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"Following small-scale trials, Korean officials are reportedly moving forward with a plan to install remote management software on students' smartphones. iSmartKeeper is an app that restricts what services and apps students have access to. With the app installed, teachers have the ability to lock phones down in one of six modes. Educators can choose to lock all of the phones in the school, allow only emergency calls, allow only phone calls, allow calls and SMS, or turn off specific apps. The idea is to prevent distractions in class, and iSmartKeeper can also allow access to only a single app, ensuring that educational apps can still be used as teaching aids."

This is a digital book published in February ,2104. It is about the connected classroom and how to use it to engage students both locally and globally.

"Teachers in Cherokee County Schools feel it is vitally important to teach children about the issues our digital world presents as we use technology in the classroom. But teachers cannot do it alone, parents can reinforce what students learn in school by practicing safe Internet use at home. These web resources will help you learn more about being a good digital citizen and how to keep children safe online."

""Research demonstrates that many youth are disengaged from traditional forms of civic and political life but are very engaged with new media," said Mills College Professor of Education Joseph Kahne, the author of the study. "Our study findings strongly suggest that there are ways to build on their engagement with digital media to foster engagement in civic life." The study debunks the notion that young people, because they are growing up with technology, are so-called "digital natives", who naturally learn to use the Internet for information and discourse. Most young people, in fact, have a lot to learn about using online information and social media resources to better understand their role in society and politics. The research indicates that Literacy 2.0 education can directly influence young people toward civic involvement and political participation. Teaching new literacies, such as credibility assessment, is essential for supporting a healthy democracy, the report concludes. The findings make a strong case for increased digital literacy programs for both students and parents."

The ongoing changes in technology and the way it is used means all staff, students, and the wider community need to know how to model responsible behaviours as successful digital citizens in real-world contexts. What is digital citizenship? l Discussion l Practical steps l School stories l Resources l Research and readings What is digital citizenship?

The rapid spread of internet use among young people is making it essential to address eSafety and ePrivacy, in order to protect young people from online risks and threats and to prepare them to use digital technologies in a secure and responsible way.

"Internet filters in schools often compromise a teacher's ability to teach, yet at the same time are easy for tech-savvy students to get around, a parliamentary committee on cyberbullying has heard. The Federal Parliament undertook a cyber-safety committee late last week to investigate community concerns about protecting children from bullying online and the measures that could be used to prevent it, such as Internet filtering."

"D.A.R.E. America and iKeepSafe.org have teamed up to create 14 simple activities that teach important internet safety principles to children (4-10 years). Each activity is designed to be used with a parent, teacher, or law enforcement officer or perhaps an older child. Expect about 10 minutes for each activity."

"Nine out of 10 parents believe their kids should be taught about mobile phone and internet safety in school, a new study says. More than a thousand parents were asked about their child's mobile phone use and issues relating to cyber-safety and cyber-bullying by Sweeney Research."

"In collaboration with several content area organizations, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills developed a series of ICT Literacy Maps illustrating the intersection between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy and core academic subjects including English, mathematics, science and social studies (civics/government, geography, economics, history). The maps enable educators to gain concrete examples of how ICT Literacy can be integrated into core subjects, while making the teaching and learning of core subjects more relevant to the demands of the 21st century."

"Kids today seem to be born knowing how to use technology, but they don't automatically understand responsible online behaviour. It's a new challenge parents face - teaching children how to be good digital citizens; how to use technology safely and responsibly, and how to evaluate, manage and use the information and tools they find online. Here are eight areas of digital citizenship that parents may consider and discuss with their children."

"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."

Shelly Terrell offers some useful thoughts on digital citizenship in her 30 Goals blog podcast. Look in the archives for #27 as well, Creating a Digital Presence. There is also a free download of her e-book of The 30 Goals Challenge for teachers.

Great roundup

"Social media and online communication opportunities are important and can have a positive impact on all elements of the teaching and learning process, the school and learning community. We see teachers and other professionals creating networks to share ideas and resources, children and young people crowd source ideas and information. They seek and receive feedback on their work while parents engage more fully with teachers, their children and the school. Furthermore, even if we feel too old or too busy to engage with social media ourselves then we, as teachers, must still be able to model appropriate, safe and positive use of social technology for our learners and the wider learning community."

"Twitter, without a doubt, has become the social network for educators to take their professional development into their own hands. Twitter allows teachers to connect with other educators from around the world, join discussions related to their interests and have a steady stream of resources (to help them teach and learn) available to them whenever, whereever and however. Creating a network on Twitter has catapulted educators to be part of a connected world where learning happens anytime, help is only a tweet away, collaboration partners meet and communicate, conversations that directly or indirectly impact their physical lives take place 24/7. Twitter is helping educators gain many 21st century skills and literacies which could easily transfer to their classrooms."