Internet Privacy

 "Can You Speak Louder Into The Microphone?"

    Last weekend, I was making my to do list in preparation of returning to school after spring break. Busy making a grocery list, I absentmindedly started a conversation with my mom about some different items that needed to be added: a case of sparkling water (should we go with blackberry or raspberry flavored?), more paper towels, and other everyday items were discussed and written down in their appropriate spots. Before heading to the store, I hopped on to Facebook for a little mindless scrolling and wasn't surprised to see that the first thing that popped up on my feed: a sponsored post for LaCroix, advertising one of their newer springtime flavors, cherry blossom. While I'm no stranger to targeted ads appearing simply out of "nowhere" on my social media feeds, I always assumed that ads of this nature were curated based solely on things that I search on various platforms. What gave me pause was the fact that I mentioned a product (in this case, sparkling water) in a passing conversation and then just so happened to see almost exactly what I was in need of, mere moments later. If you're curious, yes, I did immediately unplug our Alexa and no, I don't plan on plugging it back in any time soon.

Image Source: Engadget

Data Tracking

    After the LaCroix incident, I started paying more attention to the various ads and sponsored posts I would see when scrolling through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. When I started actively looking for it, I noticed that the majority of ads that I came across were for products I had either searched for or talked about. I simply needed to know more about how my social media feeds knew me and my needs SO well. I started my journey by checking out this infographic from EAVI. When reading through the various topics covered in the infographic, I was most interested to learn how data tracking works to create targeted ads that appear on your social media feeds. While I knew that the ads were curated based on your searches, I didn't realize that the information gathered from those searches are essentially "sold" to the highest bidders, who then turn around and sell it to other agencies. In my head, I'm picturing a huge filing cabinet filled with everything I've ever searched and all of that information being sorted through and purchased by complete strangers-- very unsettling, to say the least.

Image Source: EAVI

Internet Privacy

    I consider myself to be a relatively private person, especially on the internet. All of my social media accounts are locked/on "private" mode-- on the rare occasion that I actually do post something, only my friends and family can see it. I don't have a true reason for why my internet presence is so private, other than I just prefer it that way. Truly, I don't feel that anything I post is worthwhile enough to be out there for the whole internet to see, so I'd rather just keep my accounts and my posts to myself. I suppose that this is for the better, especially after reading the Ted Article, "Why Online Privacy Matters-and How to Protect Yours". In the article, I was shocked to learn that the easiest thing you can do to protect your private information is simply putting a sticker or Bandaid over the camera on your laptop. That idea really made me stop and think-- am I being watched without even knowing? I suppose you never think you're interesting enough to be watched through your technology, but clearly this has happened and continues to happen, most often unbeknownst to us.

Image Source: Cybercrime Magazine

Protecting Ourselves in a Digital World

    Unfortunately, we can't change that we live in a world where our private information isn't truly private. However, there are steps that we can take to protect ourselves and things that we can do as teachers to help our students safely navigate our digital world. In the article "10 Tips to Protect Your Online Data", contributors suggest that among other actions, one thing that can be done to protect your data is to use an alternate search engine that is privacy-focused. Such websites, such as DuckDuckGo are funded by donations and value the privacy of their users, so they do not collect data you search and "sell" it to third party trackers. Other suggestions include ensuring you have strong, secure passwords and adjusting your privacy settings on social media so that your information isn't out in the open. I feel like any of these tips, but especially the two aforementioned ones, would be important to teach to our students. This generation of students has grown up with technology and it will only continue to be more present in their lives as they grow up. It's important that they understand how dangerous the internet could be if their information got in the wrong hands. Prioritizing digital literacy and internet safety can be a step in the right direction-- following these tips and others to protect our data not only will help keep us safe, but it will model correct digital etiquette for our students so that they will (hopefully) follow in our example.

Professional Learning Network (PLN): How Do I Fit In?

Professional Learning Network (PLN)

    Prior to this week, I had never heard of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) before, or so I thought. After reading up on the topic, I realized that I already engage in these networks and forums, but I just didn't know the term for it. As discussed in the article, From PLN to Practice: Tips from 5 Educators on Personalizing Your Professional Learning (from Common Sense Education), PLNs can be such a powerful tool and resource for educators because they can customize what they get out of their PLN based on what will benefit them most in their practice. When reading the Common Sense Education article, I particularly enjoyed the following thoughts on why/how PLNs can have such a positive influence on educators:

Screenshot taken from the article, From PLN to Practice: Tips from 5 Educators on Personalizing Your Professional Learning, 

Knutson, 2017.

I think that PLNs are very compatible with the format in which we learn now. While there are benefits to still creating and attending Professional Developments the "traditional" way (think: sitting in conference spaces with colleagues, listening to various presenters and watching Powerpoint presentations), utilizing PLNs is a quicker, more convenient way for educators to seek the support they need to improve their practices.  

It's Always Good to Have a PL(A)N

    PLNs can help educators with social growth, affective growth, cognitive growth, and identity growth. After watching this short video, I feel that I connect most with using PLNs to help grow cognitively within my field. Often, I find myself looking for different resources on websites such as Pinterest or Teachers Pay Teachers to supplement my instruction and come across different teaching strategies or other ideas to try on TikTok. Additionally, I started listening to the podcast "Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers" on Spotify and I have found that the information presented in each episode is really relevant to my experience in teaching thus far. It's nice to find an outlet of support, even if it's from people I do not know, as I push through my first few years of teaching, trying to hone my skills in the classroom.

Image Source: The Teacher Challenge, https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-define/

 Using PLNs in My Career

    I am seeking to learn more about how I can support myself and my educational goals through PLNs. In wanting to learn more about using technology in the classroom, I joined the Facebook group, "Teachers Teaching with Tech". This group on Facebook is a place for teachers from various grade levels to share ideas and offer advice on how to incorporate current technology to enhance curriculum and instruction. For example, one post I read discussed how to use Wordle in the classroom to enhance students' vocabulary instruction. While this suggestion may have been geared towards upper elementary or high school grade levels, since the language demands of Wordle are often more intense, I think it would be interesting to try with my 3rd graders as a way to have them think outside of the box. Many of my students enjoy playing Wordle, individually during free/recess time or as a class with me projecting it on to our front board. If I could find a way to create my own game board and use our math or science vocabulary words as the possible answers to the daily game, that could help my students build their understanding of the academic language and help them begin to use it correctly within context. I'm excited by this challenge and am looking forward to getting more ideas from this new forum!

Hi! Nice to Meet You! :)

 All About Me, Kelly B.

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Hi everyone! My name is Kelly Barker and I am a 3rd grade Math and Science teacher at a school in Palos Hills, IL. I became a teacher because I love to learn and I love to help others. I have many great teaching friends and teaching role models, but the person who helped me realize my desire to teach is my mom. Growing up, I would spend summers helping set up her classroom, picking out decorations at the "teacher store" and always looking forward to my favorite part of summer: school supply shopping. It was only natural that when I started college, I pursue a career in Education. I graduated from Benedictine University in December of 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, an endorsement in Special Education (LBS1), and Minor in Psychology. Since starting to teach in 2020, I have earned my ESL Endorsement through Dominican University and am excited to finish my Master of Arts in Education later this year. 

When I'm not grading papers or working on my own homework, I try to strike a balance between relaxing and keeping active. I love spending time in the kitchen and will attempt pretty much any recipe that my boyfriend or I find on TikTok or Pinterest. I also enjoy reading, listening to music, and practicing yoga. I was a college golfer during my time at Benedictine, so I also use playing golf (when it's nice out) as another way to stay active!

 Social Media in My Life

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Growing up, I remember when some of the most current popular social media platforms were just getting started. As a kid, I remember that my parents did not want me to be on social media (Facebook was most popular with the people I went to school with) because they thought it wasn't something that I needed to be exposed to. As a result, I didn't create most of my social media accounts until I was well into my teens. While I do have social media, such as my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts posted above, rarely do I post on them. I do recognize that social media does have a large impact on my life, however, I feel that the things I need and want to share with the people in my life can take place on more of a personal level, rather than posting it for the whole internet to see. I would rather use these platforms to consume information, follow content creators I enjoy, or connect with my family and friends that live out of state.

Often, I think of how much social media is present in the lives of my students-- it's truly all they have ever known. On one hand, I understand that their exposure to the internet and social media is inevitable, but I will argue that my students (8 and 9 year olds) are probably seeing/hearing/learning things that they should not be at their age from social media because their media consumption is not monitored. That being said, I am hesitant but open to learning more about how to implement social media and other kinds of technology in the classroom. I know there are many great tools out there that I can use to help enrich my students' learning experience, I just have to take the jump and be brave enough to try! :)