Being responsible for what one says can be tough Being responsible for what one posts or types online can be even more difficult. Many educators are taking the challenge of teaching students how to be safe while online. The term digital citizenship can be know as "the norms of responsible and appropriate interaction with technology." (Preddy, 2016). Technology can be anything from conducting research to sending emails. As technology continues to change, digital citizenship lessons will also continue to be developed.
In our school system, the library media specialists have been given the task of implementing lessons and assisting teachers with the instruction of digital citizenship lessons. When I first started planning these lessons, I thought, there won't be much to these lessons. I can teach them about how to research, how to send emails, cyberbullying and what it looks/sounds like, etc. But once I started planning and digging into the curriculum, I realized there was so much more to staying safe online. According to the text (Whitehead, p. 129) there are nine themes of digital citizenship. They include digital access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights/responsibilities, health/wellness and security. In an elementary setting, we may not need to go into great detail for all areas but the students do need to be familiar with all areas of how to be a safe digital citizen. However, all students need to be aware of the dangers of cyberbullying. The text mentions a great resource to help stress the dangers of cyberbullying to include the two websites www.stopbullying.com and the National School Boards Association website. (Whitehead, p.136) The dangers of cyberbullying are very real in all schools.
The middle school media specialist and I decided we would use the same curriculum program to supply lessons for these topics of digital citizenship. Thankfully, the program has an elementary and middle school age group which allows for different lessons but relaying the same message. This helps us ensure all topics are covered but in an age appropriate manner.
Why do we need to teach these lessons? Shouldn't parents be the ones teaching their kids to be safe online? These are some questions I have thought of myself as I prepare lessons. However, just as in other areas of education, it takes everyone to ensure students are gaining the knowledge for all areas of life. My own child is a perfect example of this. I can sit and discuss with my daughter why or how she needs to complete her research and she will look at me like I have lost my mind. Her teacher at school can say the same message and she believes her. My goal as the media specialist is to give the students just one more reminder of how to conduct themselves online. If they won't listen to a parent, maybe they will hear it from me.
There are so many curriculums available to educators now the task can be overwhelming when it comes to finding the "right" one. We chose to use Common Sense Media. This video is an introduction to what is available through the program for parents and educators.
Common Sense Media provides lessons for grades K-12, games and interactive activities, videos, posters for classroom display, ideas for families to reinforce, certification programs (who doesn't like a certificate of completion), and online professional development for teachers. The lessons are designed to meet the interest level and needs of all age levels of students. The videos are short but get the message across in an entertaining way. So far, we have been pleased with the content and display of lessons. I have already started planning to incorporate the Digital Citizenship Unit Assessment Badges and the Digital Passport components into my lessons for next year. The Badges allow students the opportunity to achieve a badge once they successfully complete a unit of the program. The Digital Passport provides self-led games to reinforce the unit being taught. These will hopefully help the student fully understand why and how they need to be safe online.
Common Sense Media provides lessons for grades K-12, games and interactive activities, videos, posters for classroom display, ideas for families to reinforce, certification programs (who doesn't like a certificate of completion), and online professional development for teachers. The lessons are designed to meet the interest level and needs of all age levels of students. The videos are short but get the message across in an entertaining way. So far, we have been pleased with the content and display of lessons. I have already started planning to incorporate the Digital Citizenship Unit Assessment Badges and the Digital Passport components into my lessons for next year. The Badges allow students the opportunity to achieve a badge once they successfully complete a unit of the program. The Digital Passport provides self-led games to reinforce the unit being taught. These will hopefully help the student fully understand why and how they need to be safe online.
"We can't wait for problems to arise, but rather we need to be proactive and on the forefront of helping our students avoid those pitfalls and navigate the online world successfully." (Preddy, 2016) Our goal is to keep our students as safe as possible while online.
This is a daily task and ever changing but we are up for the challenge!
References:
Digital Citizenship I Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital- citizenship.
Preddy, L. (2016). The Critical Role of the School Librarian in Digital Citizenship Education. Knowledge Quest, 44(4), 4-
5.
Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: A guide for school administrators,
technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders.
Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI was recently talking to a student just before our first ever Internet Safety/Digital Summit. I was asking him questions about his senior class and if he thought there were any digital problems that are wide-spread. He said that he didn't think that his grade-level was that bad, but the 9th graders coming up were glued to their phones. I asked him if he knew anyone personally who has gotten in trouble because of something they've done online and he said, "sure, there are a lot of people." I asked him what he thought would help the problem and what he said was pretty profound for a 17 year old. He said, "My parents showed me how to act. They didn't just tell me. I also learned how not to make the mistakes of others when they got in trouble because they were my friends. Those were the two most powerful things that help me make my decisions."
As much as I am an advocate for Common Sense Media and Netsmartz and all of these other fantastic websites, I think they are more for us to create a basic-level understanding of what it means to be a digital citizen. I think it is going to take integrating these ideas into teachable moments throughout the day if we are even going to skim the surface of digital citizenship. I also think it needs to start as early as pre-school/kindergarten. My daughter knows how to navigate a smart phone and iPad. She's even clicked on the Youtube Kids recommended videos and come across some that I did not think were appropriate. I don't have all the answers, but I know that however we teach our students, it's critical. Just as critical as teaching them how to live life outside the virtual world. Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2013) state that "technology and academic plans in schools should address helping young learners to become digital citizens" (p.129). Like you said, it is a shared culture of responsibility; both at home and at school.
References
Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: A guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
That is an amazing conversation with a high school student. I know many parents, including mine, who teach their children how to be safe online. I wish that every parent did. However I know that is not happening and will be very unlikely to happen. I am thankful for curriculum that is available to schools so we can teach them how to be safe. If we can reach a few students, I will consider this to be a success.
ReplyDeleteJaclyn, In our school district, we are also transitioning. Our school librarians are becoming tech specialist and teaching lessons about digital citizenship to our students. It is of up most importance that students know that any activities they are involved in online leaves a digital footprint.Furthermore, students need to know how to be aware of dangers that may be lurking in the online environment. They must be taught how to recognize and protect themselves. I am not sure which program our librarian uses to teach these invaluable lessons, however, I do know that she uses one. I agree with Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2013) that we need to "rethink the concept of technology control" (p. 123). We should allow student to freedom but with this comes great responsibility. I know we should monitor but we must build a culture of trust. There will be some that try and take advantage. Yet, students need to have "digitally rich, un-tethered, socially based technology" experiences in the classroom (p.128).
ReplyDeleteWhitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: A guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.