WHAT DO I KNOW? Digital Inventory
Valerie Nelson
My Role with the 21st Century Learner
As a counselor, I see first hand everyday the affect that technology and connectedness has with our students. I am always in the face of "so and so posted a picture of me online" and "so and so is talking trash about me on Facebook". It's non-stop and immediate. Educating our students about "what they post is permanent" is an ongoing lesson I teach daily!
THINK BEFORE YOU POST
"Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in person"... the lesson I give every day!
My hands are TIED!
We are expected to help... but it's difficult to do so without proper technology and training!
YES we have it!
Naviance is a tremendous tool, but we are ineffective in how we manage it.
Available equipment... HA!
As a school counselor, one would think that we would have laptops accessible to us. Think again! The counseling department has been advocating for laptops for a few years now, and it has never happened. That being said, the wifi in our building is currently non-existent. Apparently a change is happening this summer and when it is, I'm sure the topic would come up again. For now, a desktop computer is what we have access to in our offices.
Goals... lots of them!
As previously stated, a laptop would be amazing to have access to. It allows us to be mobile in classrooms, meetings and parent presentations. It also allows us to work from home. My other goal, is to EFFECTIVELY integrate Naviance into our curriculum. This year, we rolled out a program that we, as counselors, had no training in. It resulted in looking sloppy and embarrassed, which is not how we should present ourselves. Finally, I have a goal of becoming more knowledgeable about Aspen, our school management system. For the past 2 years, we have consistently had the same issues when it comes to scheduling. I feel that with proper training and knowledge, things can be corrected and made more intuitive.