I was very interested in learning more about digital tattoos and digital citizenship as an educator and a parent. My colleagues and I are in the process of developing a more comprehensive technology curriculum that includes these issues. We were interested in using the passports from the Common Sense Media website so I was very happy to see them included in this module.
The articles I read are:
Teacher’s Guide to Digital Citizenship - I thought this was a good starting point - perhaps to alert the classroom teachers about the importance of this topic. I think this is a topic that needs to be taught in more than the library - it needs to be addressed in each classroom so that the children are exposed to the concept and the ways in which to be a good digital citizenship. I have found with my classes that the area of digital footprints is where many of them have little previous knowledge. I try to stress the importance of this and discuss some of the consequences that have happened to people based on their bad decisions.
Skills We Can’t Teach: Facilitating Authentic Experiences with Digital Citizenship - Another good article but I felt it was intended for an older audience then I teach (grades 3-5). Even though the focus seemed to be for older kids the same concept is true for younger children - we need to educate them on what it means to be a good digital citizen and how they can accomplish it. I really liked the idea of having the kids create projects about digital citizenship, sharing their own experiences and then presenting them to younger students. I think this would work well with my 5th graders next year.
Digital Footprints — How big and do they stink? - I really did not get too much out of this article - I think it brought up some valid points but I would have liked a little more information.
Healthy Digital Footprints - This was another article that I really didn't get much out of other than the fact that teachers should be modeling good digital citizenship in the hopes of positively influencing kids.
Is your school’s “digital citizenship” practice a pass or fail? - I was also not very interested in this article but I can see where it would be a good fit for teachers or other educators that are trying to enter the digital arena. It did point out the fact that many times students can live a dual life online and in person. My thoughts on this article were that it shows a area that needs to be addressed in the way students post online - we need to ensure they know and follow good manners (for lack of a better term) online.
What Your Students Really Need to Know About Digital Citizenship – this was a terrific article - I really liked the way the author broke down the Proactive Knowledge into the 9 P's: passwords, privacy, personal information, photographs, property, permission, protection, professionalism and personal brand. I try to touch on each of these with my students but have never separated it like this - good ideas for next year! She also gave good ideas on projects but I will have to try and find a way to modify it for my younger students.
It’s Complicated: the Social Lives of Networked Teens. - this is the article I viewed from the perspective as a parent. I have a teen that has asked me about several of the apps listed and to be honest - until she mentioned them I had never heard of most of them. She has not always been pleased when we decide against allowing her access to some but this is a handy guide to use to come up with educated decisions. I think this would also be very handy for middle school and high school teachers/parents.
Digital Citizenship Week – great article with a lot of good information and resources to use to teach kids about being a good digital citizenship. I know that this is the model we are considering adding to our curriculum. I like the way Common Sense Media has developed student directed projects to teach them. I am also going to be sending the link to this website home to parents in my newsletter to educate them on ways to protect their children (and maybe themselves) online.
Digital Citizenship Education - another great article with lessons on how to educate children. I found the fact that this article tied it into character education to be very interesting since our school uses a character education program.
Currently I teach online safety and digital citizenship in the beginning of the year and provide a refresher in June. I use a lot of videos from Netsmartz kids and BrainPop to get discussions going with the students. We cover a wide range of topics and I'm always interested in what they have experienced and the ways they have handled difficult situations. This spring the school councilor will be co-teaching with me and this will follow into the fall as well. As I mentioned earlier my department is hoping to get together this summer to really provide more instruction in this area. We were looking into the projects from the Common Sense Media website but I will also be providing the information I gathered from this module. Regardless of whether we are able to develop a curriculum as a department, I will be rewriting my lessons to include more items learned here.
Another great post, so useful for me to hear your perspective as a elementary school educator and as a parent of a teen. Neither of which I am! Thanks for sharing.
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