Curation of Information: Harnessing the Beast of Ubiquitous Information

I have this crazy little habit that helps empower me every day for the educational tasks at hand. For the past two years I've taken part in the #OneWord movement and this year my word was "brave." As part of this year's word, everyday I have chosen some phrase and photo to put on Instagram to embolden myself for the day to be educationally brave to make a difference for students. Each phrase has #brave2017 in the comments. Some days I run across quotes that resonate with me, some days I write what is in my head, and some days I make a real effort to Google a theme or "educational quotes" and find something for the day.

A quote that I have seen over and over on multiple occasion is the one in the image above: "The best teachers are those that show you where to look but don't tell you what to see." It is attributed to Alexandra K. Trenfor. Out of curiosity one day I decided to see who exactly this person was because I felt this little nugget of wisdom was so powerful. Imagine my surprise when not only I could not find anything about the person but found that other people had been on the same search. There is a bit of irony not lost on me that educators on a regular basis repost this quote and put it on educational websites and it can't really even be checked for authenticity. I mean, when I posted it I continued to attribute it to Alexandra K. Trenfor but I don't really know if that's right or not.

That left me thinking about the overwhelming need for curation of information in today's world. When we want to quote a website, oftentimes it is downright impossible to find the correct citing unless one uses an online bibliography that searches it from the URL and sometimes even then we come up empty handed.

Today as I was sick in bed I found myself digging around the internet looking for information on some topics I've been pondering and I came across this video that was uploaded in 2007. It's titled "The Machine is Us/ing Us." It speaks into the fact that WE are the creators of the web by the things we post on a regular basis, like this blog for instance. I am putting information out to a worldwide audience that might sway someone towards or away from a certain way of thinking about education. The "machine" is us but at the same time the machine is using my information, thoughts, and clicks to develop itself further. It's both alarming and intriguing to think of the power every John Q. Public has in the world today.

That being said, how do we as educators guide students to make ethical choices in what they claim as their own information? How do we guide them to best discern what is good information? How do we help them critically think about what they read and to turn information into knowledge? Especially when we ourselves are struggling with it as well. We are bombarded by fake news, wikipedia, and find ourselves searching snopes.com for discernment but I'll be honest some days I still don't know what is real or not (especially in regards to politics lately). We are being manipulated by our clicks as to what "real" is to us and yet we also have access to great information that allows us to learn anything we want to at the typing of a few key words. While we struggle with the shotgun method of information that comes at us regularly we must learn alongside our students how to best manage this resource. I don't want to be seen as a machine but I do want to know that I am adding value to the machine. I want my students to experience that as well. The ubiquity of technology cannot be ignored but it can be used for good.

When A Technology Coordinator "Unplugs"

Cue the cold sweats, nervous tics, and wringing of hands...or not. Over Christmas break I decided to do a little self-evaluation of my technology usage. Below is the daily recap actually originally hand written.

December 17, 2016 9:30am
When  a techie unplugs:
I've been awake for approximately one hour and I have checked my emails, returned correspondence and left my phone on my bed stand. As I started to plan my day, I missed my phone immediately. What's the weather today? What time is the church musical tonight? I need recipes for cookies. 

I went upstairs to walk on the treadmill. As I walked I started reflecting on the decision to unplug for some amount of time- probably the whole break? (checking emails 3 times a day for correspondence and zero social media)- I decided I should start journaling the process. Where's my phone? Dang it! Normally I would just speak into it for these type of notes until I could blog. As I am exercising I feel overheated so I reach to touch the hand grips on my treadmill and it tells me my pulse. Dang it! Did I just cheat already? Now I'm in this internal struggle trying to decide what tech am I giving up and what tech am I not? I mean this was my idea (am I already lessening my goals?)! Meh.

I'm currently sitting down eating breakfast I nuked in the microwave (I've decided this is ok) and I am  WRITING in cursive in this journal that was given to me last year. My handwriting is atrocious and I can't spell atrocious! (I miss spell check). I don't remember the last time I wrote more than 3-4 sentences. My hand already hurts as I have filled two pages of lined notebook paper with this post.

Next up...I've been reading a book on my paperwhite Kindle. I would love to finish it. I'm trying to decide since it was already in process, is this ok with me? I think it's going to be a long day of adjusting. I've got a large TO DO LIST today, we shall see what actually gets done.

December 17, 2016 4:20pm
Cleaned out my closet better than I have in my life. Checked emails once since this morning- no social media but I did realize I am still getting notifications. Since the phone isn't on me, I haven't been tempted to open apps. I have glanced at the notifications when I checked emails. As long as I'm busy I don't even think about the internet. I did put a watch on because I realized I use my phone constantly to check the time. 

My youngest daughter face-timed me earlier and I answered. That's her preferred way to communicate when not home. I haven't told anyone at the house what my unplugged goals are. Not sure if that's fear of being judged if I don't follow thru or not wanting to discuss it. I finished the book Technology vs Humanity. It leaves me thinking deeply about the what's next of tech and education. I believe the changes will ramp up quickly- faster than ever. As a school we don't necessarily do proactive well- that scares me. How do we prep teachers and students for AI (artificial intelligence), V/R (virtual reality), A/R (augmented reality), or brain interfaces? Will I even be able to unplug 10 years from now and be relevant? It scares me more than it excites me.

The ethics of technology and the future can't be ignored. Lines in the sand need to be drawn, But not today...today I unplug, watch Friends, and write in a journal.

December 18, 2016
It's mid afternoon. Yesterday I broke my plan. I was getting ready to study my Sunday school lesson to teach to 4th graders and realized I didn't have the right book. So, I got online and looked up both lesson ideas and Pinterest nativity crafts to do. It made me try to think back to my past before Pinterest. Was I more or less creative back then? I'm not sure.

Also, at bedtime I checked my email and I immediately clicked on Facebook. I immediately swiped it closed before it even opened. It made me realize how much social media is just a habit for me.

This morning I taught Sunday School and went to the service. I sat in the balcony. I got the cutest photo op of the children down front as the pastor told them his story just for them. It's the first time I really wanted to post something on social media but it's just DAY 2. RIGHT?!

The really interesting thing about this day is that it wasn't util after lunch that I realized I used my phone to ready my bible all morning long. I mean, I've been using my phone as my bible for years now on Sunday morning...it didn't even cross my mind to take a REAL BIBLE this morning. Nor did I even hesitate to open my Bible Gateway app. Have I conditioned myself to seeing the app as the bible and always available to me that it never even crossed my mind as going against my goals? Is this how tech becomes who we are when we don't even realize we are using it?

I plan to turn my notifications off on my social media and email because when I am bored, I want to check them. I think that may be something I carry forward after these 2 weeks- no social media notifications.

December 20, 2016
Yesterday I cleaned out a cabinet that should have been cleaned out a billion times over the years. I also went out to do some Christmas shopping. This is where I enjoy tech the most. Almost all my Christmas shopping was done online. I hate crowds at Christmas so once I got home I hot out my computer and ordered my groceries from Walmart. I'll use their pick up service today around 10am. I love this service since I hate grocery shopping.

So have I failed? No. I'm still mindful of my tech usage. I haven't posted or scrolled social media. I'm not checking my phone often. I think I'm creating new habits and lining what makes sense and what doesn't. I've cleaned, done a lot of reading, went to sleep earlier, planned life goals each day better and completed the goals as well. Today is a new day. I plan to bake Christmas sweets and clean out refrigerators.

December 23, 2016
I fudged. I ordered groceries online so I could just go pick them up and I looked for recipes. As I internally tried to decide "is this ok?" I feel it was an absurdity not to use tech to make my life more efficient.

For the first time ever for Christmas I spend the day baking goodies. I then spent time delivering them. It did my heart good. I feel good about myself. It wasn't a wasted morning. Yesterday I allowed myself to check emails and answer more regularly. Life felt more fragmented. Today I'm cutting back again.

I did write a blog post today. This time has given me more time to think my own thoughts- so to speak. To examine who I am and who I want to be. This is a natural thing for me to do as the year comes to a close. I posted the blog post to Twitter and found myself wondering why I felt that was necessary. 

Interestingly, I realized I realized I needed to code my purchasing card for work before Christmas day. That means computer work sometime today- while on my break. Not blaming but the nature of my job once again beckons me to technology usage. I'll do that soon.

Laundry is caught up, I've spent time with my girls in conversations, I've read, exercised and baked. Is this because of internally releasing myself form the bind of constantly checking my phone out of boredom?

My handwriting has gotten no better. These posts seem fragmented as I can't add/take away from paragraphs. Hand writing posts is much more linear than blogging. I'm not a fan.

I also deposited a check using my banking app today. Again, efficiencies make sense to me and I value that more than following a strict THOUGH SHALT NOT TECH philosophy. What I am coming to realize (or reminded of) is the value of presence- truly being in the here and now of a moment. I'll be honest, I'm a day dreamer by nature- staying connected to the real world is a conscious effort for me but how nice to focus on valuing the present. Not PRESENTS under the tree but awareness- people, places, moments that will never happen exactly the same ever again.

I am a sentimental fool as my baby graduated from high school this year and I'm dealing with more "last times." Maybe that's why the value of presence seems so noticeable? I think I am finding a better balance as well as learning some things are priorities to me. It feels good and inefficient at the same time!

December 27, 2016
I posted photos on Facebook and Instagram regarding Christmas and since then I've done some posting. I still haven't spent much time on social media. I did decide to delete the apps (social media) off my phone to see how that affects me. I'm reading more and watched a few movies. I think I've been more intentional with my time...maybe.

I have an idea for a book to write in my head but I think I'm afraid to actually sit down and plan it because I know it will "call me" to be done. We shall see.

This break has been refreshing and yet a little disconcerting. I know that my use of Twitter is only as good as what I put into it. I don't want to go backwards or lose my momentum for learning.

January 6, 2017
Yesterday afternoon and this morning I have worked from home. Stomach bugs hit my diabetic child and that's a scary thing. Everyone in our household has had it but me but today I feel queasy. School is dismissing at noon today for potential snow threat. I just got the text. I'm thankful for a job where I can occasionally work from home and be productive still.

I ended my fasting from social media on New Years Eve. I posted, saw the Christmas posts from family and friends, occasionally commented and enjoyed it. It was nice to see.

As I look today at where I am technology wise and I reflect on my "unpluggness" some might say BUT YOU DIDN'T UNPLUG! And they would be right. I'm not really sure what my goals were in the beginning except for an awareness of who I am in regards to technology. I am certain that the efficiencies that technology affords me seems worth it to me. I am certain that the intentionalness of using Twitter and other social media to connect with educators is worth it to me. I am certain there are times in my life technology gets in the way of presence.

Do I have areas that I should be aware of and work on balancing better? Most definitely. And that was the purpose of this self awareness test. Finding my balance. Do I think I will do this again? Yes I do. Fasting is a good thing. Abstinence from things we enjoy teaches discipline. I can always use more discipline in my life. Are you up for trying my challenge? I do believe if nothing else it will cause you to really start wanting to look deeper in how we are to lead the next generation in modeling and thinking ethically about the future of technology. That's a win.

The Ethics of Technology

 
According to Forbes, "Wearable Tech Market To Be Worth $34 Billion By 2020" (http://www.forbes.com/sites/paullamkin/2016/02/17/wearable-tech-market-to-be-worth-34-billion-by-2020/#c4ddfbc3fe38). Wrist-based devices can be found in schools everywhere. In fact, a friend of mine said she has twins in first grade at her school that have iWatches. 

Educational technology LMS platforms are spending much money and man hours on creating safeguards against plagiarism. Add-ons like Turnitin.com and question banks for testing that changes the variable numbers, order of answers and questions, and the actual questions themselves help teachers better monitor cheating.

Teachers are fearing websites like the free iOS app, PhotoMath that automatically solves equations and shows you the steps. Or how about the website https://www.writemypaper.net that for a small fee will write your paper for you? Where should technology start and students end? Where is the line between "technology is an aid to the learning process" and "technology did this by itself" for the ever needed good grade?

We are at a place where today's students have to learn that information is not knowledge. The easy access to information due to their smartphone in their back pocket does not make them truly knowledgable...just able to regurgitate facts....or fake it. I've done it, I've been asked questions regarding certain educational topics, I've quickly googled it and was able to sound knowledgable but in honesty, my level of comfortability wasn't there. As my mom would say, "I knew enough to be dangerous."

Recently being recognized as a Common Sense Media Certified Digital Citizenship Educator and dealing with some realities of access to Google images for elementary students has caused me to reflect on the ethics of technology usage. This is the fourth year I have been a certified digital citizenship educator because I find it incomprehensible to ask family's to allow their children to use technology in our school without also doing my part to prepare their hearts and minds for this fire hose tool of information and engagement.

Most parents received no training on the ethics of technology use and therefore they don't know how best to guide their children either. Parents often aren't making choices to be proactive in protecting their children on the internet. Often they are reactive after something they wish hadn't happened happens.

Educators, all of us that use technology in the classroom, have a responsibility to teach digital citizenship. If you want to reap the benefits of technology you must also teach responsible use. Including it based on current day events such as media literacy that is been in the news so much lately, and real world situations that occur at your school often, give you authentic learning experiences for both you and your students. You would be surprised how often students are surprised by being held accountable for things they do on social media at home. Anything that harms the school culture has to addressed. Technology changes the span of the classroom by breaking down walls and growing the timeframe of the classroom. We must be proactive about preparing our students to influence the world positively with their digital footprint.