Ad4dcss/Digital Citizenship

The following resources were been compiled by Alec Couros to help high school students understand issues related to digital citizenship such as: cyberbullying, social networking, online safety and ethics, and critical media literacy.

The crackdown on schoolyard bullying in recent years has increased awareness of problems at our public schools involving degrading comments, intimidation and violence. But the problem is still out there and, thanks to the Internet and cell phones, has taken on a whole new dimension. Some of our children are now taunted and harassed not just at school, but electronically with inappropriate text messages, e-mails and Web site postings.

Follow-up blog post about Internet safety with grades 1-4 students.

"Watch the premier broadcast of eSN's Student Video Network (SVN), in which students from across the nation report on recent ed-tech trends and new developments. Eagan High School in Eagan, Minn., reports on AUP enforcement and peer-to-peer file sharing."

Nortel LearniT is an initiative of Nortel Community Relations to prepare teachers, students, and learners of all ages to develop 21st century skills that will provide a basis for their ongoing engagement in learning and personal achievement. Their lesson plans and guides include several lessons on cybersafety, covering topics like spam, hoaxes, cyberbullying, online predation and analyzing web sites to determine validity. The site is translated into multiple languages, including Spanish.

In recognition of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, LOOKBOTHWAYS and CyberPatrol have created four family-oriented Internet safety videos that give parents, educators and others, quick and accessible advice on how to protect children online.

There are hobbyists and there are fanatics. I cannot imagine the pricetag for the computer set up shown here and have to hope that these 11 computers used simultaneously to play world of warcraft are put to "good use" at other times during the day. I also see someone who is online but is not connected with others. To me, if I do things online - I like social spaces because of the "interaction" -- sort of like creating your own friend network of 36 different people and tweeting yourself all day -- sort of Sybil-ish, I think. Addictive behaviors is definitely part of digital health and wellness and helping people know when to draw the line.

As online social networks explode in popularity, administrators wonder: Is it OK for teachers to 'befriend' their students online?

Facebook chief privacy officer Chris Kelly has put out a statement to the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act (KIDS), which President George W. Bush signed on Monday (10/13/08) along with the Protect Our Children Act.

Forward this survey to parents - it is a highlights and glubble joint survey. I'm glad they are looking at this because I know of very few parents who discuss online activities and safety with their child.

Suzie Vesper's wiki on internet safety

Research suggests that it'snot giving out personal information that puts kid at risk. It's not having a blog or a personal website that does that either. What puts kids in danger is being willing to talk about sex online with\nstrangers or having a pattern of multiple risky activities on the web\nlike going to sex sites and chat rooms, meeting lots of people there,\nkind of behaving in what we call like an internet daredevil."

To help everyone understand fair use, The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education was released today by the Center for Social Media in the School of Communication at Temple University.

"The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education," set for release this week, provides a framework for using copyright materials in classroom activities and student projects and lays out what applications are restricted or permitted by law.