with students and colleagues in both an analog environment and over the internet. I have always focus my teaching in this area before technology, but once I implemented one to one it only become stronger. I feel one of my weaknesses in this area is engaging students in real world problems. It feel that curriculum is inauthentic at times and does not always target real world skills. I have been working on more projects that connect students to the real world. For example, publishing videos on youtube with a real audience, or sending a picture across the internet to teach a lesson on digital citizenship and communication.
Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments	I think one of the modules that really targets this standard is the module on data collection. Students really had to reflect on the purpose of assessment and what their scores mean to them and reflect about their learning. I think my strength in this area is using digital tools to promote learning and creativity. With every students having an iPad and a smorgasbord of apps, integrating technology into learning is relatively simple with a little gumption. Also now that I have had a chance to observe and collaborate with so many teachers, their ideas have filled my cup. One of the weaknesses is with formative assessments. Technology makes checking for understanding easy, but many of the curriculum embedded assessments need extra effort to turn digital. Another challenge I have had this year has been not having my own class. Often times I am not in a class long enough to give formative assessment. However, I think as I get to know the curriculum better it will be easier to help create formative assessments that fit into the curriculum.
Model digital age work and learning	Almost everyone of the lessons I did, modeled digital age work and learning. Teaching with an iPad has changed my teaching and almost every lesson models some kind of digital age work and learning. I feel one of my strengths in this area is modeling current digital technology. I love trying and learning a new app or a new way of teaching with technology. As I mentioned above, having so many teachers around to collaborate with helps keep the apps we are using current and fresh. My weakness in this standard is communicating with a variety of digital tools to parents. This year, I started using Remind to connect with parents, but I did not have too many parents sign up. Last year, I used email, but only about half of my parents had email. I would like to better leverage social media to reach out to more parents.
Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility	I focused on this heavily during modules two and three. Both of my lessons were focus on digital citizenship. However, elements of digital citizenship can be found throughout the modules as it is always important to keep students safe when online. I feel that teaching digital citizenship is one of my strengths. I was able to have Parent Coffee Klatches, which targeted digital citizenship. Also I personally feel that this is one of the bases we must start with and target our students to teach them about being safe online. Technology is a tool that can be used for good or for evil. One of the areas I need to improve is teaching kids multicultural empathy. I feel I do a good job with a few limited cultures, but I would like students to be able to have more of a world view. I think it would be great to connect with another class in another country or on another continent.
Engage in professional growth and leadership	In these modules, I was able to grow in many ways. The modules made me reflect and think on items and topics that I may have not engaged in. I tried apps I might not have tried, I participated in a hashtag chat, and curated numerous sources. I think because of the position I am in, I was able to naturally demonstrate leadership with technology. All of the lessons I participated in we modeled in front of other teachers. I am also in the position to provide professional development to many people in my school. One of the aspects, I want to work on is reading more research articles on teaching with technology. I read plenty of blogs and many articles, but few a of them seem to be strongly based in research. I think this would help strengthen my practice.
To continue to develop my skills, I plan to keep participating in social media, making youtube videos, and blogging. I think these will help me to stay fresh and develop my knowledge. I will also be able to continue to connect with other educators if I participate in these avenues. In my opinion, connecting with others in the edtech field is the best way to develop constantly stay fresh and grow professionally.

What is a 21st Century Innovative Educator???

I recently participated in a educational technology blended course called 21st Century Innovative Educator which was facilitated by Mr. +Martin Cisneros., aka the Tech Profe. I found the course to be challenging, reflective, refreshing and inspiring.

From this course, I feel I developed a passion for growing a person professional development system. For example, I have grown in my understanding of curation and creating through social media. I am able to find my own resources, and have start my own personal on line library of media. I have started to navigate hashtag chats, building playlists of videos, and of course, when in doubt stick a pin in it. I feel I still have much more room to grow in the world of social media, but I now know where and how to find the answers in the twitter-verse.

Further, my eyes have been opened by participating in the lessons, the learning, and the activities. Through the lesson planning process, I become more familiar with the various NET standards, and embedding them in my instruction. I got to better understand the TPACK model through applying my own environment to a triple Venn Diagram.  I had a great time smashing iMovie and an app called Green Screen into the Evolution on Communication. This was definitely a smash I may have never tried without the course.

Mostly, my eyes have been opened to all of the digital possibilities out there. I am now more confident in trying even more new possibilities that haven't even popped out into the digital world.