Safe Use of Technology both in and outside the classroom.

We cannot talk about the use of technology with our students without addressing the need for Safe Use policies and the issue of Copyright and Fair use. I began my research on Safe Use of technology by viewing the OCT Advisory Video "Electronic Communication" www.oct.ca/resources/videos and navigating through the Creative Commons website to create a copyright licence to post on my blog (unfortunately I have yet to figure out the posting part of it). Both sites provided a great deal of useful information regarding appropriate use of material and communication for all educational partners. With creative teachers incorporating Social Media tools into the classroom, it is essential that teachers are aware of and students are taught appropriate communication conduct with between each other and the global community. One of my favourite resources is November Learning. Alan November writes a blog called Mind/Shift. href="http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/alan-november-how-teachers-and-tech-can-let-students-take-control/">"> One of his posts talked about Safe Use and the duty of teachers to be Web Literate and to teach Web Literacy. Within this posting is a variety of assessments, lessons and tools that can help teachers teach students the essential and lasting skills that they need to be safe and successful not only within the classroom but in the future. Teaching students how to read a web address for instance, understanding who the publishes information and being able to critically evaluate this information arms students with the tools they need to be informed users. Technology and Social Media tools will change over time but the skills that students need to safely and appropriately gather/share information or ideas remain constant. www.novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators