the Interwebs is at it again

So ... I'm a reader. I like to read, well, just about anything. I like to consider myself a fairly intelligent person, and I worry about a lot of stuff.

Especially what goes on online. In the most recent version of Canadian Teacher, it has an article about Managing Teacher/Student relationships Online. It's a good read. Take the time to download it, perhaps even print it off and share with your staff. One of the suggestions was Edmodo and another was Hotchalk.

I dunno, they both look pretty good. I set up a blog for my current class; last week my students set up their own blogs while on school property; most are just confused at what they will be doing with it, but others are merely frightened. I seem to be a mad scientist to them, as I am able to type semi-quickly on a "real" keyboard and do all the "gammar things" and "editing stuff" at the same time. (I was teaching "how to write an essay" on a smart board the other day ... I love my MacBook.)

To make a long post short, I'm wondering about summer school - about how much more "resonance" I can generate if I decide to use one of these online tools. By extension, how much more effeicent could I be in my real school if I have my students able to intereact with me both in real life and after hours?

What does that mean to me as a person? Do I ever get to not be a teacher? Will I set the precedent and make my fellow teacher, some of whom are not nearly as technically literate as I, do something against their better judgement and try and join me online, without knowing excatly what they should be donig?

For that matter, what should I be doing?

And what about malicious people? How afraid should I be of a student who has just failed my class (or test) and dcides to try and ruin my (digital) reputation? Would my life, filled with mortgage payments, car payments, day care payments and so on, be put at risk so that I can try to teach better?

Would people (the media?) be ready to forgive a teacher whose account was hacked into, but cannot prove it, other than to rely on a reputation ... which is basically information that might be also maliciously messed with? Would my School Board?

I am trying to think through this myself - certainly the article from Canadian Teacher is a good place to start in order to learn how to protect myself. I am thinking about Edmodo and HotChalk this week. But I'm not sure how it is all going to work out.

Please remember.... there is no delete button on the Internet.