#Digital Citizenship

“We need not only to educate our children on the issues that are occurring with technology but provide resources for our teachers and parents as well.”-Mike Ribble.

The article “Passport to Digital Citizenship” in a broad sense is about the importance of continuity and consistency between home and school usage of technology. Mr. Ribble expresses that it is one thing to know how to utilize a new technology, but knowing how to use it appropriately and in a responsible manner is another concept entirely. NETS-S defines Digital Citizenship as the following; Students understand human cultural and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. In general terms I see digital citizenship as a continuation of being a good citizen period.

We have all seen the sexting scandals, cat fishing, identity theft cases, online bullying stories wherein it is pointed as the reason as to why some youth have committed suicide and most recently a case wherein a terrorist organization called ISIS has targeted social media pages of military members children. An important part of digital citizenship is not just being polite and kind, but as well being smart about what one lets out into cyberspace from a security standpoint. Over sharing is also a concern in the digital age. # I ate breakfast # I hate school # I hate my job...Children need to be made aware that their digital footprint is one that can be seen by future employers and school admissions boards. There can be a connection made between how the youth utilize technology and whom they are as a person. In my opinion part of teaching digital citizenship in schools should be seen as an extension of character education. While this article did not make the connection between character and usage of technology; it did break Digital Citizenship into nine elements.

The nine elements are as follows:

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             Digital Access: Do all have access to participate in the digital world if they choose to do so? This harkens back to the discussion of inclusive schools and the topics of the have’s vs have not’s in terms of districts whom have more access to tech than other districts.

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      Digital Commerce: Are the students aware of how to safely exchange money for goods and services online. For example; do they know the difference between http&https? One is a secured site one is not.

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             Digital Communication: Are the students armed with the communication skills that will transcribe into the digital arena in an effective and appropriate way?

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             Digital Literacy: Do the students know when and how to use certain technologies and do they share these lessons with their peers?

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       Digital Etiquette: Do they act in a proper manner and communicate in a respectful manner. Do they think before they rant on a digital source? To they take other people into account?

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              Digital Law-With technology comes another form of responsibility. Are the students aware of laws associated with technological content etc? What comes to mind; plagiarism and  IP protections.

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              Digital Rights and Responsibilities-This explanation was a bit on the social action side for me. It asks if students are ready to protect the rights of others to defend their own digital rights. This statement is a bit vague and needs to be expanded and honed into a specific context. I would say the real point would be do students realize the freedom extended to all digital tech users and are they aware there are behavioral standards that coincide with these freedoms?

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             Digital Health and Wellness- Are users aware of the psychological and health risks that comes with using technology. For example; high school students and “Instagram likes.” With technology and social media apps many teens are falling into the fallacy that social media is the real world and that “likes” equate to their value as a person.

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             Digital Security-Are they aware of the importance of protecting their personal information? For example the importance of changing passwords regularly and to pick strong passwords. As well, never give out personal info online to strangers.

He as well talks about how learning is a cycle and not really a destination. Technology evolves and expands and thus so must we. I agree with his premise that home and school must be on the same page when it comes to digital citizenship. He suggests utilizing a four stage framework to teach and learn digital citizenship. Those stages are; Awareness, Guided Practice, Modeling and Demonstration and Feedback/Analysis.

When reading this four stage model the question that I am left with is how does he suggest the school and classroom ensure continuity with the usage at home? He talks about how it’s important to have an open learning environment so that students can explore technology wherein mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn. I concur with that point.  Again, I would like to hear his plan on how he would suggest a school reach each parent to make sure the access at home to technology is not an unbridled access, but one that is monitored and guided by the parents in accordance with school suggestive guidelines? As a parent I can tell you having an open technology forum does not see huge success. The parents who are involved are the ones you see at everything from assemblies to field trips. It’s the parents you never see at school that you need to reach out to. I would have like to have seen him suggest ways to form effective partnerships between teachers and parents in terms of technology.

When reading this article I was attracted to the importance of digital etiquette,digital law, digital responsibilities and digital health and wellness. Overall this article made some very good factual points.  I would like to promote a part time reverse classroom concept wherein the parents can actually see what the children are learning and doing online. As well a classroom blog that weekly sends out email reminders on what is being covered in class as well as technology  responsibility reminders that will have “read” notifications to solidify all households receive the information adequately. 

 Digital Citizenship goes beyond the actual “know how” when it comes to using technology. It’s the knowing of how to use it effectively and responsibly. How will you guide your students in the digital realm? How will you ensure that your students are acting responsibly without infringing on their privacy rights? I am an advocate for teaching Digital Citizenship in schools. I am also an advocate of teaching character education and I see a direct connection between the two. With a world that is seeing and increase in social disorders I feel that #10 rule of digital citizenship should be: Manage your time online wisely and do not let it over take your classroom or your life. Balance the new technology with face to face interaction.Technology is great as long as it is not solely depended on or overused wherein it surpasses human interaction in the classroom.

References: Ribble, M. (2008). Passport to Digital Citizenship. In digitalcitizenship.net. Retrieved October 14, 2014, from www.digitalcitizenship.net/uploads/LL2008DCArt.pdf

Assitive Technology

Assistive Technology Tool Box for Students with Special Considerations

                               

While technology may have it’s down falls, for example; privacy rights issues and concerns of it creating a generation of face to face socially inept and disconnected citizens there are indeed some benefits to it. Technological apps can bridge gaps for those who come to the education table with IEP’s, disabilities, special considerations and learning difficulties.

Reading and acquiring the use of language properly as a means to effectively communicate with peers and adults can be a struggle for many children. This can not only affect their interpersonal relationships down the line but as well it affects their academics. With schools seeing a large increase in students who have been identified as needing extra assistance; technology apps have opened an alternative door for these students to explore. According the Kelly Ahrens, a technology director for the East Providence School District, “You can instill independence and confidence in students with special needs by finding tools and working with your IT department.”

 

With that said, it will and can be a challenge to install these tools as it requires a cohesive effective partnership between teacher and the districts IT team. Every school year a new set of children and each one is unique and one app may not benefit one student but may benefit the other. In order to insure expediency it is important to quickly identify the needs of the students within the first few weeks of class and immediately work with the IT team. My suggestion would be form a very good relationship with these IT people. A little coffee drop off early in the morning on the way to school as a Thank You may be a great way to aid your students and the bonus is the team feels appreciated.

The piece Kelly  Ahrens wrote goes over technology details that gives teachers useful information and insight into the process of app adding etc from the perspective of the IT team side. While I found that to be helpful, I did not find it to be the best part of the article.

                                 

The most informative section covered accessibility opens to tools such as magnifying tech for those who need visual assistance. Narrator and voice over systems that allow books to be read as well as words highlighted as to assist in word recognition and pronunciation. Voice recognition systems that allow students who have writing difficulty get their thoughts out. I have personally seen the voice recognition aspect do wonders. I taught a Special Day class for many weeks and I recall one boy whom really was able to communicate himself utilizing this program. I first hand saw the confidence building as he smiled when he recorded his story and then had the voice over system read the story he created to his classmates. They loved the story and he was so very proud. His eyes could have lit up even the darkest of rooms at that moment. 

The big take away from this article I would say would be the following points;

-Know you students and asses their needs immediately and frequently.

-Search and seek out new tools and apps on a regular basis in order to serve your students in the best manner.

-Understand the perspective of the IT team and know that there can at times be some challenges legally and other wise when it comes to adding new programs etc.

-Build a good relationship with your IT team so that you can serve your students and be able to add applications quickly without wasted time. 

Technology has it’s drawbacks and at times the movement of technology into schools can be a slow process. But, it greatly increases the confidence and abilities in those students who prior to technology had a much more difficult time progressing academically, socially and emotionally. Be proactive, be innovative, know the apps and know your students!

Please click on the below link. It depicts how Assistive Technology has made a positive impact for one amazing student. It is her personal expression on how it has opened up her world. It was submitted to The White House Student Film Festival.                             http://youtu.be/WELoJutEYHo

References:

Ahrens, K. (2011, November). Building and Assitive Technology Tool Kit. Learning and Leading with Technology, 22-24.

Universal Design

Universal Design Of Instruction

Sheryl Burgstahler Ph.D, a professor from the University of Washington wrote a piece about the topic of “Inclusive Learning.” She covers the topic of Universal Design of Instruction by providing what is essentially a step by step guide revealing the goals, the process and the implementation of such by touching on the importance of classroom climate, the interaction between students and their teacher, the physical environment and the delivery methods of the curriculum.

Universal Design is all about ensuring equitable, easy access to learning regardless of socioeconomics, demographics, and ability levels physically or mentally and it takes into account the idea that we all truly engage in learning in different ways thus we all don’t learn the same way and facilitating education must take that into account in order for students to thrive. I appreciated the detial she went into under the section, "Communication Hints." She addressed the issue of people with disabilities.It seems as though more and more students are sprouting up with issues that could impair their ability to learn. UDI takes them into account directly. The author states that the concept of UDI can be seen as a goal, process or set of practices. The way I interpret UDI is that in actuality it encompasses all three of those viewpoints in terms of attacking the UDI frameworks.

While this article was a very dry almost step by step article intended to disseminate information on a “how to” level; what I took away from it was more conceptually based. Here is what I took away from the article; 

Diversity is not just a descriptor for a population. It is moreover a reality. Diverse learning abilities, diverse mind sets of students, diverse instructors. 

A GOOD TEACHER must take this diversity into account when setting up a curriculum. Education has shifted from instructor centered to student centered.

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     An EFFECTIVE TEACHER will be able to understand the process of engaging with students from all backgrounds and be able to turn those differences into positives for each student. This falls under the category the author refers to as, “Define the Universe.”

     
     A ENGAGED teacher will be not only be friendly and outgoing during face to face contact but as well through online engagement. He/She will also make the content of the curriculum be relevant in the sense that it allows for personal selfish learning. That phrase is actually my own coined term. By that I mean is that how you present and access the content of the curriculum it should be in a way wherein a student can relate to it on a personal, almost selfish level. They can relate, digest and recall content that they can hold as personally connective and significant.

      
       Following the UDI concept is very reminiscent to guides put forth by Psychologists deemed as “keys to a successful relationship.”

-Accept people for who they are

-communicate effectively

-Interact, be welcoming and be present

-Don’t assume you know, don’t stereotype

-Motivate, Support and Encourage

…….UDI is essentially a goal that says , “Form a successful relationship with each individual student.”

On a micro, less conceptual level the article details how UDI guidelines promote the creation and implementation of curriculum that increases educational access to all students; breaking down barriers. I can see technology in the classroom as being a direct connect to the UDI guidelines. Teachers who have a positive online presence can open up so many doors for students that are not available in Perennial style classrooms. Speaking for myself I have printed out the UDI and I plan on referencing it later and draw focus and inspiration from it when I set up my High School classroom. I will be teaching Social Science and PE. One way I plan on merging technology and the UDI together with Social Sciences is by posting weekly video clips that will connect to each student on a emotional inspiring level and connecting it to historical events or time periods in which I am covering. For example I can see how utilizing the video clip can connect to all backgrounds…because all people can relate to a time when they felt like they wanted to give up. This clip connects to so many historical stories of the building of this country. So utilizing technology, connecting it to curriculum which is UDI driven can essentially take learning to not only an open access level but also it makes learning for each child a very personal engaging experience. 

References:  Burgstahler Ph.D, S. (2012). Equal Access:Universal Design of Instruction. In Do-It. Retrieved October 3, 2014, from http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/equal_access_udi.html