Group items tagged

Approximately 32 percent of students report being bullied at school. Bullied students are more likely to take a weapon to school, get involved in physical fights, and suffer from anxiety and depression, health problems, and mental health problems. They suffer academically (especially high-achieving black and Latino students). And research suggests that schools where students report a more severe bullying climate score worse on standardized assessments than schools with a better climate. This is all common sense to educators. They have known for decades that students need to be in safe, supportive learning environments to thrive. And the vast majority care deeply about keeping children safe.

There are no secrets online. That emotional email you sent to your ex, the illness you searched for in a fit of hypochondria, those hours spent watching kitten videos (you can take that as a euphemism if the kitten fits) - can all be gathered to create a defining profile of you. Advertisement: Story continues below Your information can then be stored, analysed, indexed and sold as a commodity to data brokers who in turn might sell it to advertisers, employers, health insurers or credit rating agencies.

"Digital Citizenship addresses our digital society and the relevance and importance of understanding and obeying the norms, rules, and laws of this society in our classrooms. Nine elements will be explored: access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights and responsibilities, health and wellness, and security."

"YOUR search history contains some of the most personal information you will ever reveal online: your health, mental state, interests, travel locations, fears and shopping habits. And that is information most people would want to keep private. Unfortunately, your web searches are carefully tracked and saved in databases, where the information can be used for almost anything, including highly targeted advertising and price discrimination based on your data profile."

Another excellent collection of very short videos from Commonsense.org that show how we need to consider a healthy balance in our lives while using technology.

"The aim of the digital citizenship program is to teach members of the school community the responsible use of technology. With iPods, laptops and smart phones becoming an everyday reality for students, the board has decided to embrace technology rather than fight against it."

Digital Citizenship resource created by the governing body of Physical and Health Education in Ontario, Canada. Age-appropriate animation series for Grades 4, 5 and 6.