Learning & Leading Through Technology

In that moment, everything changed. They stopped thinking of the issue as something that affects other students in other schools. They were the bullies and the victims.

the tenor of the discussions took on a more personal slant.

Students Want Class Extended

After debating three topics (social me-
dia, cell phones in schools, and digital
footprints), the class came to a close.
One girl remarked that she liked “be-
ing able to speak out and talk about
what I believe in,” and another liked
that “we get to freely state our opinion
without anyone telling us what to do.”
When asked if their behavior
changed after participating in the
course, one student said, “Yes, because,
for me, I know what can happen on-
line and sometimes how to avoid it.”
Six of the 22 students responded
that they thought the course should
be a year long to allow more time to
explore more topics. When we offer
the class again, we will use student
suggestions, such as including more
time for research and allowing the
students to vote on which topics
they would like to debate.

—Alecia Berman-Dry is director of academic technology at St. John’s Episcopal School in Olney, Maryland, USA. Read her blog at ed-tech-axis.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter @bermandry.

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