App Guide for Parents

This is the main article for Digitz in Issue 4 of GEMS Family Magazine, due out next month. I learnt a whole lot that scared me when researching this - both as an educator and a parent!

’Appy Families: Parents’ Guide to Apps popular with today’s younger generation

The use of social media and connectivity tools has exploded in recent years and, with the rise of mobile devices and apps, we now have the opportunity to be connected anytime, anywhere. For many young people in particular, online, mobile interactions are a way of life. Being accepted in social groups has always been of huge importance to children and teens and social media has opened up a whole new set of opportunities and challenges for our children as they navigate their way through their formative years.

As parents in the digital age, it is essential that we have an open dialogue with our children when it comes to their use of social media and this is only possible if we are aware of the apps they are using.  Here we look at some of the social networking apps that are popular with today’s young generation, providing an overview of what they are used for and the risks associated with each. Previous Digitz articles have dealt with safe and responsible use of the Internet, in the ‘Digital Footprint’ and “Cyberbullying’ pieces, so here we will focus on more specific aspects of each of the apps listed.

Some of the apps described here have real benefits for children’s learning and personal development and we should be encouraging their use and guiding our young users to become accomplished Digital Citizens. There are some apps, however, which bring only danger and risk to our children’s online lives and should never be seen on their devices. This guide is not intended to scare, merely to inform and promote dialogue within our communities, empowering parents and families to better manage their online lives.

Facebook What is it used for? Although much has been made recently of young people ditching Facebook in favour of more trendy alternatives, it remains popular with the 13-18 age bracket (and even younger children, even though users must legally be 13). The app that most of us know well, Facebook is used to share status updates, images and multimedia with friends, as well as for ‘on-the-go gaming’ and membership of special interest groups and ‘liked’ pages. What are the risks? The default privacy settings in Facebook are anything but private and parents should ensure that their children’s settings are amended to the highest levels of security.

Twitter What is it used for? Another well-known app, Twitter allows users to update statuses and share links/media in no more than 140 characters. It is popular with teenagers who wish to follow the lives of celebrities.  It should be noted that many teachers consider Twitter to be their most effective source of professional development and an increasing number are using it effectively to enhance their students’ learning. Hashtags (#) allow users to create and follow specific feeds that are of interest to them. What are the risks? Twitter accounts can be set up largely anonymously, using pseudonyms, and there have been countless, well-publicised examples of rapid-fire and targeted abuse.

Instagram What is it used for? Acquired by Facebook in 2012, Instagram is a quick and easy way to share photos and short videos. It is widely used by celebrities, which has, in turn, led to more and more teenagers setting up accounts. What are the risks? In addition to users potentially being exposed to inappropriate images, the recently added ‘geo-tagging’ option means that the location of the user can be easily identified.

Messaging Apps What are they used for? In-built apps such as text messaging, iMessage, Android Messenger and BBM, provide quick and easy ways to send messages and photos to friends and groups. What are the risks? These apps are very popular with young people and are often preferred to phone calls. The private nature of such messages can cause problems if students are not aware of appropriate use. It is also very easy to get drawn into lengthy ‘conversations’, which can distract users from other, perhaps more worthwhile tasks or pursuits!

Whats’App What is it used for? Very popular with smartphone users wishing to send free messages, photos and videos to friends and groups on any mobile device, over 3/4G or wifi. A great money saver! What are the risks? Conversations can be deleted easily and are harder to track/investigate than traditional text messaging, should anything go wrong. As always, digital citizenship education is the best defence in ensuring that our children know what is and is not appropriate.

LinkedIn What is it used for? LinkedIn is widely used by adults for professional networking and it is an invaluable tool across almost every profession and industry. It has recently been opened up to teenagers, with a promotion to encourage secondary school students to start building professional networks long before they start their careers. What are the risks? The nature of this network means that only serious users are likely to sign up for the service. Nevertheless, private messaging exists and users should be careful when setting up their public profile. Premium users can view others anonymously and it is likely that minors will be interacting with adults they have not met in person – we must always be cautious in such circumstances. Also, students should always discuss their connections and interactions with a trusted adult, such as a teacher, careers advisor or parent, and only agree to meet contacts in the presence of such a person.

Facetime/Skype/Hangouts What is it used for? Fantastic and free, enhanced, live video chat apps that can connect one-to-one or one-to-many. Used appropriately, these tools are invaluable in connecting families, friends and learners around the world. What are the risks? The introduction of video chat to the pockets of anyone with a smartphone was pure science fiction until not so long ago. As such, young people are just getting to grips with the increased risks that live video brings. Most notably, inappropriate behaviour can be easily recorded by the person(s) at the other end of the chat, and posted on other sites. The need to teach our children about appropriate use and self-respect online has never been greater.

Google+ What is it used for? Google+ is a highly effective social network that integrates nicely with Google’s huge range of learning and productivity tools. What are the risks? Privacy settings are not intuitive and many users take time and make mistakes in getting to grips with the ‘Circles’ method of sharing their updates and other information. Google+ is primarily used for learning and networking. Accordingly, it is not the most likely place for children to get into hot water online – but we should never be complacent.

Snapchat What is it used for? Snapchat is a messaging app which allows users to send images and videos and set a time limit (between 1 and 10 seconds) on how long they are visible to recipients. What are the risks? The time limit can lull users into a false sense of security, believing that the content they send cannot be saved or shared by recipients. This is dangerous, as it may encourage users to send inappropriate content and images of themselves and also because it is actually very easy to save and share ‘Snaps’. Initially, recipients who were quick on the button, could screenshot images, saving them instantly. More recently, third party apps have been created that allow any ‘Snap’ to be saved and potentially shared.  The Golden Rule applies as always: what we post online is there, somewhere, forever.

Line What is it used for? Line is a sophisticated, multi-media messaging app. It is very attractive to teens due to its high quality and range of functions, such as text, video and audio chat and all round social interactivity. The app attempts to bring the best of all other communication apps together in one place. What are the risks? Although the basic app is free, there is potential for escalating costs due to in-app purchases for enhanced functionality, such as characters, gaming and stickers to send to friends. The wide range of communication options and connectivity with other social media platforms is impressive, but could go either way if the user is not well-informed as to the risks of online connectivity. In short, Line contains pretty much all of the benefits – and risks – of social media, all in one place. Use it wisely!

Tumblr What is it used for? Tumblr is a ‘micro-blogging’ and social networking site/app, through which users can share multi-media and follow each other’s blogs. Popular with celebrities – and therefore teenagers! Updates can be linked to Facebook and Twitter. What are the risks? Inappropriate content may appear without warning and users should be careful when choosing who to follow. There is a worrying amount of indecent content on Tumblr, including embedded videos and links to 3rd party sites, for which unscrupulous members earn money every time another user clicks through to those sites. All in all, the site is best avoided.

Vine What is it used for? Owned by Twitter, Vine is a video sharing service, through which users can publish looping videos of up to 6 seconds and share or ‘reVine’ videos that others have posted. The Vines can also be shared easily on Twitter and Facebook and are often really very amusing and entertaining! What are the risks? Inappropriate content can slip through the net, despite being banned in the Terms of Use. In January 2015, an iOS (Apple) version was launched specifically for minors, called ‘Vine Kids’ and it remains to be seen how this works out.

AskFM What is it used for? AskFM is a social network on which users can ask questions and answer questions posted by others. The site is very popular with teenagers. What are the risks? Posts and replies can be made anonymously and, although the provider says that discussions are monitored for inappropriate content, threads are not taken down. Indeed, it is precisely the risqué nature of the content that attracts many teens.There has been significant publicity in the media over cyberbullying on the site, which has, allegedly, contributed to teen suicides.  It is strongly recommended that use of this site be discouraged in our communities and that parents speak to their children if they suspect they are signed up.

Yik Yak What is it used for? Yik Yak is an anonymous social network that allows users to connect within a 10 mile (16Km) radius. This aims to make posts more relevant for users within their own geographical vicinities. What are the risks? The geographical proximity of users may encourage dangerous ‘meet ups’ and, although the app can be blocked within the perimeter of school campuses, this does not prevent its use when students are not at school. As users do not have to sign up and posts are anonymous, there have been many cases of malicious posts and concerted bullying of others. Yik Yak has a 17+ rating and is not recommended for school age students.

Kik What is it used for? Kik is a mobile messaging service gaining popularity with teenagers, who do not need a phone number to sign up. Text, photos and links can be shared over a wifi connection. Kik received positive publicity recently among teens and pre-teens, due to a marketing campaign involving the boy-band, One Direction. What are the risks? Although users must legally be 13 years old and under 18s are required to have parental permission to sign up, this is easily circumvented. It has been heavily criticised for poor security and the presence of adult predators trawling the site for under age users. Another app our children should not be using.

Whisper What is it used for? Whisper is an anonymous ‘confession’ app that allows users to post ‘whispers’ to make personal disclosures about their lives, often in the hope that they will find others who may be experiencing similar difficulties. What are the risks? As the reader can surely imagine, there is a lot of inappropriate content in this app. The geo-tagging feature allows the user’s location to be made public and the app is known to be popular with predators. Whispers can be fake and also be made public, leading to unintended sharing. Our students should not be using this app.

Secret What is it used for? A social media app that allows users to share posts with circles of friends or publicly. Posts can be anonymous and the app is often used to vent frustrations and grievances. What are the risks? Although the provider has tightened up on automatic monitoring, picking up on names of other users being defamed and the use of profanities (sending a warning in such cases), users are still likely to encounter inappropriate language. Not recommended.

After School What is it used for? Aimed at High School students, After School is a social media app allowing anonymous posts on any subject. What are the risks? The app allows anonymous posts and has been seriously abused since its launch. At the time of writing, the app had been pulled from the App Store for violating Apple’s ‘personal attacks’ and ‘objectionable content’ regulations. This alone should be enough to recommend that our students do not use the app. Also, history shows that developers are quick to make minor alterations to their apps, which usually result in their rapid reappearance. Accordingly, it is quite possible that After School will still be around in the future.

Omegle What is it used for? Omegle is an anonymous chat room app, where users are paired up and can ‘chat’ about anything they like. What are the risks? Simply not a place for our children or teens to be online, Omegle is filled with predators, inappropriate content, offensive language and links to other sites we really would not want our children visiting.

Chat Roulette What is it used for? Similar to Omegle, this app pairs users for anonymous chat, allowing a webcam link while they chat. What are the risks? Just the name implies this is not an app we would want our students using. There have been cases of adult predators setting up fake webcams to pretend they are of school age. It has been referred to as a ‘predator’s paradise.’

Tinder What is it used for? Tinder is a ‘dating’ or ‘matchmaking’ app, through which users post their photos and profiles and rate others by swiping ‘yes’ or ‘no’, based on appearance. Users who like each other within a given geographical radius are ‘matched’ and given the opportunity to chat. What are the risks? Tinder is a very dangerous app and should not be used by our students under any circumstances. Not only is there a real risk of dangerous chats and even ‘meet ups’, the potential psychological damage to impressionable teens being ‘rated’ on their appearance is clearly a serious concern.

Poof / Springtomize What is it used for? These 3rd party, unauthorized apps are designed to hide other apps from the home screen of mobile devices. What are the risks? In short, if a mobile device has these apps installed, then the user is trying to hide one or more apps, which means they probably already know they shouldn’t be using those apps in the first place.  If parents see these apps on their children’s devices, they should talk to them about their online practices and find out why they are hiding some apps. There may be a legitimate reason – some users like to hide pre-installed apps they do not want – but it’s better to be safe than sorry. There are also security risks inherent in downloading such unauthorised apps.

Footnote: this is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of all the apps that our children may be using.  As many as 100,000 new apps are added to the various app stores every month and it would therefore be impossible to produce a comprehensive, up to date guide. As always, the best way we, as parents, can protect our children, is to create and maintain a family dialogue, within a culture of openness, trust and accountability. 

Snaps of Apps - The GEMS App Journey...

Snaps of Apps: The GEMS app journey…

The GEMS Education Core Values of Leading Through Innovation, Pursuing Excellence, Growing by Learning and Global Citizenship provide all our schools with the basis and indeed, mandate, to innovate for educational excellence and to develop ways in which to use digital technology to transform learning, communication and collaboration.

Beginnings

Back in the spring of 2011, GEMS Royal Dubai School was the first in the region to co-develop and launch a school smartphone app, used to communicate with parents and share students’ achievements. Children as young as 5 years old were able to contribute directly to the content of the app, giving the young learners an authentic platform for content creation and publishing.

The success of this project provided the inspiration for the GEMS ‘3aDay’ Parental Engagement App, with the original design actually drawn up by a Royal Dubai School student.

GEMS Parental Engagement App

A Digital Complement to Sound Advice - the GEMS 3aday App

GEMS Education seeks to maintain high standards in parental engagement by insisting that schools include parents in the educational process, encouraging them to take the learning journey with their children. This approach is based on research which suggests that students perform better in school and have greater overall achievement when they receive consistent positive support within the home. However, it’s not always easy for parents to get it right; most are not trained teachers and don’t know what to do or say.

This is exactly why the 3aday app was created: to give parents the ‘what to do or say’ knowledge, so they too can give their children the proven benefits of home support. On the app, select “GEMS Teachers” contribute a variety of simple yet specific, age-appropriate topics for families to talk about, activities to share, or meaningful ways of encouraging children.

The first of its kind in the digital world, the app provides engagement ideas and guidance from educational experts direct to parents and care-givers, as well as a networking platform for like-minded parents keen to support learning. Unlike an educational app parents might ‘park’ their kids in front of like a TV screen, for children to use alone, or an app that gives parenting advice, the GEMS 3aday app feeds busy parents learning-focused activities for them to do WITH their children. When parents participate in learning with their children it sends the message, “learning is important in this family.”

With the combination of simple age-appropriate activity ideas and integration of contemporary smart phones and tablets, the 3aday app responds directly to the findings and recommendations of a 2011 report, ‘Best Practices in Parental Engagement’, published by the UK Department for Education. This report found that engagement works best when parents receive clear, specific and targeted information, and recommended the use of technology wherever possible to reach modern parents. (Source: Janet Goodall and John Vorhaus (2011) Review of Best Practice in Parental Engagement. London: Department for Education)

Research-based strategies – talk, share, encourage

The 3 daily strategies integrated into the 3aday app – talk about, share, and encourage learning, are reinforced by current international research.

The “talk” option suggests specific topics or ideas for parents to discuss and provides sample or model questions for parents to ask.

The “share” option gives parents specific activity ideas – the best of which is reading (in any language) to inspire a love for learning among primary children, and other hands-on suggestions such as kitchen science, math games, real-world applications and family challenges.

The “encourage” option guides parents to praise or encourage their children with real learning objectives – the most important feature, too often missed by busy parents.

Customized features and functions

In the Settings area, parents are able to request push notification when new ideas are posted and remind busy parents to engage.

Selected age range for age-appropriate ideas

Parents select an age group in order to receive ideas appropriate to their child. Alternatively, they may choose to receive the full range of teacher-driven engagement topics with the ‘all-ages’ option, and then use what fits best.

User generated content and social networking

Unique to the app, are the social networking functions, allowing parents to comment on Teacher posts to build a network with other like-minded parents and experts, to promote learning-focused engagement globally.

Registered users can share their most successful activity ideas or tips to start a dialogue, or comment on other posts to support each other with suggestions for, “how it worked with my child…”

Likes and Hearts

Parenting and supporting learning is a demanding and often thankless role. Stars for posts we like or hearts for comments we love, give parents validation and encouragement when they do engage with their children.

Families can make learning more interesting and effective when they participate in it together, and reinforce the message that learning is important in this family. The 3aday app facilitates and supports family engagement in learning – a smart use of technology to strengthen learning and family bonds.

Free to the public, the 3aday app is available now for iOS and Android phones, and will be available soon for iPads.

A School app – created by the students

At GEMS Winchester School, Jebel Ali, students were challenged to create an official app for the school, through which parents could access a wide range of services and information, including details of curriculum, homework, newsletters and even school bus services.  

The winning entry in the competition has been submitted to the App Store and Google Play for approval, where it will be available for download by parents very soon.

Sanjeera Siddiqui, Head of ICT/Digital Learning Leader, said:

“This competition turned out to be a huge success in terms of students’ creativity, motivation, ownership and general self-esteem. We are very proud of the young children who participated in the competition and challenged themselves in the field of technology and authentic innovation. The project also complemented the school’s focus on skills development and employability.”

Serious Competition

In September 2014, GEMS Education and Mashreq  teamed up to launch a mobile app development competition. Students from nineteen schools were charged with creating a mobile app focused on educating corporate and investment banking clients on the benefits of online banking. Participants worked in multidisciplinary teams ensuring a balance of technical functionality, aesthetics, and business viability. Participants were given a two hour user experience and innovation workshop along with information on the Mashreq Matrix, Mashreq’s online banking platform, and had one and a half months to develop a working app. Winners of this challenge will be announced the Global Entrepreneurship Week Awards at Wellington International School in December 2014. (Christine Nasserghodsi, Director of Innovation at GEMS Wellington International School and Ritesh Dhanak, Senior Supervisor, Digital Learning at GEMS Modern Academy).

Teachers develop for their students

Not satisfied with generally available digital resources, the teachers at GEMS Our Own English High School Sharjah decided they wanted to offer a much more personalized digital learning experience for their students. A group of IT, English and mathematics teachers got together to create two high quality web apps for their students, both of which provide a personalized pathway for every student. Sheeba Ansar, Digital Learning Leader at the school, said, “We thought that we could give our students a better experience by creating a system and content that would better suit their needs. If the people creating the digital products actually know the children who will be using them, the learning outcomes are greatly improved.” The apps, ‘MathCafe’ and ‘LitGalore’ are accessed through the secure GEMS learning platform and have proved to be a great hit with students, who appreciate that their teachers have taken the time and made the effort to innovate in order to address their personal needs in such an engaging way.

Radio on the Go

The days of the school public address system look to be long gone at GEMS Winchester School in Oud Metha.  Digital Learning Leader, Mario Ross, has led a team of teachers and students to create the school’s own streaming radio station, which can be accessed anytime, anywhere, on all platforms and devices. A native app has been built for iOS, Android and Windows, making it even easier to connect with all members of the community. Students broadcast live during the school day and parents are able to listen live or playback the day’s show in the evening.  This is true innovation - technological creativity with a real purpose - as students discuss and debate real life, current issues on air, embedding the learning within a greatly enhanced curriculum. By providing mobile, digital access to the whole community, the school is bringing parents, students and teachers together, with greater shared purpose, as parental engagement in learning reaches new heights.

Phil Redhead

Senior Advisor, IT: Education Technology

GEMS Education

Cyberbullying

Just finished my article for Issue 3 of GEMS Family Magazine, due out in January...

Cyberbullying

In this edition, we look at the important issue of cyberbullying and hopefully provide some useful information and tips for parents, as well as links to websites for further reading. Together, we can keep our children and teens safe and happy in the online world.

What is Cyberbullying?

According to stopcyberbullying.org, "Cyberbullying is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. It has to have a minor on both sides, or at least have been instigated by a minor against another minor. Once adults become involved, it is plain and simple cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Adult cyber-harassment or cyberstalking is NEVER called cyberbullying.”

Examples of cyberbullying include posting rumours, false or hurtful information about others online, direct messaging intended to harm others, posting embarrassing photographs or videos of others without their real consent, making threats directly or indirectly and any attempt to isolate a child socially. 

Why is it important that we raise our awareness of the issue and take steps to tackle cyberbullying?

The effects of bullying can last a lifetime and there is growing evidence suggest that it can lead to serious mental health issues, both in childhood and later in life. Cyberbullying is a particular concern for many reasons. Children who are cyberbullied:

·         are prone to an increased risk of stress, anxiety and depression

·         suffer a higher risk of suicidal thoughts

·         make less academic progress than their peers

·         are more likely to play truant or be unwilling to attend school

·         often also experience face to face bullying

·         are more likely to become cyberbullies themselves

·         in extreme cases, may go on to attempt suicide

Unlike face to face bullying, cyberbullying can take place anytime, anywhere, and there is often no safe haven for the victim. The bullying is also often far more public.  This can lead to a feeling of helplessness that can rapidly deteriorate into depression or worse. 

So what is the risk?

A recent study in the UK found that 35% of 11-17 year olds said they had experienced some form of cyberbullying, more than twice as many as in the previous year.  In other research, two-thirds of teachers surveyed said they had seen evidence of their students being bullied online. Similar statistics are common around the world so, not only is this is a very serious issue, it actually seems to be getting worse.  Another finding from repeated research suggests there is a huge gap between parental knowledge and concerns on the one hand and the reality of what their children are actually doing online. There is a ‘not my child’ belief among many parents, which is often not borne out when the children themselves are surveyed.  Accordingly, we should all take time to improve awareness of cyberbullying and renew our efforts to understand, support and guide our children’s online behaviour.

Why do children bully others online?

There are many reasons why a child may bully others online. Often, cyberbullies have low self-esteem and are trying to improve their own social standing or simply to feel better about themselves by putting others down. They may be motivated by revenge for a real life incident that has occurred, or they may just think they are being funny and their actions will make them more popular. Sometimes, children who are bullied can find that, in fighting back, they actually become the bully. Similarly, a child may begin retaliating on behalf of a friend, but this can quickly escalate – there are better ways to be an ‘upstander’.

How can I tell if my child is being bullied online?

A child who is being cyberbullied may display one or more of these behaviours:

·                     Becomes withdrawn

·                     Is moody or agitated, especially when using devices

·                     Shows signs of depression

·                     Is aggressive or defensive

·                     Doesn’t want to go to school / performance dips / starts getting into trouble at school

·                     Loses interest in hobbies or activities

·                     Becomes secretive or protective about use of devices

·                     Is spending significantly more or less time than usual online or stops using devices altogether

·                     Change in friendship groups

·                     Change in sleeping habits

·                     Self-harming

What should I do if I think my child is being cyberbullied?

The most important thing parents can do in this situation is offer support and comfort to their child.  Talk to them and let them know that, whatever they are going through, it is not their fault and that you are there to help them.  Relating your own experiences of bullying from childhood can help to bring out the facts. Once your child opens up, it will be easier to take the steps necessary to deal with the situation and start collecting evidence.  It is also important to ensure that your child breaks off all online contact with the perpetrator as soon as you have seen evidence of the bullying. Responding online will only make things worse.  Take screenshots of the evidence and do not delete anything, but do not add fuel to the fire by fighting back on behalf of your child. Parents should never confront other families directly unless they are close friends and they are confident that the matter can be resolved amicably. 

It is very likely that such bullying originated from school peer groups so parents should contact the school as soon as there is good reason to believe cyberbullying is the cause of a child’s distress. Every school has a Child Protection Officer who will know how to help and will investigate the matter. Cyberbullying is a community issue and families need to know that schools are there to support them – no one should suffer in silence.

What can I do to prevent my child being cyberbullied?

Parents should look to create a climate of openness and trust, whilst modelling good digital etiquette at all times.  In this sense, the online world is not all that different to the world in which we were raised and family values can be applied to technology use just as they are to all aspects of how we raise our children. Taking time to familiarize yourself with the devices, apps and websites your children use is essential so that you are able to have open conversations about the benefits, risks, privacy issues and, of course, what to do if things go wrong. Talk to your children regularly about the sites and apps everyone in the family is using and set rules together for the use of these tools, making it clear that those rules are necessary to keep everyone safe.  

Finally, make sure you are aware of what the school is doing to educate your children about staying safe and acting responsibly online. A consistent message, education and support through a strong home-school partnership, built on shared values, is the best way to keep our children safe in today’s digital world.

Where can I find out more?

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/cyberbullying/most-popular

https://www.fosi.org/good-digital-parenting/

http://stopcyberbullying.org/index2.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/cyberbullying.html

http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/

SMART LEARNING - more questions from Gulf News...

• What initiatives have you undertaken to integrate smart technology in your classrooms?  

All GEMS schools are equipped with cutting edge learning technology and technical infrastructure, including industry-standard hardware and secure, high speed Internet access for students, teachers and guests.  Also, research shows that learning improves significantly when students have ownership of the devices they use every day, as well as the content held on those devices and in the cloud.  Accordingly, students in our schools are reaping the benefits of successful ‘Bring Your Own Technology’ schemes, empowering them to learn anywhere, anytime and resulting in deeper, more meaningful learning experiences.   Effective use of such technology is preparing our students for the world of work, as they learn to become responsible digital citizens and capable, independent, adaptable learners and innovators.  It is important that we recognise the role of parents in supporting such initiatives which can, at times, seem something of a bridge too far.  Through the GEMS Parent Engagement Programme, we work hard to ensure that our parents are aware of the aims of such innovations and that we provide the necessary information and support to empower them to engage with their children’s learning. 

I was privileged to attend an event at GEMS Winchester School recently, where the school was judging the winners of its annual ‘Technobizad’ event, a competition which challenges GEMS students to design and market a new product or service.  The judging panel included representatives from the digital technology industry, which provided further authenticity to the competition, as well as cementing valuable connections with the UAE business community.  The high quality of the finalists’ innovations was matched by the stunning creativity on show.  For example, two 12-year old students, ________ and __________ demonstrated the original concept of a fully integrated mobile application designed to provide visitors to Dubai Expo 2020 with a seamless experience, both at the exhibition and around the city, from the airport ePass, to paying for taxis, the show guide, smart pay at retail outlets and so on.  The concept was perfectly aligned with the goals of the Dubai Smart Government initiative and I have no doubt that such an app will be a commercial reality when the time comes. I would like to think that the students who came up with the concept will play a major role in its eventual launch.

·         Does it involve special training for teachers?  

Recent history has demonstrated that simply throwing technology into schools has little or no impact on learning and can, in fact, be detrimental to student achievement.  As U.S. Secretary for Education, Arne Duncan puts it, “Technology alone isn’t going to improve student achievement. The best combination is great teachers working with technology to engage students in the pursuit of the learning they need.” Professional development is a vital component of digital transformation and GEMS has a team of digital learning advisors working across its schools to provide the necessary support and quality assurance, based on a clearly defined set of Digital Standards.  In addition, every school has a designated Digital Learning Leader, a highly-skilled teacher who is responsible for ensuring outstanding practice throughout the school.  As technology becomes more intuitive, we are now seeing less of a focus on training with regard to specific tools and more on how technology is transforming the teaching and learning process.  This clear and sustained focus on learning and student achievement is the key to ensuring that we optimize the positive impact of technology in our schools.

• Does it require a complete overhaul of the curricula to appropriately integrate smart learning tools in the education system?

Not necessarily a complete overhaul, but integrating technology effectively certainly requires schools to take a step back and to re-evaluate the outcomes they are trying to help their students achieve.  It is important to recognise that we shouldn’t be re-inventing the curriculum just to integrate the available technology.  Rather, we must look to the desired outcomes we want for our children and provide a curriculum which meets their needs.  Only then should we consider how technology can help them achieve these new goals.  This re-evaluation is already having a transformational impact on how learning is organised.  Examination results are still very important, of course, but there is now widespread acceptance of the fact that we need to be giving our students so much more if they are to flourish in a digitally-driven, global community where the only certainty is uncertainty.   Skills, values and personal attributes are now key components in the curriculum of forward-thinking schools, as educators and policy-makers strive to provide our young people with the toolkit they will need after graduation.  ‘Learning to learn’ has been part of most curricula for many years and now ‘learning to learn digitally’ is beginning to establish itself as a key skill being taught in schools. 

• What, according to you, are the challenges of implementing smart learning in schools?

Infrastructure, the cost of devices, professional development and the time needed to step back and re-design the curriculum are all major challenges, but not insurmountable.  The main barrier to change, indeed, the elephant in the room, is the outdated public examination system we still see almost everywhere.  There is a damaging disconnect between the knowledge, skills, values and attributes most educators and industry leaders believe our students need to acquire and how the students are, in fact, ultimately assessed – for the most part by way of handwritten examinations, sat alone and in silence.  It does not have to be this way.  Denmark is leading the way with open-Internet exams and educational institutions there are finding that the level of challenge actually increases significantly in this model, as students are pushed to be more creative, to think more critically and to solve real problems, whilst demonstrating a far greater depth of learning than seen previously.  And the assessment system matches the modern and relevant curriculum.   In most systems, however, the results of largely handwritten final examinations remain the passport to higher education.  If smart learning is to really take off in schools, I suggest there needs to be a concerted effort in partnership with policy-makers, examination boards, universities and industry, to develop authentic assessment models which reflect the outcomes we really want for our students.  

·         How can schools effectively use technology and other digital media as tools for learning without exposing children to the inherent risks of smart technology?

One thing we know for certain is that banning anything simply sends it underground and makes it more dangerous.  As an educator, I believe that the best way to protect our children from such risks is education.  We teach our children to swim, cross the road, ride a bicycle and, eventually, drive a car safely.  It is, I believe, also our duty, as educators and parents, to teach them how to navigate the digital world safely and to become responsible and effective users of digital technology and media, including social media. This is why GEMS schools, as a key component of their transformation to smart learning organisations, are running comprehensive, fully assessed Digital Citizenship programmes.   For example, Common Sense Media, a US-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology, provide a full K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum.  Over the past six months, we have seen a growing number of our schools gain certification as ‘Common Sense’ institutions, demonstrating their commitment to the digital safety and well-being of the children in their care.  All GEMS schools are delivering this curriculum, or equivalent programmes, and it is something we take very seriously.  Again, the partnership with parents is vital and we are working closely with our communities to ensure that we give a consistent message to our young learners.   We have partnered with Common Sense Media to have all of the parent resources accompanying the curriculum translated into Arabic and these are being distributed to our Arabic-speaking families as the students cover the relevant topics in school. 

• Is it possible to have an education technology revolution with strong privacy protections for students? 

As part of our schools’ Digital Citizenship education, students are taught how to take necessary steps to keep their identities, passwords and personal information private in the online world and also how to build a positive online presence.  Student data is stored in secure systems and we are working to further improve our provision in this area, with the introduction of enhanced digital systems across all GEMS schools. 

Recent events have shown that, as an absolute ideal, privacy is a luxury that has arguably been lost as a result of sophisticated technology.  If one country’s security services can listen into the telephone calls of other world leaders and hackers can leak celebrity photos from the cloud, then we should indeed be wary of trusting any security system.  It may be that the best way to protect ourselves is to ensure that our online, or virtual persona, matches our real life behaviours - and that we have nothing to hide.  In short, and thanks to technology, it’s more difficult to be a bad person these days – and that surely has to be a good thing!

Global Collaboration with Alumni at GEMS International School, Dubai

This is an article published in issue 2 of GEMS Family Magazine.  Great work by the staff and Grade 3 students at GEMS International School in Dubai.  This brings in so many elements of real life learning and future skills that I just had to share!

See p51 for the article as published: http://gemsfamilymagazine.com/

A digital design project with Grade 3 students at GEMS International School Al Khail (GIS)  in Dubai was not only a fun learning experience but also produced some exciting surprises for all involved.

Grade 3 students at GIS were recently involved in an exciting project to design their own city using an online tool called Google SketchUp. The project was part of the PYP (Primary Years Programme) at GIS and related to their Unit of Inquiry entitled “How the world Works,”  the ‘Central Idea’ being “Successful Cities Require Planning.” The project also involved a surprising online collaborative process via YouTube with a teenager based in London, England. It was not until later we discovered that the teenager, Justin Kreule, was actually an ex-GEMS student from the GEMS school in Tripoli, Libya.  This alumnus connection proved to be very fruitful for all involved, demonstrating the enduring strength and support on offer within the GEMS family.

Initial planning involved the PYP teachers in Grade 3 and collaborative meetings with the Digital Learning Coach at GIS. As part of the process of ‘spinning,’ where gifted students work separately with the Digital Learning Coach, students experimented with a variety of applications that would suit the needs of the Unit of Inquiry. After a search of various applications and searching YouTube for examples of building cities, the students found an ambitious series of videos using the method of ‘speed building’ where the author, Justin Kreule used a form of time lapse or sped-up video footage of building a small city. The application he used was Google SketchUp and this was the beginning of an amazing journey of discovery.

The students quickly picked up the idea that using an island gave us the ability to contain the city and give it boundaries. Using the idea of a ‘flipped classroom,’ the students simultaneously began to watch the tutorial videos at home, plan their cities and experiment with the basics of SketchUp. The ‘spinning’ group gave short demonstrations and talks after analyzing Justin’s videos on the various tricks and techniques.   The process involved each student designing their own island with the appropriate amenities using pencil and A3 paper. Once the design was completed then the students began building their city on Google SketchUp. They followed the techniques and process as showed in Justin’s videos. Justin said later that he was amazed that children so young could learn these techniques and produce such sophisticated results.

We ran into some problems when we weren’t sure how Justin had created some aspects of his construction so we began asking questions on You Tube.  Justin was happy to reply and make suggestions and a dialogue began. At the beginning we didn’t t know where Justin was or how old he was so the Digital Learning Coach suggested a more formal contact and Justin began talking with the Digital Learning Coach via email. We found out that Justin was a teenager living in London, then a Skype conference and Q & A session was organized. Unfortunately the Skype session coincided with Justin’s exams and it didn’t happen. However, the dialogue continued and we found out that Justin had previously been a student at a GEMS school in Tripoli.

The students completed their projects and mounted them on display boards. We sent a video about the project set to music and put it up on our YouTube channel. The children were impressed that Justin was an ex-GEMS student and we all agreed that they would like to work with him again. Projects of this nature, collaborations with experts on the other side of the world, or being able to collaborate synchronously with another class of students, are now a normal and enjoyable part of learning at GEMS International School Al Khail.

Justin commented:  "My experience at a GEMS school was when I went to the International School of Tripoli from 2007 – 2009: two of the best years of my life! Many years later I spent a lot of time working on architectural projects on the SketchUp program, and posted YouTube videos of them. I had the opportunity to show students how to go about making cities, and they made a big display board of all their cities made on SketchUp. It was great to see kids engaging in SketchUp, a program usually considered suitable for advanced designers. I was really happy that my projects were inspiring others to create projects of their own."

Watch our video review of the project here:

http://gistechnology.weebly.com/gis-technology-blog/grade-3-city-project-with-sketch-up

Gavin McLean is Director of Digital Learning and Technology at GEMS International School Al Khail in Dubai.