Teachers in Littleton, Colorado - like teachers in many places - are increasingly asking students to read and write online. Free tools like Google Docs have made it easy for students to work on the same piece of writing at home and at school, and have allowed teachers to explore collaborative writing assignments and synchronous editing with students.
In a world filled with digital communication, how do we teach our digital citizens to use social media wisely? Parents are frequently nervous to talk to kids about online safety, relying on the schools to cover it. Teachers, therefore, are often the default catalysts for change as we educate teens on how to use social media: Educate them to become savvy social-media users.
Here in our local district, our students know a little something about birthing a global phenomenon. Earlier this year, on a snowy January day, Fairfax County Public schools stayed open while many other area schools were closed or delayed. Students took to Twitter to express their disappointment and the world took notice.