Implementing Digital Fluency in the Classroom

Currently, my students use the internet for the majority of their science research. PBL gives us the flexibility to integrate technology into the lessons in order for the students to have a variety of tools to create their projects. My plan to implement digital fluency is to expose the students to various ways of how to search for information effectively. Not only do I want to show them the gains of using technology for academic purposes but I would also like to show them how to use technology to leave a positive, digital foot print regarding their work and creativity.

Digital Health & Wellness

I plan to teach students proper digital health and wellness skills. As suggested in the article The Path To Digital Citizenship http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-path-to-digital-citizenship-andrew-marcinek “the key is teaching kids offline before they jump into an online world”. The objective is to help students understand that their personality and how they behave online needs to match their personality and behavior offline. This article also offers great ideas to teach this concept!!!

Digital Citizenship

I plan to include plans on cyber bullying and also how to access the internet safely. I also want to teach them about how to correctly search for information and cite sources that they have used in their final product. I feel that it is important for students to know that good digital citizens give credit where credit is due and how to behave online.

DC

Digital Citizenship - It is extremely important for everyone to have a clear understanding of digital citizenship.  In advisory, our students will go through lessons that hit on the highlights of what it is and how to become good digital citizens.  It discusses their digital footprint and how important it is to ask questions before sending info out into the world.

Internet Safety & Young Children

When talking to my students about using the Internet, which is very limited since they are so young, I make sure to emphasize the need for them NEVER enter personal information on a website. We talk about the different pieces that fall under personal information. I do this lesson with my students each year when we talk about Internet Safety. I use the Brain Pop, Jr. Internet Safety video with Annie and Mobi so the students have an idea of a computer virus and not sharing their password. I know my students do not use passwords by themselves, however by hearing this information from me it will create a memory which will cause them to pause when asked to enter information on a website in the future. 

Teaching Kindergarten we are learning all about digital access and literacy. Students are learning their rights and abilities and their presence online. Students are also learning about all of the different resources they have online for learning and exploration.

Digital Citizenship

For the past two years I have been co-teaching a lesson with our IT specialist about the district acceptable use of technology policy. Middle School technology TEK 5 concerns digital citizenship. It states that  students should be shown how to practice safe, responsible, legal, and ethical behavior while using technology tools and resources. After doing a sort activity, we talk about related issues: how to properly care for technology so that everyone can use it when they need to, proper network and email etiquette - what is acceptable and what isn’t. Even though they sign a copy of the agreement at the beginning of the year, many students are surprised to find out what it actual says. Students don’t realize, for example, that district email belongs to the district, and that any emails sent using that account can be accessed and read by district personnel. This is a great lesson to learn early, however, as most workplace email accounts are set up exactly the same way. As our school is pretty technology-rich, we are asked to go over this lesson with all three grade levels every year. For next year we are planning on videotaping scenarios related to the district’s idea of acceptable use. Then we can have students explain whether what was in the video was acceptable use or not, and explain the reason for the rule. I think that it is extremely important that students (especially at the secondary level) understand the why of these rules. 

My students will practice Digital Etiquette when they blog on Kidblog during their stations time. I recently had a training on Kidblog and I plan on implementing it as a part of their readers response, or to have the students blogging about what they are learning in class. The students have to practice etiquette when writing their posts by ensuring that they use appropriate language and also while commenting on other students posts.

Creating Digital Citizens

I have decided to talk about Digital Access. A way that I would incorporate digital access is by doing a social studies lesson. I would begin with talking about how technology involved with pictures and how technology looks now. After view pictures I would integrate it into math and we would take a vote about the different types of technologies we have at home. After looking at the graph we would discuss that we have different resources at our finger tips and why it is important to realize that not everyone has the same things.

I teach a 5th grade engineering class.  The students were asked to post links, pictures, comments to the class padlet.  Prior to starting the assignment we had a discussion about good websites and appropriate information for the group to share.  

Digital Citizenship

Recently as the students had a Bulling presentation, we discuss about cyber bulling.  We discuss about what are the ways we can prevent cyber bulling, and we talk about the consequences.

Digital Citizenship: Etiquette and Safety

The aspect of digital citizenship I tend to incorporate is Digital Etiquette and Safety during student replies to posts on Edmodo specifically, during our vocabulary station. Students post a description of their vocabulary word with a real world example then leave a comment on another student's post.  Etiquette and safety procedure will help ensure meaningful, safe and appropriate comments. 

Regarding Digital Access, I use technology every time I do a lesson. As the librarian, I can focus on technology a bit more than the teachers. Many of our elementary students do not have computers or internet at home. I bring in notebooks or iPads for each lesson so they have the chance to get comfortable using computers. I also make sure I have enough so all of the kids have one in front of them and can do their own exploring/work/practice.

Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship is a daily part of my classes from Kindergarten through 5th grade.  We are always weaving in strategies and suggestions on staying safe on the internet from not talking to strangers to never giving out our personal information online.  I truly believe that the more they hear it, the more it will stick in their brains and they can then help teach others the "rules."  We have practiced digital citizenship with sending emails, watching a video on the "Cyber 5", cyber safety quizzes, creating inforgraphics on cyber safety, etc.

I have and will continue to teach my students digital citizenship as we do various activities and assignments online.  We practice what's appropriate versus what's not appropriate. An extended discussion about the reasons for guidelines/rules/laws online, in the classroom, at home, and everywhere .

Be a Creator- Not a Copy Cat

   When intervening with students in the upper grades I've noticed some of their book reports or research projects have rich language, complex sentences and impeccable spelling. Wow, or should I say hmmmm.....  After conferencing with students it was clear "the talk" was necessary.  Plagiarism- students know what it means and they know they're not supposed to do it, but how do you get them to become creators of their own work and not copy cats of someone's work?   I would like to incorporate portions of a lesson I found on Edutopia.  Since the students know what plagiarism is- I would then want to define respect and citation and discuss when it's okay to use someone's work and how you do it properly (using Google research tools would be a great way to start).

Collaboration

The Tech TEK that I use the most in my classroom, is:

(2)  Communication and collaboration. The student collaborates and communicates both locally and globally using digital tools and resources to reinforce and promote learning. The student is expected to:

(A)  use communication tools that allow for anytime, anywhere access to interact, collaborate, or publish with peers locally and globally;

(B)  participate in digital environments to develop cultural understanding by interacting with learners of multiple cultures;

(C)  format digital information, including font attributes, color, white space, graphics, and animation, for a defined audience and communication medium; and

(D)  select, store, and deliver products using a variety of media, formats, devices, and virtual environments.

The way in which I incorporate this objective, is by having my students participate and collaborate with each other using Edmodo.  This helps us stay in communication with each other, help each other on homework and  share online resources with each other. 

Another way we collaborate with each other, is through GoogleDocs.  Students are able to share input on projects, share projects with others in order to give them insight and ability to use constructive criticism.  

We watched a video on cyber bullying and discussed the repercussions of posting things online and how they never actually go away- even after deleting.

ISTE
Students use digital media and environments to 
communicate and work collaboratively, including 
at a distance, to support individual learning and 
contribute to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, 
experts, or others employing a variety of digital 
environments and media

I have been working with the staff and students so they experience a more collaboratively work method where students interact on line via Google Drive. Most recently, I have started working with students in Discussions (blog) on Engrade where students can work in partnerships and share their thinking as suggested in the Toolkit and Technology book.

We watched BrainPOP on Digital Citizenship. Afterwards we had a class discussion about the what digital citizenship is & why it is important.  

My students created Edmodo accounts and we discussed and practiced proper posting practices.  Students responded to the post "What is a rational number?" for their warm activity.

I did a Privacy Information Lesson this week with a Humanities class. I show two videos from the links you sent. (Thank you) Then I made up a Kahoot Quiz. The students LOVED IT!!!I will do another lesson on Copyright and then do my ILE by having them do a Digital Citizenship poster. Do you have any suggestions on a tool to use for a poster that I could print out. I would like to make it a contest and the best one I would like to hang up in my library. Hope Krum

For homework, I intend on implementing the Going Places Safely lesson to help my students understand how they must be good digital citizens.  This is appropriate for K - 2 students. 

Delectable Discussions

After tasting each course on the menu, reflect on the following questions and respond to at least two other posts from your peers. 

• What communication and collaboration tools did you explore?
• In what ways can you help your students improve their communication and collaboration skills?
• In what ways can you as a teacher use communication and collaboration tools to enhance your own learning?
• Did you have any “aha” moments?
• What was your favorite part today’s training?