Digital Citizenship in Schools

"In today's world of near-ubiquitous connectivity, in which ordinary people have almost instantaneous access to unlimited stores of information and the ability to interact with anyone, anywhere, anytime, what does it mean to be an effective citizen? What skills and knowledge do our students need to participate fully in a world transformed by technology? What role should our schools play in developing effective digital citizens? "

Turn students into question marks!

""Digital citizenship" is an umbrella term that covers a whole host of important issues. Broadly, it's the guidelines for responsible, appropriate behavior when one is using technology. But specifically, it can cover anything from "netiquette" to cyberbullying; technology access and the digital divide; online safety and privacy; copyright, plagiarism, and digital law, and more. In fact, some programs that teach digital citizenship have outlined no less than nine elements that intersect to inform a well-equipped digital citizen. It's an overwhelming array of skills to be taught and topics to explore."

VideoAmy explores the topic of digital citizenship with this playlist of videos on the importance of online safety, manners, privacy, and responsibility.

Useful list to of sites to explore when discovering more about copyright and fair use.

I don't know whether this site has already been posted for this group. If you're like me you can be overwhelmed by the number of apps available and wonder when you will find the time to preview them all. You may also have your administator reminding you of the cost of apps and recommending that you seek out free versions wherever possible. On the OZTLNet, Mal Lee recommended talking to other schools about what they had found successful. This site provides links to ten more sources where apps have been previewed, used and evaluated.

eEtiquette is a simple site that exists for the purpose of sharing electronic etiquette tips. The tips cover everything from email etiquette to social network etiquette to cell phone etiquette. Although the title says there are 101 guidelines there are actually more than 101 guidelines on the site now. Some of the best etiquette guidelines are available on a free poster that you can download from eEtiquette.

"Below you can find links to sites that address these topics of safety and copyright, that students, parents and educators can find useful:"

Social media is fast becoming as ubiquitous as the air we breathe. In recent months, many schools and districts around the country have taken steps to create social media policies and guidelines for their students and staff. In my work with several districts to draft these documents, I have seen many approaches that work well, and some that don't. That said, there is no silver bullet for administrators; every school, district, and state has a different set of circumstances. With that in mind, here are some steps that will help you determine the best approach for your own community.

How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School http://t.co/11t78TNg8g

"This is a great list from Deb Ng, founder and former owner of the Freelance Writing Jobs. I thought hard about what she'd written to see if I could add anything, enhance or disagree. You have to teach internet safety. It's not part of the human genome. Nothing. It's a great list, as good as any I've seen since social media exploded on the education landscape. Read and take note:"

"LIKE it or not, your relationship with Google is becoming a lot more intimate. The company recently expanded its ability to combine data from its various services to create a highly detailed profile on you. Google says it's doing that to simplify its privacy policy and improve your experience on sites such as Gmail, Picasa, Google Plus and YouTube. But there's a business reason, too. Google gets a chance to use the data it collects to tailor ads that align more precisely with your interests, and those personalised ads are among the most lucrative for the company. Before getting too worked up, it's important to understand what's happening.

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?

"Sometimes we don't manage this monster of content as powerfully as we might. Though there are many others, here are an assortment of tips and tricks that may improve your YouTube experience"

"Social experiences require multiple players and so does safety. We all need to do our part. These resources are here for teens, parents, and teachers to learn more about how to use Google+ in a fun, smart, and safe way. We're glad you are here! "

Kathy Shrock is a well-known commentator on Web 2.0. Here she has assembled various ipad applications that support each of the levels in Bloom's Taxonomy.

Joyce Valenza's presentations

Lots of people are a-buzz about the things Joyce Valenza has to say. This wiki has her presentations in slideshare format - brings back memories (of ETL523), but also contains some really useful info and resources.

Lessons help students understand what's at stake with copyright.

"I wish I could say that teaching students about copyright is easy, because in a world where digital tools are making creating and sharing content easier than ever, understanding copyright is incredibly important. But intellectual property law is exceedingly complex, making even a nominal introduction to the ideas surrounding copyright -- copyright law, fair use, the public domain -- a challenge. "

"Consumption of digital content has become a daily part of teen and pre-teen students' lives and teachers around the world are looking to keep pace with educational resources about Digital Citizenship, according to a 2011 survey conducted by the National Council for Digital Citizenship (NCDC). NCDC conducted a survey of International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) members last April to gain insight into educators' understanding of digital citizenship and classroom needs. More than 1,200 respondents completed the survey. The results were notable"

"You don't have to be running for president to care about your online reputation. Almost everything you do online is easy to track, especially when you're using social media sites. This infographic shows you how to manage your "e-reputation," perhaps saving you some embarrassment, or even your career. Gathered by digital marketing firm KBSD, it's a treasure trove of tips, techniques and information about what companies and individuals are looking for inside your personal profiles and social information, and what you can do to show off your best side to those who might want to find out unflattering things about you. It's not too late to protect yourself and polish up your online image. So now that you've grown up (you have grown up, haven't you?), this would be a good time to do a bit of backtracking, cleaning up those mistakes you made in the past as much as you can, and at the same time, keeping an eye on your online behavior so there won't be anything to hide in the future."

"Do you act correctly when using social networks? Check out the video and get valuable safety tips . Get full list of do's and don'ts at http://eu.computers.toshiba-europe.com/innovation/generic/toshiba-mcafee-news..."

As upstanding "Citizens," we need to be contributing participants of our physical communities - our schools, neighborhoods, cities, states, countries and the world. Likewise, as exemplary "Digital Citizens," we must learn how to navigate a variety of digital/cyber/online communities. It is only by developing a clear sense of both our rights and our responsibilities that we can become fully engaged and contributing "Citizens" of all the communities in which we find ourselves. ~Natalie Bernasconi & Gail Desler We've created the Digital ID wiki to provide students, teachers, and administrators with a toolkit of reliable information, resources, and guidelines to help all of us learn how to be upstanding Digital Citizens who maintain a healthy Digital Identity (ID) in the 21st Century.