Greetings Educators,

You may recall that in the last edition of our newsletter I wrote about Facebook and the role of social networking in the classroom.  I have this small obsession with keeping my Facebook paged updated regularly (daily at least) but I’m now finding that it’s important to know a bit more about the Facebook phenomenon and what we might be inviting into our classrooms.

First, don’t get me wrong; I firmly believe that Facebook and other social networking tools have a role in the classroom and in education. How can we ignore Facebook when it has more than 175 million users and, due in large part to advertising revenue, is valued at over $15 billion after only 5 years?  How many of your students do you think have Facebook accounts? Try asking and see.

A poll of our readers in the last issue on whether or not social networking has a role in the classroom said that it clearly does (14 yes, 4 no) although statistically I’m not sure we can make that claim with only 22 responses.

However, over the past few weeks I’ve read a number of news reports about Facebook that’s given me pause (but it won’t stop my daily updates). The stories relate to how Facebook uses and stores information about its members. A bit worrisome for sure but let’s first go over some stats about Facebook taken from their web site (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics):

They report:

General Growth

More than 175 million active users

More than half of Facebook users are outside of college

The fastest growing demographic is those 30 years old and older

User Engagement

Average user has 120 friends on the site

More than 3 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)

More than 18 million users update their statuses at least once each day

Applications

More than 850 million photos uploaded to the site each month

More than 7 million videos uploaded each month

More than 28 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) shared each month

More than 25 million active user groups exist on the site

International Growth

More than 35 translations available on the site, with more than 60 in development

More than 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States

From an education standpoint, what do you know about Facebook and, more importantly, what do the kids in your classrooms know when they sign up? Have you ever read the “terms of service” (TOS) for Facebook or for any web service for that matter? Or, do you do as I do and just click “Agree” whenever an agreement pops up?

The big hoopla recently with Facebook happened when they changed their TOS and the result would have been that when you opt out of Facebook your “stuff” stays – forever. My assumption has always been that, when I decide to stop using a Web service such as Facebook, MySpace, or other services, my information is deleted. I am always aware that online services make their money from advertising and that I’m bombarded with advertising from almost every commercial website. I’m also aware that while I’m a subscriber to a service my information is being shared. I just have to check my spam box to know someone’s snagged my name and email address.

But Facebook clearly went too far when they changed their TOS to read that we, as subscribers, are agreeing to grant them “irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license” to use our material and “use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising.” And that’s FOREVER! With this update in their terms they deleted the terminology that said users could remove their content at any time, at which time the license would expire. Therefore with this change in the TOS Facebook would retain users’ content and licenses AFTER the user terminated their account.

So Facebook subscribers revolted and they changed their TOS back or at least temporarily suspended their efforts to make the change.

Now the lesson here is to be better informed about what you agree to and, with the case of Facebook and other similar services, be aware of what your students may be agreeing to particularly if you’re using this in your classroom in some way.   I encourage you to read the article “10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know” and maybe even share them with your students. I’m beginning to better understand why school districts have policies about accessing web sites from school computers and why lawyers make a lot of money dealing with issues like this.

For more information and to see a humorous take on this issue I would recommend viewing the YouTube video below. I searched for formal news videos on the subject but this one kept popping up. Of course, I subscribe to YouTube and have never read the Terms of Service. I’m now rethinking how I approach “free” online services and will attempt myself to be a better-informed user.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxF0z8nrNtY

Best Regards,

Joe Codde
Professor and Director
Educational Technology Certificate Program

Need Professional Development Money? Two Resources for Grant Money

In today’s economic crisis grant money seems harder and harder to come by. With that in mind you will understand my shock when I was talking with an exhibitor at the Michigan Council for Social Studies Conference and learned that he had grant money to give away and had only a few applicants.  In fact they had to extend their original deadline because they had more money than applicants.  He provided me with the information and I knew immediately that I wanted to share it with you, our readers.  Read on to learn more about this great opportunity.  In addition you may want to learn more about professional development grants being offered by the MEA by visiting http://www.mea.org/pd/pdf/pdg-grants.pdf.

MCTPS seeks proposals from interested individuals, institutions of higher education, professional development initiatives, library systems, and school districts in the following states: Illinois**, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. MCTPS is looking for opportunities to integrate promising practices in teaching with primary sources into existing pre-service education curricula as well as K-12 professional development programs. Successful projects will be provided a tested professional development guide for all K-12 professional development activities. A copy of this guide can be downloaded for review by all applicants at http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/tps/MCTPS/pdguide/pdguide_intro.htm

** Illinois proposals will be directed to one of the existing TPS partners. Please contact our office (resatch@ilstu.edu) before submitting proposals from Illinois.

The Library of Congress, as well as, MCTPS will be evaluating activities throughout this pilot program. Principal Investigators (PIs), trainers, and participants may be asked to participate in evaluation activities such as online questionnaires or phone interviews.

Two types of MCTPS awards will be funded:

• Type I awards will require the modification of existing pre-service curricula to include the integration of primary sources from the Library of Congress or research related to the use of primary sources in teaching and/or learning.
• Type II awards will require the training of in-service teachers and library information specialists using an established professional development program that meets the goals of the TPS level one program.

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Subaward Contracts

Estimated Number of Awards: 20 in FY 2009, the number of Type I and Type II awards will be determined based on the results of separate review processes.

Anticipated Funding Amount: Type I awards $2,000-$5,000; Type II awards $2,000 – $15,000

Eligibility Information

Proposals may only be submitted by the following from the states of Illinois**, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

• Universities and colleges: U.S. universities and two- and four-year colleges (including community colleges).
• Non-profit organizations: Independent museums, libraries, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations.
• Public, private, and parochial schools, State Boards of Education, Regional Educational Systems, and other educational organizations.

Proposals that have a measurable impact and identify stakeholders’ (e.g., in-service and pre-service educators, students, educational systems) benefits and ways that this initial effort may be systemically sustained are encouraged. Although it is not a requirement, proposals supported with matching or in-kind funds from local institutions/organizations are highly encouraged.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Please contact the Center Director, Richard Satchwell (resatch@ilstu.edu) to discuss your proposed project prior to submission.

When discussing your intent to submit a proposal, be prepared to discuss the following:

• Type I or Type II project.
• A summary of the activities being proposed.
• The PI(s), co-PI(s) and their organizational affiliations.
• Estimated total project budget.

Full Proposals (required):

Full proposals must be submitted to the Midwest Center for Teaching with Primary Sources at Illinois State University. We are currently accepting proposals. (We have extended the original deadline of January 15, 2009.) If interested in submitting a proposal, please contact the MCTPS office prior to submission.

Proposal Preparation Instructions
A. Project Summary (1-page limit): At the top of this page enter a short informative title for the proposed MCTPS project. Indicate a Type I or Type II project. Include contact information for PI(s), Co-PI(s), and organization/institution. Provide a summary of the MCTPS project, including its goals. In a separate statement, provide a summary of the impacts and sustainability of this proposed project beyond this funding.
B. Project Description (6-page limit): The project description contains the following items.

1. List of Participants (1-page limit): Include departmental and institution/organization affiliation of all principal investigators and other personnel expected to have an important role in the project. Include a brief biographical sketch for each person

2. Description (5-page limit): Describe the scope of the project including:

• Project goals and objectives.
• Project audience and numbers to be reached.
• Implementation methodology describing how Teaching with Primary Sources content will be incorporated into ongoing education and professional development programs (i.e., train-the-trainer, direct instruction, curriculum revisions, online/virtual instruction).
• Evaluation methods.
• Time line for implementation.
• Dissemination activities.
• Sustainability efforts beyond funding (i.e., integration into existing educational goals/organization, institutional support, alignment with existing curriculum)

C. Budget (2-page limit): The estimated total project budget and budget justification should be included. Indirect costs are not allowed.

D. Due Dates: The Center is funded through December 31, 2009. Proposed projects that can be completed by this date are encouraged to contact us to discuss the details of your project. Project completion; December 31, 2009

MCTPS Proposal Processing and Review Procedures:

All proposals received by the Midwest Center for Teaching with Primary Sources at Illinois State University will be carefully reviewed by Center staff. Successful proposals will enter into a subaward contract with Illinois State University. The reviewers will ascertain the extent to which proposals relate to the following questions:

• How well does the proposed project meet the goals and objectives of the level one MCTPS program?
• How well qualified is the PI(s) to conduct the project?
• How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?
• Are the activities reasonable for the given timeline?
• Is there evidence of sustainability beyond the initial funding?
• How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation in the TPS program?

Contact Information

All questions should be directed to:

Richard Satchwell
Director, MCTPS
resatch@ilstu.edu
Phone: 309-438-3441
Fax: 309-438-3585

Our courses are taught by an outstanding team of MSU adjunct faculty, many of whom are:

• K-12 classroom teachers themselves who have experience using educational technology in the classroom
• Graduates from our certificate program
• Exceptionally skilled in educational technology
• Winners of awards such as technology Teacher of the Year from the Michigan Association of Computer-Related Technology Users in Learning (MACUL) and the national award of the International Society for Technology in Education

This quarter’s instructor spotlight is . . .

Michelle Hart, Instructor of MSU Educational Technology Certificate Program, Technical Specialist, Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Michelle Hart has worked as a technical specialist and technical assistant for Ann Arbor Public schools since 1996.  Although much of her job is working with wiring and hardware, her first love is working with teachers and students in the classroom. She models lessons for teachers who might not know how to present technology to students, offers teacher training and professional development, actively participates on technology committees in each of her buildings and has been involved in three major technology bond rollouts for the Ann Arbor Schools. She is enthusiastic and committed to using technology in the classroom.

Before moving to Ann Arbor, Michelle spent time as a middle and high school language arts teacher in Minnesota and Wisconsin. When she moved to Michigan she spent time as a long term sub and when the opportunity came up to work with teachers and technology she jumped at the chance.  She has been a member of MACUL and is currently a member of one of her school’s MI Champions Team, a state grant whose purpose is to design and deliver a statewide model for professional development that will create the skill set necessary for building based “Technology Integration Champions” at the local level.

Michelle received her bachelor’s degree from University of Minnesota in Secondary Education. She went on to pursue her education and received a Masters Degree in Educational Technology from Michigan State University in 2006.

In her free time, Michelle enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, working with her dogs and traveling.  She has two college age children, one of them is currently attending Michigan State.  Go Spartans!