You're Wired Just Perfectly

I have two kids that mean the world to me.  I dote on them, love them to a point of distraction, smother them in hugs, and regale them with words of wisdom about all aspects of life (at least that's the aim). As my career revolves heavily around appropriate use of the Internet, this topic comes up rather frequently as I promote liberal, responsible use of technology in my home.  Of course, I have them safely filtered and under parental controls- and they are fabulous children- but occasionally they slip on the rules.  I caught one child creatively playing with WordArt. The WordArt itself was enchanting to look at on first glance- vibrant colors, twisty contour- and it was all with the word "underpants."

I sighed, the child looked at me abashedly, and I went through some of my standard lines. "Is that something you would want your Grandmother to see?  Is that something that would make your teacher proud? How do you feel about yourself now that I saw it?"  We discussed, deleted the "underpants," and resolved to make better decisions.

The thing is, I was ok with this- all of it.  My kids are curious, boundary-testing, typical students- just like your students.  We adults can tell, model, preach, and even DEMAND rule-following, but the way they grow and learn is through trial and error.  I would much prefer my own children err in a safe, monitored environment than out in the wide world of Internet-ness.

This is exactly why I adore My Big Campus.  MBC provides an environment in which students can navigate through a social-learning platform under an umbrella of safety (check out more here).  With safety features such as 24/7 monitoring, profanity interception, user -report abuse buttons, flesh-tone scanning, and suspicious activity reporting, My Big Campus is indescribably secure.

Nevertheless, it is understandable when teachers have questions about monitoring a site that is available to students 24/7.  Fear not! Whether you unplug at 3:30 when the kids leave or have your smart phone as another appendage, My Big Campus is for you!  Here is how this works if you are:

Unplugged   It is perfectly acceptable to unplug! It is absolutely ok to tell your students that after you leave school, play taxi-service to your own children, make dinner, and settle into your home, you will probably not be on-line checking assignments or messages.  No worries! With the features My Big Campus already has in place, Discussions are already monitored, Bob Campus is around for any Q/A, and those assignments will be waiting in the cloud when you are ready!

Semi-plugged    It is also super if you know you will have some dedicated time to check back in on your classes at some point after class is out.  Let them know that any questions they have before 8 PM will be answered before you go to bed- anything else will be handled in class or in the morning.  You could also dedicate a chat-time to hang out on-line and be available for them in Group Chat. No need to use up the whole evening on the computer, but if you are more comfortable jumping on-line a few times at night, we have the tools for you!

Fully-plugged  If you are wired like me, chances are you are rarely without some sort of device to be on-line. I let students know that before I went to bed, most questions would be answered almost immediately if they messaged me (then I changed my notifications to send me a text of their messages). This worked for me as I am rarely without my phone. Any messages after bedtime, I simply addressed in class.  I was both refreshed and rejuvenated to find my students participating and inquiring at all hours outside of our regular meeting times. We really had created an active extension of our classroom!

image retrieved from: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3061/3077035953_2aa573c111_o.jpg

 Regardless of how you are wired, you are wired just perfectly for My Big Campus!