Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship

Written by attorney/educator, Nancy Willard and tailored for parents.Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens is primarily a parenting book - parenting for the Information Age. Generally, parents do a good job of raising their children to make safe and responsible choices in the Real World. But now, children and teens have the ability to interact with people from throughout the world and to access a wide range of material that may or may not be appropriate for them. So what is a caring parent to do?

The Entertainment Software Association has put together a comprehensive web site on intellectual property geared for K-5 and middle school students. Through hands-on learning activities, students explore the significance of intellectual property in their everyday lives. There are suggestions for integrating content with classroom curriculum, teacher's guides, reproducible worksheets and Powerpoint templates. All of the activities are designed to raise copyright awareness and build respect for intellectual property.

Videostream of a forum that was held in December 2007 and hosted by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to celebrate the publication of the MacArthur Series on Digital Media and Learning.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning examines the effect of digital media tools on how people learn, network, communicate, and play, and how growing up with these tools may affect a person's sense of self, how they express themselves, and their ability to learn, exercise judgment, and think systematically.

Six topics are available as free downloads online:
Youth, Identity, and Digital Media Current Volume
Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media
Digital Young, Innovation, and the Unexpected
The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning
Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility
Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth

How a student spends their Two Million Minutes - in class, at home studying, playing sports, working, sleeping, socializing or just goofing off -- will affect their economic prospects for the rest of their lives. How do most American high school students spend this time? What about students in the rest of the world? How do family, friends and society influence a student's choices for time allocation? What implications do their choices have on their future and on a country's economic future?
This film takes a deeper look at how the three superpowers of the 21st Century - China, India and the United States - are preparing their students for the future. As we follow two students - a boy and a girl - from each of these countries, we compose a global snapshot of education, from the viewpoint of kids preparing for their future.

\n\nThe complete DVD is available for order on this web site. The web site also offers a preview version.

"Just how radically is the Internet transforming the experience of childhood?" The program talks with experts in child psychology, teenagers who've created online personalities for themselves, parents, and others who are involved in this restructuring of the childhood experience..."

A listing of social networks used in educational environments.

Insightful (and harrowing in places): 7 chapters re online teenagers - a revolution in classrooms and social life - self expression, trying on new identities - the child predator fear - private worlds outside parents' reach? - cyberbullying - updates

This free five-part video series on Cybersafety & Internet Awareness for Parents & Educators was produced by the Orange County Office of Education [California] and is hosted by Mark Wagner & Victor Guthrie. It includes a clip with Katie Canton of Web Wise Kids, telling the story of her experience with a man she fell in love with in a chatroom, only to later discover that he was an online predator.

Copyright primer for school admnistrators, developed by Hall Davidson. This resource is designed to inform school leaders of what they may do under the law. Very helpful document. We use this at all of our CTAP school administrator trainings.

All you need to know about copyright use and citations.

Fictional blog of Harriet Tubman! This blog is the product of a collaboration with a fifth grade class at Dowell Elementary School.

The MacArthur Foundation is exploring how technology is changing kids and learning. This is a great video to use as an introduction at your next workshop.

Be prepared to answer questions when the law seems to make little sense, when a law is inconsequential, when a law is widely ignored, or when breaking the law may serve a higher moral purpose. [Doug Johnson]

Anne Collier wrote this landmark article and thoughtful analysis of Predator Fact vs Myth n her blog in 2007. It was widely cited in the blogosphere, for she was one of the first to articulate the concerns about the media sensationalizing predator incidents while the rapidly escalating problem of cyberbullying was all but being ignored.

Teach copyright from the point of view of the producer, as well as the consumer. [Doug Johnson]

Excellent bi-monthly publication with articles from experts in the field. Two of the recent issues have been devoted to cyberbullying topics. Each issue covers the topics from multiple views.

Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress
This book belongs in every school district! Nancy Willard is Director of the Center for Safe & Responsible Internet Use and a noted expert and speaker on the challenges and legal issues related to technology use in the schools. Her book helps school administrators analyze and intervene in cases involving cyberbullying or cyberthreats. She includes illustrative examples, recommendations for practice, and many practical resources. Available through Amazon.com

Fabulous School Assembly Program! Although the team is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, they travel and give presentations nationwide. They bring a sense of balance to all of the predator-based talks given by law enforcement. The creators of this project are graduates of Stanford's Learning, Design & Technology program and also have a background in film making. They have won numerous awards at local, national and international film festivals for their work and were a huge hit at the California League of Middle Schools Conference, last Fall.

You can see a video clip of Adina's Deck at: adinasdecktrailer

Technology has out-paced the legal system in issues related to cyberbullying in the schools. When a cyberbullying incident happens at your school, how will you handle it? What board policies will protect you? What is appropriate discipline? What kind of documentation do you need? How will you assure a safe environment for your students? Learn from national experts who have studied court decisions related to cyberbullying of students, teachers and school administrators.