A quick google search of the ripple effect led me to Wikipedia for the following definition: A ripple effect occurs when an initial disturbance to a system propagates outward to disturb an increasingly larger portion of the system. Ironically, what made me think of the ripple effect and the “Ribble” effect as a play on words for this week’s blog is knowing the impact that one press of button on a keyboard can have on on a school community and the understanding that we as educators have a responsibility to counteract the “Ripple Effect” of technology and social media with the Mike “Ribble Effect” of education for our students.
I’m sure all of you reading this blog have either said the words, or heard someone say the words when dealing with student issues related to technology: “well it didn’t happen on school time, so it really isn’t our responsibility.” I will be the first to admit that I have said those reactionary words once or twice in my now 24 years of public school administration work. In fact, I still might say those words today when there is an issue with our students and their time spent online. The only difference between now and then for me is the qualifying statement that follows: “it may not have happened on school time, but it sure has an impact on the students in our building during school time.” Hence the ripple effect is in play and one student’s actions online has created an initial disturbance which has now spread.
How far has it spread? How many students have been effected by this? Who do we need to put on the list to see the counsellor? Who do we need to pull into the office first you ask yourself as you prepare for yet another reactionary day in the office. Is this the future of education or can we somehow get in front of this? The answer to this question is yes, yes you can get in front of it and yes the future of digital citizenship in education lies in education.
Education is the future of digital citizenship in education. Our jobs as educators are more important now than ever. Not only do we need to focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic, but we also need to teach students how to use the technology that we posses for good over evil. Insert Mike Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship as seen below.
We as educators need to teach students what character looks like online and a great place to start is with this document. Perhaps is we do a good enough job on the front end we will not have to spend so much time on the back end dealing with the ripple effect or the fall out from that last key stroke.
In the Saskatchewan Government document on digital citizenship they refer to what your talking about as the “two worlds” fallacy. We have a tendency to discount the online world as “fake” or less important than what happens in the “real” world. To fall back on a movie cliché, “What is ‘real’? How do do you define ‘real’?”. If our students interact one another primarily through technology, then subjectively that reality is just a pertinent as any other. These realities inform and reflect one another and combine to form their life experience. I don’t think we can distinguish between the two anymore. In my school most squabbles originate in online spaces, through text, or via comments. So when things boil over in the classroom it always seem very real to me. The frustration (that I believe you are hinting at) is that there isn’t an easy way for teachers and administrators to referee these spaces like we do in our physical classrooms (and frankly, most instructors that I know would want no part in moderating online interactions).
I think that it is interesting to think about the extent to which the digital world is changing the behaviour of students (or people in general) vs simply making that behaviour easier or more accessible. I think that maybe both of those things can be true. This came to mind while reading your post and the idea of the digital baggage kids may be bringing in the classroom, even though it happens “outside of school”. Issues in the digital world are really no different than all of the other baggage that students carry into our building from outside our classroom space, and hopefully we can continue as educators to approach it how we would anything else: with compassion and empathy.
I connected with this post on all ends! I was torn between writing my blog about community digital citizenship education or the line between policing and teaching digital citizenship. I admit I have also said the words “It didn’t happen at school…” but I do agree it is our responsibility to use the out-of-school issues as teachable moments and address them or the skills that could help prevent or diffuse them. What I’m hesitant about is the line between teachers addressing issues that parents should be dealing with. As an acting administrator, I have had a few run-ins with scenarios that push my beliefs on where the responsibility lies.
Perhaps as an administrator, you could shed some insight as to what you would recommend in a situation similar to the following (which has happened a great number of times in many schools I’ve worked in):
A homeroom teacher (or the office) receives a call/email/message from an upset parent stating that their child is being bullied/harassed/pestered after school via *a tech device* by another student in the class. The parent is threatening that the teacher/admin deal with the other student and address the issue or they will (*insert various responses like move schools, call division office, etc*).
I agree that this type of information is vital for teachers to know so they include these teachings in their lessons and be aware of the dynamics occurring in their rooms. How do you suggest a teacher respond to the parent and the situation? The incident is not occurring at school, the teacher hasn’t seen the issues at school (which doesn’t mean they aren’t happening), and you don’t know who has done or said things to instigate or provoke the other. Is it the school’s responsibility to begin bringing in everyone involved and get to the bottom of it or do the parents of the children need to communicate with one another to solve the situation?
I have seen these situations play out in various ways and I believe the school plays a crucial role but I am worrying about the parenting role lessening and the school taking on more than necessary to address issues.
Any insight or suggestions from yourself or others would be fantastic! I’d like to hear how others work with these scenarios.
RoxAnne Jordan… I always ask the student to produce the evidence and in the case of a parent complaint I would ask the same. If there is evidence and material saved that I can look at I would evaluate it to see if it needs to be addressed at the school level, the parent level, or with the RCMP. If there is no evidence that can be provided then I would educate the student/parent on how they would go about documenting any further acts directed toward their child. From a school stand-point, I would also speak with all of the student’s teachers and let them know what has been relayed to us at the office and ask that they keep an eye on the student(s) in question to see if there are issues creeping into the school that we may not have been aware of.
I hear ya! It is almost weekly where we receive calls at the office with issues that have to deal with students and their use of technology outside of school hours that are trickling back into the building. every situation is unique in its own way, so navigating through them sometimes can be quick but other times it quickly turns into a bowl of spaghetti, pulling a new piece alters the situation even more. We are currently teaching the Be Good People Curriculum in our classes and continue to push digital citizenship lessons into our classrooms to help navigate these issues. Once it starts creating issues in the school setting, then we begin to step in more as an administration team. Great insights! Thanks for sharing.