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"I set out to answer these questions through a study of attitudes, which compared digitally literate students' to digitally-challenged teachers and visa versa. In this study being undertaken at Swinburne University and sponsored by the Wesley College Institute for Innovation in Education, 321 students in years 9 and 10 and 100 educators were surveyed about their attitudes to digital literacy and the use of digital technologies. The schools were co-educational independent schools with laptop programs and significant differences were observed in student and educator attitudes towards each other's digital literacy. The hypothesis, "that there is a disconnect between the digitally capable students and digitally challenged educators in schools with laptop programs, limiting effective use of digital technology in the classroom" was supported in the findings. This has repercussions for educating "net generation" students and implications for the implementation of the National Secondary Computer Fund and National Broadband Network. The disconnect was revealed in terms of attitudes towards technology in the classroom, teaching pedagogy, internet use, adoption of cutting-edge technologies and limitations placed on school laptops and networks. In this study 57 statements were provided to research participants, who were then grouped into four groups: digitally capable students, digitally challenged students, digitally capable educators and digitally challenged educators."

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.

School systems are still being far too reactive in their social media policies (some do not even have one). Outside of schools, students are 'on and connected' to virtual environments and social networks. Teachers must embrace these technologies inside and outside of the classroom to have a meaningful connection with their students and promote collaboration amongst students. Too many improprieties are occurring because the rules of collaboration are unclear and the power of online collaboration and communication goes untapped. Parents, teachers, and school leaders have a responsibility to guide students through understanding the characteristics of a global digital citizenship. "

"This Media 21 LibGuides chronicles the learning experiences of 10th Honors Literature/Composition who have participated in a 2009-10 learning initiative, Media 21, at Creekview High School. This program, spearheaded by school librarian Buffy Hamilton and English teacher Susan Lester, provided students a learning environment facilitated by both Hamilton and Lester in which Hamilton was "embedded" as an instructor. Media 21, rooted in connectivism, inquiry, and participatory literacy, emphasized students creating their own research "dashboards" and portals and the creation of personal learning networks to help students engage in their learning experiences and to evaluate a diverse offering of information sources more critically. This guide is also documenting the 2010-11 Cohort 2 of Media 21 and the learning experiences of both the students and the teachers."

"Now is the time to start thinking about what *you* are going to do to educate your students about cyberbullying, digital citizenship, online responsibility, and overall safety. A key to any educational effort is consistent reinforcement of the messages you want students to incorporate into their daily lives. Convening an all-school assembly on these topics once each schoolyear is not sufficient. But bringing up online issues even for just a few minutes regularly (daily!) can be very effective. No matter what your area of teaching expertise is, you can talk about digital citizenship. When it comes to educating your students about online issues, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. There are tons of great resources freely available on the web. You already know about our site, but in case you haven't explored it fully, below are just a couple of examples of activities you can incorporate into your classes. "

"I've been following the unfortunate story of Alexandra Wallace. If you haven't heard about it, here is a quick summary: Miss Wallace, a student at UCLA, posted a video rant on the internet complaining about Asian students talking on their cell phones in the library. In the video, Miss Wallace mocks the Asian students' speech and makes other racially insensitive remarks. The video went viral - people were outraged - Miss Wallace received all sorts of scorn in various forms from parody videos (the one below with over 3 million views) to death threats. She then apologized and withdrew from UCLA. In her apology, Miss Wallace said, "I could write apology letters all day and night, but I know they wouldn't erase the video from your memory, nor would they act to reverse my inappropriate action." She is correct, and that is precisely the lesson we should be reminding and reinforcing with our students - it is difficult, if not impossible , to take something back that you post on the internet."

"While students and teachers alike are anxious to integrate new learning tools into the classroom, we must err on the side of caution. It is our responsibility to empower our students by giving them the fundamental lessons in digital citizenship. Like basketball, students must enter the world of social media and digital media with a good defense. They must understand the repercussions of irresponsibly using social and digital media and what affects it may have on their future."

"Mobile devices are now found in the hands of most children, and school leaders are using that to their advantage by incorporating devices that students already own into classroom lessons and projects. Concerns remain about students who are unable to purchase or borrow a device for use in the classroom, but districts might find creative ways-such as asking local businesses or community organizations for help-to provide devices in such instances, advocates of the trend say. With access issues in mind, allowing students to bring their own devices from home can offer educational benefits, as well as some surprisingly positive results when it comes to creative thinking and classroom behavior."

It's interesting that the school districts mentioned in this article are embracing "BYOT", while other schools around the world continue to clamp down on students' tech use, banning devices instead of educating about ethical use.

We have devised an interactive curriculum aimed to support teachers of secondary students (approximately ages 13-17). The curriculum helps educate students on topics like: YouTube's policies How to report content on YouTube How to protect their privacy online How to be responsible YouTube community members How to be responsible digital citizens We hope that students and educators gain useful skills and a holistic understanding about responsible digital citizenship, not only on YouTube, but in all online activity

Increasingly, students need to acquire the important skill of critical thinking. Content is growing exponentially on the web, and students are exposed to increasing amounts of erroneous material, misleading, biased or opinionated accounts and false research. During the last week I have been thinking about how teachers can address this issue. One of the new digital literacies students need to acquire is the ability to distinguish the good from the bad content. How do we instill these critical skills in our learners?

"That was the question I asked my students this fall and the answer I got surprised me. Students increasingly aren't going to the premium information services we've set up for them through our school library. They might not even be inclined to go elsewhere on the Web. Instead they often turn to Apps for their information. From The Elements to NASA, from National Geographic to the National Science Foundation there is a wealth of credible content in the App Store, but if students are using this information in an academic setting how do we help them correctly document and cite these sources? "This is a case of technology being ahead of the Modern Language Association," said my colleague Stephen Freeborn, longtime English teacher, but together with our school librarian we found a work-around hack that gets the job done."

"Planet Nutshell produces short animated videos to explain products, services, and concepts. One of their series of videos is all about the Internet and Internet safety for K-12 students. The series is called NetSafe and it has 17 episodes that were produced for the Utah Education Network. The videos are labeled with grade levels so that students in high school don't watch videos designed for K-3 students. "

John, thank you so much for this post and introducing me to this wonderful site! I love it!

"In this digital world, opportunities for education are available like never before. Though teachers using online tools are empowering students take part in their education, they may also expose them to inappropriate material, sexual predators, and bullying and harassment by peers. Teachers who are not careful with their use of the sites can fall into inappropriate relationships with students or publicize photos and information they believed were kept private. For these reasons, critics are calling for regulation and for removing social networking from classrooms -- despite the positive affects they have on students and the essential tools they provide for education in today's digital climate. "

Hence more reasons why teachers must be well read and prepared and willing to work with a team/committee to help solve the issues of safety, legality and ethical behaviours before working on their school DLE.

"Munroe and Collins have joined a list of teachers and professors nationwide who have found themselves in hot water for expressing their views through blogs and social media. Both were critical of students, though neither used students' names. Some educators who blog or use social media as part of their teaching argue that when done right it can provide tremendous benefit. They say students will need to be proficient and should learn to use such tools responsibly."

"At Clarence Sansom we believe that students should have access to computers, other technology and the internet to assist them in their learning. As of fall 2011, students may bring their own digital devices to school (with school permission) and may use these devices in the classroom (with teacher permission). Non-instructional and unsupervised areas such as hallways, washrooms and change rooms are designated as digital "no-zones". The library is a digital "go zone". Students will be allowed to use digital devices in this area during non-instructional time under direct supervision and with teacher permission. "

Thursday, April 21, 2011 Cybersmart has released new lesson plans about sexting for both middle and upper secondary students. Sexting is the sending of provocative or sexual images or messages generally using a mobile phone. Sexting can have serious social and, increasingly, legal consequences for students.

I plan to do social media for my assignment but with an emphasis on learning. This, on the other hand, is a comprehensive blueprint of how schools can use a facebook page to keep in touch with its community. It's an easy-to-use addition but not a replacement for "a robust website". Worth reading as he discusses the sort of information that might be included and how schools can control the use and misuse of that information.

"It makes sense to have a policy to discourage individual teachers from posting specifics about their students to their personal profiles. But schools should counterbalance such a policy by setting up a Facebook Page to represent the school. Students, families, and faculty members are going to use Facebook regardless of whether or not schools choose to do so. By setting up a Facebook Page, schools can establish a controlled, professional presence that allows them to capitalize on this social space in many important ways, while still protecting their students. It's important to note that while a Facebook Page is an excellent opportunity for schools to supplement their web presence, it doesn't fully replace the benefits of a robust website. Here are some ways that schools can benefit from establishing an effective Facebook presence."

"The St. Thomas Aquinas School digital pilot project has opened the door to allow students to use personal electronic devices throughout Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools." "Before we turn the switch to allow students to access the network with their devices, schools need to take that time to work with students on responsible digital citizenship," said Mason. Teachers, as well, could need more professional development to allow for incorporating the devices in the classroom."

"Plagiarism is nothing new. Students have been plagiarizing far before the Internet was widely available - whether it was copying from the encyclopedia or hiring professionals. But the Internet and the explosion of online resources has made it easier for students to get to those resources. You'll find a number of websites geared specifically to cheating - sites where you can buy papers, for example. But even if students opt not to pay-to-cheat, the Internet does seem to make it easier to lift content. It's as easy as copy-and-paste."

A recent article by Lauren Davis in the Schoology (LMS) website that unpacks a survey of 16000+, mostly USA teachers, about the impact of digital learning. It includes some interesting insights into enablers and barriers for DLE. A good starting point for the 523 Assessment 3 environmental scan.