Editor's note: Social media is a tremendous way for students to engage in meaningful work and causes. This is why it is so important for educators to be in the know when it comes to guiding and supporting all students in making a difference using this powerful resource. In the post below Stephanie Rivera shares some students worth following.
Guest post by stephrrivera | http://teacherunderconstruction.com
Students are waking up and using social media to make their voices heard for their rights, especially when it comes to education. Two students, Zak Malamed and Allison Wu took initiative and partnered up with Dell Education to revolutionize the way students use the social media site, Twitter. Every Monday night at 8:30 EST, students, and those who support them, from all across the globe join in to discuss issues in education with the hashtag #stuvoice (previously #studentvoice). To learn more about what a TwitterChat is, check this out.
With that being said, one #stuvoice supporter, Lisa Nielsen, suggested we compile a list of the Twitter handles of those who represent\support student voices. Zak Malamed went ahead and made a list on Twitter, and the below list will also bring attention to some youth who deserve to be heard.
Just click the student below and it will direct you to their Twitter page.
Nikhil Goyal @nikhilgoya_l 17 Year Old | Author: One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student's Assessment of School | Columnist @good | NYTimes | WSJ | MSNBC | FOX | NPR | ngoyal2013@gmail.com
Student Groups:
If any students\student voice supporters would like to be added to this list, send me a Tweet!
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Twitter in Education
with the title Student voice. You can bookmark this page URL https://benncam.blogspot.com/2012/10/students-you-should-be-following-on.html. Thanks!
"When the student voice awakens, the national conversation will change." -Diane Ravitch
Viewers of Education Nation’s Student Town Hall watched students from across the country attend and speak up to share their ideas. Tonight during a special webinar, participants will have a chance to connect with those who attended the conference to respond to and discuss their perspectives and solutions to the issues explored at the event.
You can join students, parents, teachers and others to reflect upon and discuss what happened during NBC’s Education Nation Student Town Hall today, September 24 at 9 pm EST. The webinar will give participants the opportunity to reflect on the Town Hall and discuss what can be done to enhance and empower the student voice nationwide.
Participants will have an opportunity to engage in a stimulating dialogue where they can respond to the panelists’ remarks and discuss how we can continue to elevate the student voice in our communities and on a national stage.
This personalized, solutions-driven webinar will provide a platform for students, parents, educators, and anyone interested to unite in a collaborative effort to not only give students a voice, but also a seat at the table in education policy discussions.
Be a part of the solution and join this webinar on Monday evening from 9 pm to 10 pm EST. You can participate by visiting this link.
Student Voice Student Voice is a grassroots organization that works to unite and elevate the student voice. This support network serves to aid and empower students in their efforts to be heard and earn their rightful seat at the table.
Keep the conversation going. You can keep the conversation going with #StuVoice chats (hosted by StuVoice.org) on Mondays at 8:30 EST, with weekly topics that focus on enhancing and empowering the student voice nationwide.
You have read this article #stuvoice /
Education Nation /
Student voice
with the title Student voice. You can bookmark this page URL https://benncam.blogspot.com/2012/09/reflect-on-education-nations-student.html. Thanks!
Education policy is an ever-polarizing issue where students, the real victims of the system’s failures, are often ignored or entirely forgotten.
NBC's Education Nation is putting the focus where it belongs and amplifying the voice of education’s most important constituents, the students, with the broadcast of its first-ever Student Town Hall on a special edition of MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry Show.
Harris-Perry’s believes this is an important conversation to have sharing that, “Far too often we talk ‘about’ young people without bothering to talk ‘to’ young people. Students know what inspires them, what challenges them, what impedes their progress and what facilitates their learning. We cannot have a fully informed conversation about education reform, without the perspective of students themselves.”
The esteemed panel includes high school student, 17-year-old Nikhil Goyal, who is the author of One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student Assessment of School.
Viewing details Tune in to NBC today, Sunday, September 23 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST to hear students from across the country sharing their ideas about education and how it will effect their future. Viewers can share their insights, solutions, and expand the dialogue that arises during the program using both the #StuVoice and #EdNatSTH hashtags on Twitter.
Student Voice Student Voice is a grassroots organization that works to unite and elevate the student voice. This support network serves to aid and empower students in their efforts to be heard and earn their rightful seat at the table.
Keep the conversation going. You can keep the conversation going with #StuVoice chats (hosted by StuVoice.org) on Mondays at 8:30 EST, with weekly topics that focus on enhancing and empowering the student voice nationwide.
You have read this article Education Nation /
Student voice
with the title Student voice. You can bookmark this page URL https://benncam.blogspot.com/2012/09/nbcs-education-nation-puts-spotlight-on.html. Thanks!
Hannah, I can relate to how you might have felt. It must be heartbreaking to have your Dad see you as his adversary.
It is frustrating when there is someone else who seems to be controlling and dictating everything you do. Like you, I wanted to be trusted and empowered to make and be responsible for my own decisions when I was a teen (and now!). When that is the case you can get credit for being your wonderful self rather than just acting because you're following someone else's orders.
A Mother or Father can parent by control OR by compassion and mutual respect. One of these will foster a loving relationship. The other, one of compliance and fear.
I wish you the best and hope you know there are many people who support you.
Sincerely, Lisa
Readers of this blog:
If you feel the same way, I welcome you to share words of support to Tommy Jodan's daughter at this link. If you disagree, there are many other places to share such sentiments. This blog and the group are not those places. Please respect the intent of each.
For further insight into this story via the sentiments of a blogger I respect and agree with, read this.
If you are unaware of the story you can watch the video below.
You have read this article Student voice /
Tommy Jordan
with the title Student voice. You can bookmark this page URL https://benncam.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-don-support-daddy-laptop-shooter.html. Thanks!
Education reform has been a hot topic this week in general and in particular it took center stage in our nation’s State of the Union address. But there’s an important voice that has been missing from this conversation. That is the voice of students. There’s been a lot of talk lately about the need to hear student voices in the education reform conversation.
Here are some of the articles I’ve read and written on the topic this week.
There is now a place where young people who want their voices heard can come together to connect, communicate, collaborate, create, and come together to strategize on ways to transform learning in our country. These young people are writing books, publishing in online spaces and magazines, organizing protests, and more. They want adults to start hearing what they have to say before it’s too late. They welcome supportive adults to the group as well. The role of adults in the group is to listen and spread their message to other adults who care about children.
If you care about our shared future and want to help our youth, please invite any young people you know to join this incredible group called "The Student Union" at http://www.facebook.com/groups/TheStudentUnion.
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Student voice /
youth discrimination /
youth voices
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If you’ve been listening to the conversation about ed reform you may have noticed that there is one group whose voice is missing. That group is students and it’s not for lack of trying. Students want to be heard and they have a lot of smart things to say, but adults are often reluctant to listen. The problem is pervasive and overt with many organizations having no remorse or misgivings engaging in such practices.
Until now, these activities went largely unnoticed. This is no longer acceptable. It’s time to blast these doors open. Identify institutions that are engaging in discriminatory practices. Take a stand and tell these organizations that age discrimination is not okay. We can no longer leave out the most important stakeholders in the education reform conversation. Not only is this not okay, but students, educators, parents, and anyone who cares should boycott organizations that engage in such ageist beliefs. It is outrageous that such discrimination and silencing is targeted at the very people they should be serving.
One such student who has been blatantly discriminated against is Adora Svitak. A prolific short story writer and blogger since age seven, Adora (now 14) speaks around the United States to adults and children as an advocate for literacy and education transformation! In response to this discrimination, Adora has startedThe Student Union. This is a group designed to bring student voices to education reform. She believes “Students + education leaders = positive change.
We need to be concerned because if somebody like Adora, who has credibility through years of working in the public eyes, is denied of access to share her voice, what about other students who have equal brilliant things to say about their education? Many of them have been told their voice doesn't matter, does not deserve to be heard, or is not wanted. These young people are often shut down before a struggle can even begin. To be clear, this is not about Adora not having a place to speak, this is about all the children don't have a place to speak. Adora has not been rejected because of her ideas, but rather because of her age. A class of people, not a person has, been dismissed. Adora's story is a concrete demonstration of the unjust and harsh reality that our adults have created to shut our children out. To follow is the type of discrimination taking place within the organizations that inspired Adora to start her online student activism group.
Scholastic Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company, has a corporate mission supported through all of its divisions of helping children around the world to read and learn. They are focused on encouraging children to learn to read and love to learn, helping teachers carry out their important jobs and supporting parents in their role as their child’s first teacher.
Discriminatory act: Scholastic contacted Adora for a picture because they wanted to use her TED speech in their paid website program, but they refused to consider any of her book ideas. They unabashedly shared this as their reason: We don't work with child authors.
Response: It is hypocritical and unethical for a children’s book publishing, education, and media company to refuses to work with the people they say they say they are serving. A publishing company that is sending a message to young people that they are not worthy of being considered as authors is discriminating against their very audience, not based on quality or message, but based on age.
Call to action
Boycott: If you are a reader of books, support companies that support children authors. Scholastic is not one of them.
Sample update: Scholastic should stop discriminating against children. We believe you can be an author at any age. Why don’t you? What will it take to get you to lift your blanket policy against working with children authors? We’d love to read a book by Adora Svitak and other young people. Stop censoring children.
Twitter: Send them a Tweet at @Scholastic
Sample Tweet: Tell @Scholastic to stop discriminating against students & start working w/children authors. #thestudentunion https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheStudentUnion
ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) This educational leadership organization with 150,000 members says they are dedicated to advancing best practices and policies for the success of students. Their members are professional educators from all levels and subject areas––superintendents, supervisors, principals, teachers, professors of education, and school board members.
Discriminatory act: Adora proposed a book idea to ASCD after speaking at their conference. The book would bring issues of student voice, reciprocal learning, and education technology to the forefront. Adora was told that the project was not something that ASCD can pursue because based on their research, the educational community is not yet ready to receive the message from a student.
Response: Any member of the ASCD should know that they belong to an organization that believes it’s members are those who aren’t ready to hear from students. If you are an educator that doesn’t want to hear from children, you are in the wrong profession. If you are an educator that does want to hear from children, and you are a member of ASCD, you should know that you belong to an organization that condones the silencing of and discrimination against students.
Call to action
Membership: If you are a member of ASCD that is offended that they believe you are not ready to hear from kids revoke your membership.
Contact: The 2012 ASCD Annual Report is title “The Value of Each Voice.” Let them know whose voices they are missing. Write to President of ASCD is Sarah Magana Shubelor. Exec. Director/CEO is Gene R. Carter Snail mail: 1703 N. Beauregard St. | Alexandria, VA 22311-1714 USA
Sample message: Ready or not young people have big ideas about education reform and the ASCD should not silence them. Stop age censorship and discrimination and give authors of all ages an opportunity to share ideas and lend their voice to the important conversation of education reform.
Twitter: Send them a Tweet at @ascd. Tweet abt them using #ASCD.
Sample Tweet: #ASCD thinks adults aren't ready to hear student voices re: #edreform. Tell them they're wrong! #TheStudentUnion https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheStudentUnion/
Children*s Festival A world-renowned festival of performing arts for young audiences, the Vancouver International Children's Festival has been educating, entertaining and inspiring young audiences since 1978.
Discriminatory act: After posting Adora’s teaching video, her mom contacted them about having Adora present at the festival. They responded saying, “At this point we do not invite children authors but that could change.”
Response: It is absurd that a children’s festival does not invite or allow children to present. It is outrageous that an organization whose mission is to educate, entertain, and inspire young people also discriminates against them. This organization is happy to take ticket money from children and invite them to attend, but they don’t want to do business with them.
Call to action
Contact: The Children’s Festival (http://www.childrensfestival.ca/contact_us.php) and let them know you will not be attending if they continue to discriminate against young people. Tell others to do the same.
Sample message: The Children’s Festival should stop making policies that discriminate against children. Age should not be the solitary factor in the refusal of a person to present. Stop the discrimination. Change your position. Let Adora Svitak present.
Twitter: Send a Tweet to @vicf and let them know that children should not be discriminated against.
Sample Tweet: Tell @vicf they should change their position & stop discriminating against children. Let Adora present. #Thestudentunion
Schools Our tax dollars go to support institutions of learning that are entrusted with our most precious resources. These institutions should be responsive to those whose tax dollars they are collecting. The government should not overstep its bounds when it comes to educating children.
Discriminatory act: Most schools are governed without considering student voice. Rules are made for students, but they have no say in them. Classes and teachers are chosen for students whether they like it or not. Teachers and schools are evaluated without the insights or input of the very people they were created to serve.
Response: Schools should be incorporating students into the decisions that govern them. They should also give students input when it comes to what kind of job their teachers are doing. Students should have a say in what they learn, how they learn, and who they learn from.
Call to action
Tell: Tell schools how you feel.
Facebook: If students are dismissed, they can start a Facebook group for their school to unite, share their ideas and how they might implement them. Join other students around the world to share ideas about student rights and ed reform at The Student Union.
Twitter: If your school is not honoring student voice Tweet about it. Use (or create) your school’s hashtag and #TheStudentUnion. Tell your school student’s deserve a voice.
Sample Tweet: Students at #YourSchool deserve to have a voice. Who will support us? #TheStudentUnion
Adora Svitak is not alone. There are students being brushed aside and shut out of education conversations by the adults in schools and organizations around the world. This is no longer acceptable. Students want to be heard, acknowledged, and included in the conversations that affect them. Are you ready to listen? If so, join Adora and other students and those who support student voice at The Student Union.
You have read this article age discrimination /
child censorship /
education reform /
Student voice /
youth censorship /
youth discrimination /
youth voices
with the title Student voice. You can bookmark this page URL https://benncam.blogspot.com/2012/01/do-we-really-want-to-listen-to-our.html. Thanks!
It's rare for education reformers, policymakers, and funders to listen to those at the heart of education reform work: The students. In fact Ann Curry who hosted Education Nation's first *student panel admitted folks at NBC were a little nervous about putting kids on stage. In their "Voices of a Nation" discussion, young people provided insight into their own experiences with education and what they think needs to be done to ensure that every student receives a world-class education. After the discussion Curry knew these students didn't disappoint. She told viewers, "Students wanted to say something that made a difference to you (adults) and they did. Now adults need to listen."
Here is a video of the student panelists followed by a recap of some of the sentiments they shared.
Below are the sentiments shared by these current and former students during the segment.
I have to critically think in college, but your tests don't teach me that.
We learn in different ways at different rates.
I can't learn from you if you are not willing to connect with me.
Teaching by the book is not teaching. It's just talking.
Caring about each student is more important than teaching the class.
Every young person has a dream. Your job is to help bring us closer to our dreams.
We need more than teachers. We need life coaches.
The community should become more involved in schools.
Even if you don't want to be a teacher, you can offer a student an apprenticeship.
Us youth love all the new technologies that come out. When you acknowledge this and use technology in your teaching it makes learning much more interesting.
You should be trained not just in teaching but also in counseling.
Tell me something good that I'm doing so that I can keep growing in that.
When you can feel like a family member it helps so much.
We appreciate when you connect with us in our worlds such as the teacher who provided us with extra help using Xbox and Skype
Our teachers have too many students to enable them to connect with us in they way we need them to.
Bring the electives that we are actually interested in back to school. Things like drama, art, cooking, music.
Education leaders, teachers, funders, and policy makers need to start listening to student voice in all areas including teacher evaluations.
You need to use tools in the classroom that we use in the real world like Facebook, email, and other tools we use to connect and communicate.
You need to love a student before you can teach a student.
We do tests to make teachers look good and the school look good, but we know they don't help us to learn what's important to us.
The students are ready to talk to us. How are we going to make time to listen and incorporate their voices into the policies and decisions that affect them?
*Panelists: Nnamdi Asomugha, Cornerback - Philadelphia Eagles Shadrack Boayke - Brentwook, NY Colton Bradford - Mobile, AL Ron Daldine - Auburn Hills, MI Rayla Gaddy - Detroit, MI Katie Oliveria - Las Vegas, NV Stephanie Torres - New York, NY
You have read this article Education Nation /
Student voice
with the title Student voice. You can bookmark this page URL https://benncam.blogspot.com/2011/09/20-things-students-want-nation-to-know.html. Thanks!
Nikhil Goyal @nikhilgoya_l
