Essential Question: How can educators use the resources of Common Sense Education to help develop and augment digital citizenship efforts? Every now and then, I will stumble upon a resource that feels like the Holy Grail. The entire Common Sense Media suite of sites, sections, and resources fits this bill. I can easily see my school district using resources from within Common Sense Education to develop a K-12 digital citizenship curriculum. There is enough there to design units and individual lessons that are organized, engaging, and thorough ... and then some. In addition, the educator-specific resources would allow teachers to locate high-quality, relevant resources for classroom activities and instruction, and/or for reinforcement of any given aspect of digital citizenship. Personally, I believe that systematic teaching of digital citizenship is important; I believe curriculum must be developed at the district level and provided to students via classroom instruction at all school sites (something we don't do right now, but I know we must!). A K-12 continuum of digital citizenship learning expectations is critical, as if it's not mapped out and made clear who is responsible for teaching what, the intentional teaching of digital citizenship will end up being a hit-or-miss experience for students: If they are lucky enough to be in a classroom where the individual teacher thinks the teaching of digital citizenship is important, they'll "get it"; if not, well...then they are out of luck.
The resources Over the course of the last two years, the schools in my district have become increasingly "techie." There have always been a lot of teachers in our schools who have been cutting edge and have been leaders at integrating technology in their classrooms, but we have been adopting more and more district-wide tech tools and platforms that are getting greater attention and exposure because they're being used across the board instead of just in certain "techie-teachers'" classrooms. As a result, we are constantly fielding tons of parent questions about technology. Whenever we come across a resource, research, or tool we believe parents would find useful, we add it to a page on the website with a huge list of "stuff." The "Family Guides" and "Parent Concerns" areas within Common Sense Media are brilliantly organized, thorough, and so very parent friendly! In addition, the Parent Blog provides so much timely and practical advice for 21st Century parents. These resources will surely benefit parents and community members as they attempt to make sense of new technologies in their community schools and in their children's classrooms, and the seemingly endless list of ideas, insights, resources, etc., would be comforting and informative for parents, grandparents, and community folks with questions. LOVE it! Another concern I have heard on numerous occasions over the last couple years is related to technology and creativity...or, more specifically, how "technology kills students' creativity." Whenever I see a gaggle of teenage girls glued to Facebook on their smartphones, I get it; I know where these concerns originate. On the other hand, I also know that creativity can help those who would otherwise consider themselves to lack creativity to suddenly become "artsy" (Instagram and the ease of making a photo snapped with a phone look like a work of art is case-in-point). I was thrilled to find an entire section on Common Sense Media devoted to "Modern Kids' Guide to Crafting, Coding, Composing, and More." The way the section is organized by creative type (coder, writer, musician, artist, or director) and then by age is both exciting, encouraging, and motivating for learners of all ages. And how truly wonderful that technology is able to put certain experiences in a child's hands that he or she might not ever get to experience: For example, a student who is interested in music but doesn't own a guitar or a piano can learn the basic of how to play on an iPad. A child who is fascinated by the art of story telling can become a film maker or "professionally" publish a book via a number of easy-to-use apps. And the beauty of the way Common Sense has constructed its resources is that it both provides parents and educators with the tools themselves (or recommendations related to the tools), and then it provides research, recommendations, and best practices to ensure they are used responsibly. The digital world and the "real" world have become one; we can't ignore the role new media plays in students' lives. Schools must become better at ensuring there is a systematic approach to teaching digital citizenship, just as we intentionally and systematically teach students to read and do math. Learning to be a responsible, respectful, and productive digital citizen cannot be left to chance. References: Common Sense Advocacy. (2015). Retrieved 15 Mar 2015 from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/advocacy Common Sense Education. (2015). Retrieved 15 Mar 2015 from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators Common Sense Media. (2015). Retrieved 15 Mar 2015 from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ Essential Question: How can the complex ideas behind digital citizenship be captured in simple, effective tools and programs that can help assess and develop digital citizenship skills? What tools and programs currently exist that teachers can use? I was previously familiar with the Digital Driver's License program, so this week I decided to check out Common Sense Media's Digital Passport, since it was a new tool (to me, anyway). I was very impressed...and ended up spending way too much time trying out some of the activities (the Twalkers game, for example, sucked me in!). A few things really impressed me with this resource:
1) The wealth of materials on the Digital Passport site is very impressive! The educator guide and student workbook are organized in ways that really do make the materials ready-to-go with very little planning on the part of the teacher. Other tools (digital certificates, student progress charts, and interactive components) make it much more than just a resource site. The games could easily become part of "choice activity" time in a classroom, for example, where students could play while learning about digital citizenship -- which seems like a great deal! 2) I really (really, really, really) like the "Get Trained" section for teachers. The concise videos are nicely done and provide the essential information teachers need to get started with Digital Passport and the resources on the site. I appreciate that they have included training videos instead of just text. A busy educator can quickly feel overwhelmed by too much text to read to figure out how a program works...but it's pretty easy to have a short video playing while you're exploring the site and options and, at the end of it, you feel ready to complete a task or have a better understanding of the topic presented. The availability of live webinar trainings is also nice for those who want to learn more. 3) The site just feels really user-friendly and manageable for educators who are already trying to pack a million things into the day but still need to find resources and time for digital citizenship awareness, instruction, and reinforcement. The visual organization of the resources is clear and it's easy to find whatever is needed within the "module" visual arrangements with links and student videos. Finally, I am super impressed with what Common Sense Education is providing, in general. I dug a bit into their work beyond Digital Passport and love the resources available via Graphite, the 1-to-1 Essential Program, in the "Connecting Families" resource site, and on their Professional Development page, as well. The quality of the materials is outstanding, and the fact that it's FREE makes it even better! From the main Common Sense Education page, I found iBooks textbooks, a Digital Citizenship scope and sequence, Digital Citizenship Toolkits, and a REALLY cool program called "Digital Bytes" which "teaches teens digital citizenship through student-directed, media-rich activities that tackle real-world dilemmas." With every click, it seemed like there were additional resources, classroom-ready and engaging. As a whole, I can't think of a thing that I would add to the resource ... and it is definitely something I will recommend for use in my district! References: Common Sense Education. (2015). Retrieved 3 Mar 2015 from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators Common Sense Media. (2015). Retrieved 3 Mar 2015 from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ Digital Driver's License. Retrieved 3 Mar 2015 from https://otis.coe.uky.edu/DDL/launch.php Essential Question: If we deconstruct the area of inquiry known as digital citizenship, what are its constituent parts? How do they interrelate?
Dr. Mike Ribble's "Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship" make so much sense. They are clearly parts of a greater whole, and while some seem more important to me as an educator, as a parent and grandparent, and as a technology user myself, all of Ribble's elements are important to our understanding of what digital citizenship is all about. If we are to be responsible digital citizens, then we must pay attention to all of the elements...and we must ensure that students learn to appreciate, respect, and observe the value of each and every element. Ribble's "Digital Citizenship" website defines digital citizenship as "the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use." It's a clean, concise definition; it sounds like something a student would be asked to copy into his or her notes and memorize for a Friday quiz. As Dr. Ribble deconstructs this definition in his book and in the online lecture, however, it quickly becomes apparent how complicated the concept of digital citizenship really is. Fortunately, the "nine elements" make a highly complex area of inquiry manageable for stakeholders across the board. "As schools and society become more intertwined with digital technology, there needs to be a structure that can teach students (and parents) how to act with respect to this technology" (Ribble, p. 9), and the author's framework provides that structure. "These nine elements and their core questions form the backbone of Digital Citizenship and the creation of a digital citizenry," writes Ribble. "All users of technology must act, as well as teach others in appropriate ways. These should be the duties of all digital citizens" (p. 11). Not only do the nine elements address components of digital citizenship that the average educator might not consider when creating a lesson or unit for students (digital commerce, for example), but the Essential Questions, issues, examples, and keywords presented make the vastness of the topic accessible. Furthermore, practical lesson ideas present educators with a realistic approach to teaching digital citizenship in its full glory...and not merely throwing a few slides up on the first day of school during an obligatory "online safety" presentation. I'll admit it: Ribble's nine elements as presented in Digital Citizenship in Schools has honestly provided me with the first holistic and realistic understanding of the topic I have ever encountered. After years and years of using technology in classrooms, school-wide, and promoting its use at the district level, I have failed to truly "get" what digital citizenship in our schools should address. How wonderfully serendipitous to encounter Ribble's text and lessons at this point in time, when our district is reviewing K-12 technology expectations. Ensuring that we include all of the elements in our continuum for students will result in students who are more aware and better prepared to play their roles in an increasingly technology-immersed society and world. References:
Fractus Learning. (2014). Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship -- Printable Poster. Retrieved from http://www.fractuslearning.com/2014/09/09/digital-citizenship-poster/ Ohler, J. (2014). Digital Citizenship Ribble Final. YouTube video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96IiePBBRsI Ribble, M. (2011). Digital Citizenship in Schools. (Second Edition). Zhang, X. (11 Jan. 2012) Be a Digital Citizen. YouTube video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdEXijFXfD8 Essential Question: What issues -- both positive and negative -- are associated with digital footprints and living public lives on the Internet? How does the private sector view the importance of digital citizenship? What should we encourage students to include in their digital footprints? It wasn't that long ago that talk of "digital footprints" was all about warnings for students: BEWARE what's out there on the dark, dangerous, predator-filled World-Wide Web! BE CAREFUL when you're online! BE WARY of sharing any information! Yep. O.K., educators do have a responsibility to teach students to be cautious and mindful of the negatives, but we also have a major obligation to teach students to be smart and savvy not only about what they should NOT share, but about how important it is to share the right kinds of information. Jason's video this week notes that, "If we can't hide online, then let's shine!" GREAT advice for educators as they contemplate how best to support students in developing positive digital footprints that will last a lifetime. Each spring, I spend countless hours online "researching" potential hires for our small, rural school district. Our typical routine is this: Find candidate on ATP whose online application looks promising, and then go to work. Google the person, review every bit of their public Facebook profile (including friends; "favorites" lists of movies, TV shoes, books, and music; and organizational affiliations), check out their Twitter and Instagram feeds, consider additional email addresses found in these profiles and what they "say" about the candidate; review any blogs to which they subscribe or retweet; etc. THEN we decide whether or not to check professional references and have a conversation with the candidate. The potential employee's online self plays a huge role in what kind of teacher or administrator we believe that person will be...before we have even spoken on the phone. This reality struck me as I read and viewed material for this week: It is SO important that we actively teach students how to create their best online selves while they are in school so that it's a habit after they graduate. We need to provide them with a multitude of opportunities to learn about how their online selves will affect them later, and how things they choose to put online now (or allow others to put online about them) could influence future employers, scholarship grantors, colleges, and even future friends. I recently had a conversation with a few teachers in my district about digital citizenship, and we were commenting on how far we have to go in really developing a strong set of policies and procedures related to educating students about what it means to lead an online life that a student can be proud of later on. We're still stuck on the "Should we allow students to post their first and last names online with their work?" debate; meanwhile, the students are on Twitter and Facebook, posting away with mad abandon with no concern for what all of it will say about them tomorrow or next month or next year.
We are currently working on a tech-skills timeline for students in our district, but we have been working on things like keyboarding speed, apps and software to be introduced and mastered at certain grade levels, etc. We haven't talked at all about intentional additions to a student's digital footprint...or specific approaches to helping students understand why this matters or how to be proactive in highlighting their strengths and creating on online persona that shines. Resources: Ohler, J. (3 Feb 2014). MOOC spr2014 Digital Footprint. YouTube video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQq-k3E6A3s Siba Digital. "Managing Your Digital Footprint." Retrieved 27 March 2015 from Syba Digital. Managing Your Digital Footprint. Retrieved from http://sybasigns.com.au/digital-resources/web-2-0/digital-resource-managing-your-digital-footprint. Queensland Government Department of Education and Training. "Mind Your Step" infographic. Retrieved 27 March 2015 from http://behaviour.education.qld.gov.au/cybersafety/school-staff/Pages/digital-footprint.aspx TeachThought Staff. 8 March 2014. "11 Tips for Students to Manage Their Digital Footprints." te@chthought. Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/technology/11-tips-for-students-tomanage-their-digital-footprints/ Essential Question: How can we adapt character education for the digital age, particularly to serve the purposes of developing digital citizenship awareness and K12 programs? “If you aren't framing the system, then you’re gaming the system.” Whoa. I read this in the “Narrative” section for this week; then I read the assigned texts and watched the linked videos; and then returned to the course website again...and after consuming all of it, the “framing v. gaming” idea is what stuck most and served as a frame for my thinking about this week’s topic. In school settings, rules are made by adults and “applied” to students, for the most part. Board policy, administrative regulations, student handbooks, school-wide expectations, classroom rules: For the most part, they exist in the absence of student participation, and quite often, students are oblivious to some of the rules, even though they (and their parents) have signed the “Yes, we have read and understand the student handbook” doc at the beginning of the year. The vast majority of these rules (almost all of them, really), apply to the parts of “school” that have remained the same for years. Generations, even. And then there are rules related to technology, digital citizenship, and what it means to lead simultaneous “real” and “virtual” lives about which many of the adults who are making the rules only vaguely understand. Jason is right: “Students need to become policy makers. ...Adults have to stop being the only people at the policy table when it comes to developing rules about cell phone use, Internet access, and social media, as well as all of the issues that await us in the future that we can’t even imagine right now” (Ohler, Digital Citizenship course site, Part I, Topic 2). My district’s existing mission statement is the result of weeks worth work on the part of a large strategic planning committee. Four or five years ago, our district went through a full-blown strategic planning process, and the mission statement (“To provide a quality education in a rural environment”) and vision statement (“To equip students for current and future success through performance excellence”) sound like mission and vision statements. In fact, now that I am aware of www.missionstatements.com, I am curious to know how many other districts have statements exactly like ours. The CRSD’s vision statement includes the “word” future, but it doesn't inspire future-focused thinking. Our mission statement might better encompass and reflect the realities of students’ dual “lives” if it said something like this: “To provide a 21st-century education and preparation for global citizenship that transcends the boundaries of our rural environment.” The vision statement might be expanded to this: “To equip students for responsible, productive, and ethical participation in local, global, and digital worlds through performance excellence in traditional and new media modes of communication and societal contributions. Whew. That’s a mouthful. The short, catchy mantras offered up in the text and in the “Mantra, Mottos, and Brands” video, made me think. I think of digital citizenship “education” in terms of curriculum, units, lessons, workshops, assignments. I’ve never put my mind to the reduction of all of this “stuff,” resulting in a simple, easy-to-recall statement or acronym. I really appreciate the “THINK” acronym in the video because it makes sense and hits home in terms of the lesson it shares. It is quite clear what digital citizenship means: “O.K., kids. Before you put anything online, THINK! Is it: True? Helpful (or hurtful?) Inspiring (or illegal?) Necessary? Kind? I can see this on posters in every classroom and computer lab in the district. I can see it on every teacher’s Weebly or Blackboard course homepage. I can see prizes being given at assemblies for students who can rattle off the Digital Citizenship Mantra at an academic assembly or awards ceremony. But the THINK mantra wasn’t my idea. Thanks to Michael Josephson (2012) for coming up with it, and to Jason Ohler for sharing it in his “Digital Citizenship Mantra, Mottos video clip.” So, an original mantra. A simple one-sentence description of my core philosophy related to digital citizenship. Let’s see…
They’re starting points, anyway. This week’s readings and media selections have put me nose-to-nose with the reality of what is missing in a digital citizenship approach in my school district. Instead of our typical Spring review of student handbook sections related to technology and new media, we need to take a new approach. Our student councils, honor societies, and interested students should be invited to table and engaged in a real conversation about new media, and the “lives” they lead as students in their communities, our school district, a far-flung state, and in an inextricably connected digital world. As "digital natives," they need opportunities to consider how their actions in both their "real" and "virtual" lives matter; they need to engage in conversation and grapple with the realities of the impact digital decisions can have in their non-digital (and digital) futures. Their voices should be part of the dialogue, the narrative, that shapes our policy related to digital citizenship. They are the citizens, and rules and policies related to new media should be shaped by the students who know it well and rely on it the way we rely on air, food, water, shelter. Food for thought, and another thing to add to this spring’s to-do list. Following through could result in real change, stronger understandings between and among the various groups of new media users in the district, and mission statements, vision statement, digital citizenship mantras, and handbook policy that matters to the students it is meant to support. Instead of "gaming the system," they will be helping to frame it, resulting in a more positive, productive approach to the future that they will continue to create.
References: Copper River School District. (Retrieved 6 Feb 2015). Mission and Vision Statements. Retrieved from http://www.crsd.us/superintendents-office.html Josephson, M. (2012). Before You Speak, THINK. What Will Matter website. Retrieved from http://whatwillmatter.com/2012/04/worth-seeing-poster-before-you-speak-think-before-you-speak-think-t-is-it-true-h-is-it-helpful-i-does-it-inspire-confidence-n-is-it-necessary-k-is-it-kind-adapted-by-michael-josephs/ Josephson, M. (2003). What Will Matter. (Poem Poster). Character Counts. Retrieved from http://charactercounts.org/pdf/WhatWillMatter.pdf Ohler, J. (26 Jan 2014). Digital Citizenship Mantra, Mottos. YouTube video. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/b1RDhhDqS2o on 6 Feb 2015. Ohler, J. (2015). Part 1, Topic 2: Character Education for a Digital Lifestyle. Digital Citizenship OAC Spring 2015. Retrieved from http://www.jasonohler.com/wordpressii/?page_id=2 on 6 Feb 2015. The first set of ISTE standards for students appeared in 1998 with the “refreshed” standards appearing less than ten years later. Yes, there was tremendous change during the interim years: Tech devices changed dramatically, but more importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the world changed even more dramatically as a result of the devices. For right now, the 2007 standards addressing digital citizenship sound relatively timeless; they make sense for us right now. However, I doubt the authors of the original ISTE standards could have imagined all that would happen in the years following those ground-breaking posits back in ’98. My youngest child graduated from high school in May of 2013. She is a techie kid, as a result of having access to technology at school and at home throughout her formative years. She grew up in a household that had a computer from the time of her birth…although back then, it was for grown-ups only, and it wasn’t until she and her brothers were responsible elementary grades students that they were able to earn computer time for things like Oregon Trail. By the time she hit junior high, Facebook was a “thing” and she became part of that community, allowing her to connect to the hundreds of students and adults she would meet through the zillions of camps, workshops, institutes, and experiences she would have throughout high school. As a college student at UAF, she lives in the dorms but takes some of her classes online via Blackboard and is only able to connect with classmates and professors via a virtual world, as that is the only way the courses are offered. Mind you, this is happening on a very traditional university campus. Technology has been a part of her life for a while, with "technology" changing dramatically throughout the course of her life. The refreshed ISTE digital citizenship standards “fit” people like Emmie.
If I were to predict anything about a 3.0 version of the digital citizenship standards, it would be this: They will no longer exist. We won’t talk about “digital” citizenship anymore, because new media will be so enmeshed in everyday life that it seem ridiculous to separate out expectations related to how we act with technology as opposed to how we behave otherwise…because there won’t be an “otherwise.” New media will be part of absolutely everything we do, part of everything we are, and “citizenship,” in general, will automatically include how we act in new media spaces. Separation of digital citizenship from citizenship as a whole will seem unnatural.
Whew. What an amazing time to be alive. References: ISTE. (2007). ISTE Standards for Students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-students or http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-S_PDF.pdf Ohler, J. (2010). Digital community, Digital Citizen. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Smith, D. (25 Jan. 2015). Google Chairman: 'The Internet will disappear.' Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/google-chief-eric-schmidt-the-internet-will-disappear-2015-1 on 1 Feb. 2015. Essential Questions: Based on this week's reading, and your own research and experience: What distinguishes the "two lives" that today's students lead? What are the challenges and opportunities in blending them?
First and foremost, I believe that in the vast majority of schools there truly is a "two lives" mentality: At school, there is a clear belief that technology is acceptable (and important) as a tool for academics and learning...yet it's almost taboo for social communication. The lack of understanding on the part of adults in school settings...combined with parents' fears...contributes to the division between the two lives. Case in point: Not too far in the distant past, our small school district launched a major "web presence" campaign. We created a new website, Facebook page, set up an Instagram account, etc. We made Facebook available to students before and after school and during lunch, believing that since students were on social media all the time anyway, it would be a GREAT way to disseminate information and hook students into looking to the web for news and information. It didn't take long before a parent decided it was bad news because of cyber-bullying. Pressure quickly mounted from a couple of parents and one teacher, and before anyone knew what was happening, the district went back to blocking Facebook during the school day. Bummer, on so many fronts. First of all, social media IS part of students' lives. They rely on it; they use it; they claim to not know what they would do without it. Yet, even though we, as adults, know that this is a powerful medium for communicating with students, it was removed as an option for connecting with them INSTEAD OF using it as an opportunity to provide education and information about digital citizenship, online safety, and personal responsibility in virtual environments. We ask students to lead two lives when it comes to their use of technology at school, and the adults, as well, have two sets of standards for how we handle issues when they arise. If a student is behaving badly in the lunchroom, we don't pull the plug and cancel lunch...telling the students that because a french fry was tossed across the table, they've lost the privilege of eating. No, we would meet with the students, review the lunchroom rules, contact the parents, and move forward with intentional and purposeful GUIDANCE to help students behave appropriately. When it comes to technology use in schools, it's a different story. Is it because social media is still new enough for adults that we're afraid to police infractions in the school setting? Do we really think students will stop behaving irresponsibly outside of school if we don't help to educate them on digital citizenship when they are IN school? Funny thing is, by hesitating to embrace a ONE life approach, schools are perpetuating the belief that students and parents may have that it's o.k. to behave one way online in "social settings" and another way online when it's for "school stuff." Folding the two into a single set of expectations for what it means to be a good digital citizen, period, may just make for a far more just and good set of young people growing up in a highly digitized world. References: ISTE. (2007). ISTE Standards for Students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-students or http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-S_PDF.pdf Lavelle, M. (5 Aug. 2014). What did "Generation Like" think of "Generation Like"? PBS Frontline. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/media/generation-like/what-did-generation-like-think-of-generation-like/ Ohler, J. (2011). Character education for the digital age. Educational Leadership. 26(5). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb11/vol68/num05/Character-Education-for-the-Digital-Age.aspx PBS Frontline. (18 Feb. 2014). Generation Like. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/generation-like/ |
AuthorTammy Van Wyhe: rural Alaskan educator, leader, learner, writer. Archives
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