Blog: Given your student’s grade level and the subject matter you teach, consider how you can teach digital citizenship and specifically digital citizenship as it relates to digital communication. Please provide 3 specific examples on how you might make learning digital citizenship personal for your students. In addition to responding to this question, please review the posts made by your colleagues and respond to 3 of their postings.
The first thought that comes to mind, is that we use ECHO at Napa High as our online school management system. Students use ECHO to read daily agendas, check their grades, submit work, grade each other on collaboration, post comments, etc. Students are on their devices in class on a daily basis. One quick way that I might be able to teach digital citizenship is by providing little “bytes” of information/advice, and/or digital etiquette reminders on our daily agenda. We could have a focus, or theme, for the week, or unit. Of the 9 themes of Digital Citizenship, I would say Digital Etiquette is probably something that most of my high schoolers don’t think about on a regular basis. I found this paragraph, which is taken from the Digital Citizenship Website, very intriguing: “Technology users often see this area as one of the most pressing problems when dealing with Digital Citizenship. We recognize inappropriate behavior when we see it, but before people use technology they do not learn digital etiquette (i.e., appropriate conduct). Many people feel uncomfortable talking to others about their digital etiquette. Often rules and regulations are created or the technology is simply banned to stop inappropriate use. It is not enough to create rules and policy, we must teach everyone to become responsible digital citizens in this new society.” I totally agree with the underlined statement. As a high school teacher and a parent of two teenagers and a tweenager, I find it very uncomfortable talking to, or ‘lecturing’ kids about their digital presence and habits. I often feel like “just another adult telling them what to do” and that many of them tune out when adults start getting preachy to them. It’s a very delicate balance. How do we help teenagers, whose frontal lobes are still developing, to think about possible consequences of their digital use, and risky behaviors? Encouraging students to “self-reflect” before they “self reveal.” It would be beneficial for me to have a discussion with my classes about digital etiquette. I have a really difficult time fathoming how I would teach this in class because I spend most of my curriculum planning time figuring out the math that I’m going to teach. The Common Sense website has realistic “Student Activity Sheets” with plausible scenarios and thought provoking questions to ask students. (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lessons/activity-sheets/en) I could see this being a very personal, engaging way to start discussions about Digital Etiquette and Digital Citizenship in my classroom. I spent about 45 minutes reading almost all 20 of them...my mind was spinning...they’re really cool...how could I fit this curriculum in my already tight school year? My dilemma: whose responsibility is it to teach this material? I’m a MATH teacher?!?!
4 Comments
Jenny
9/17/2016 07:31:47 pm
I like your idea of including 'bytes' of information and reminders on the daily/weekly agendas. That would be a great way to include it in your math class. You raise a great question in wondering what your responsibility in teaching digital citizenship in your math class is. I don't know the answer to that but the important thing is that you are thinking about it. As the younger students are using more and more technology at school, hopefully they will begin coming to you with more knowledge and more thoughtful and responsible digital citizens and reminders will be sufficient.
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Dana Hand
9/17/2016 07:42:35 pm
I appreciate your honesty with grappling with the concept of digital citizenship and your content area. I wonder if any of your colleagues in your PLC would have any ideas? A possible connection that comes to my mind is using the comment area on ECHO to teach how to leave constructive and respectful feedback for each other and for you. Teaching the difference between writing an informal response to their peers vs. a more formal response to their teacher might also be beneficial, while the content of the response would still be math centered.
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9/18/2016 09:20:28 pm
Joe,
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I am digging your idea of using the ECHO agenda to have a daily/weekly/ect byte as a focus. You might start with each of the nine elements, maybe attempt to break them down into parts, focus on one for a week or two.
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