21st Century Learners: identity and pressence

The elementary years are formative.  In addition to the core content areas of math, science, reading, writing and social science, I hope to instill learners with a love and respect for technology, themselves and others.  Elementary students are too young to maintain a Facebook page, yet they are capable and avid cyber responders.  Students at this level are developing their social skills, personality and identity, which means they must appreciate the importance of their cyber selves.

I'm particularly concerned about cyber bullying inside and outside the classroom.  Anonymity is great when it comes to reluctant students participating in online class discussions, but the dark side is also present.  Research by Professor Linda Gulyn of Marymount University shows that bullying starts as early as kindergarten, through the elementary years, peaks in middle school, and continues to high school and beyond.  Although policies on bullying are in place throughout the school systems in NOVA, learners in my classroom will develop social skills that can be honed in the classroom, the playground and online.

As an aside, this is one of the most popular comics from the oatmeal- it will most likely be the summative mathematical assessment in my classroom.

Elementary students have all the tools necessary to complete such problems, e.g. multiplication, division, with the added benefit that it is grounded in really practical life situations.  Can you imagine how impressed parents will be if their children "solve for dinner?"