Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship

Here's how your students work around the system to unblock access to social networking sites at school.

Reauthorization of Higher Education Act forces colleges to adopt technology protection measures to guard against copyright infringement

Teens and tweens have been bullying each other for generations. The bullies of today, however, have the advantage of utilizing technology such as computers, cell phones and other electronic devices to inflict harm on others. "Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying," due out this month, uncovers the types of youth most susceptible, how they felt, who they told, how they coped and how it affected their lives, and illustrates the gravity of cyberbullying and its real-world repercussions. The co-authors, [Justin Patchin, Ph.D. and Sameer Hinduja] both have backgrounds in Criminal Justice and are university-based. Their web site, Cyberbullying.Us is dedicated to identifying the causes and consequences of online harrassment.

Olivia Gardner, a northern California teenager, was severely taunted and cyber-bullied by her classmates for more than two years. News of her bullying spread, eventually reaching two teenage girls from a neighboring town, sisters Emily and Sarah Buder. The girls were so moved by Olivia's story that they initiated a letter-writing campaign to help lift her spirits. It was a tender gesture of solidarity that set off an overwhelming chain reaction of support, encouragement, and love. In Letters to a Bullied Girl, Olivia and the Buder sisters share an inspiring selection of messages that arrived from across America-the personal, often painful remembrances of former targets, remorseful bullies, and sympathetic bystanders. Letters to a Bullied Girl examines our national bullying epidemic from a variety of angles and perspectives, and includes practical guidance from bullying expert Barbara Coloroso, author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander. Though addressed to Olivia, the letters speak to all young people who have been bullied, offer advice and hope to those who suffer, and provide a wake-up call to all who have ever been involved in bullying.

There is also a video interview with the Buder sisters on this site.

Sarah and Emily Buder talk about why they started the Olivia's letters project and where it's taken them.

Students have been learning how to stay safe, both online and in the real world. The videos that they have created using NewsMaker software, (when cover slides were used), were created with Pixie2. All of our students are using online names, not their real names! We hope you enjoy our videos!

Harvard researchers studying the ethical sensibilities of youth have found that most young people are devoid of ethical thinking or consideration for others when using the web.

Yahoo session, Digital Citizenship Conference

From the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO). This downloadable 246-page resource includes teacher-authors' individual or group units, modified by curriculum inquiry and peer review, and provides many links to resources.

The next time you apply for a job, don't be surprised if you have to agree to a social-media background check. Many U.S. companies and recruiters are now looking at your Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other accounts and blogs - even YouTube - to paint a clearer picture of who you are.

A useful video for children.

So what is a teacher's role in keeping students safe online? Teachers and schools can actively block websites on desktops, laptops, and iPads but when it comes to a student's personal phone… that's a tricky area.

Netiquette" is network etiquette, the do's and don'ts of online communication. Netiquette covers both common courtesy online and the informal "rules of the road" of cyberspace. This page provides links to both summary and detail information about Netiquette for your browsing pleasure.

Marian Merritt works for Symantec as their Internet Safety Advocate. She keeps a blog and writes a column, "Ask Marian." Her site offers advice about safely using MySpace, YouTube, and other social networking sites, along with information on cyber ethics, privacy, and instant messaging. She also provides resources for parents.-

Students have always gossiped and complained about their teachers. But in cyberspace such behaviour can take on a life of its own. Cases of cyberbullying are opportunities to teach about responsibilities, consequences and healthy relationships. Employers are starting to check prospective employees' online habits: your resumé is one thing, but what kind of person are you online? We all leave digital footprints.

A Practical Guide to Using Web2.0 Technologies to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth.
Ben Rigby and Rock the Vote have put together a book for activists, politicos, and organizers called "Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web 2.0." It is a how-to guide to help those who want to mobilize using the web, focusing on how organizers can leverage blogging, social network sites, photo/video sharing, mobile phones, wikis, maps and virtual worlds.

As defined by Mike Rubble and George Bailey in their book, Digital Citizenship in the Schools. Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use

9 themes for digital citizenship from Mike Ribble's new website.

On the one hand, today's technology - particularly the Internet and cell phones - provides kids wonderful opportunities to learn, recreate, and communicate. On the other, it also provides the means for kids to make and compound mistakes, some of which can lead to trouble. The kinds of mistakes we're talking about are mostly errors in judgment, some large, some small, but all of them things you should think about.