Thing 11: Digital Tattoo & Digital Citizenship

Digital Tattoo & Digital Citizenship-another title that totally reeled me in.  As an elementary librarian I am one of the main teachers of Digital Citizenship for my students.  The other part of the title, Digital Tattoo I have never heard of, so I knew this "thing" was for me.   Here goes!

Digital Citizenship is part of our library curriculum and I copied the pertinent pieces from it below:

K:  Understand computers/ technology resources as a tool to enhance learning

  Understand an age appropriate concept of internet and computer safety

1st grade:  Understand an age appropriate concept of internet and computer safety

2nd grade:  Begin to use age appropriate databases and other online sources

Understand an age appropriate concept of internet and computer safety

3rd grade:  Utilize online resources for research, including databases, search engines, websites
Evaluate print and online sources and cite sources
Introduce digital literacy and staying safe online

4th grade:   Use effective search strategies to locate appropriate websites--website evaluation
Begin to use and understand the research process--source selection, note taking,
graphic organizers, sharing and displaying information, works cited
Understand an age appropriate concept of internet and computer safety with
digital citizenship

5th grade:   Understand an age appropriate concept of internet and computer safety with
digital citizenship
Build a broader understanding of the research process--source selection, note
taking, graphic organizers, sharing and displaying information, works cited
Fluency in working with word processing programs and presentation programs
Use effective search strategies to locate appropriate websites--website evaluation
Use tools to collaborate with teachers and students in the learning community

I am struggling with how to best present "the concept of internet and computer safety" to my younger students especially, and the requirements for 3-5 are so vague and broad!

Our school has really pushed Common Sense Media and even had a speaker come and get us signed up during one of our opening day Professional Development sessions....for 30 minutes.  (Sorry for the complaining in my last few posts...What I am realizing is that I need a lot more time and practice in so many things!)  So I put it in my 3-5 students hands.  We talked about Digital Citizenship and then I had them explore various sites, review them and then present to the class what they learned. 

Digital Citizenship Presentation
Grade 3-5 Assignment

The lessons went well and the students were very interested and had a lot share and say.  The 3-5 assignment I will be revising and simplifying next year.  They enjoyed it and their presentations were great, but again-just SO MUCH information!  At the end of the lesson I didn't feel that all students had achieved the same skills.

From what I have been reading about and practicing in this lesson and throughout this Professional Development, I know that I need to spend more time looking at what is out there and finding the right resources to share with my students.  A definite work in process.

I do like the term digital tattoo, I think students will be able to understand it a bit better.  This year we talked about digital footprint and did a bulletin board at the beginning of the year about why being aware of our digital footprint is so important.  Now I am starting to plan on my digital tattoo lesson and bulletin board for next year.

Sarah Ludwig's article, "Skills We Can't Teach:  Facilitating Authentic Experiences with Digital Citizenship," was very compelling.  I was reassured when she also talked about how much more time needs to be spent with student and teachers on digital ethics and how hard it is for even an expert like herself to find that time.  Her discussion of the high school and college students and homophily was new to me, but so true.  As a parent of a teenager I was interested to learn about this and it made for a very interesting dinner conversation-I wish he was having these conversations at school!  Again-time.  As a new librarian who sees her elementary students for "40 minutes" a week (subtract at least 15 minutes for book exchange and travel time) I am trying to rethink how I can best use my time to try and fit it all in.  Love of literature and inquiry and digital ethics...oh my!  However, the option of having "technology" separate from library doesn't make sense either....I will keep working on it..

The UBC project was so well organized and impressive.  What a great resource.  I think it might be more  beneficial for older students, what a great wealth of information.  I liked the video and ted talks provided as well as links for each category.

The other article I enjoyed was "What Your Students Really Need to Know About Digital Citizenship" by Vicki Davis.  I was glad to see that she too recommended the Common Sense Media curriculum, as that is what I have been using the most it my school.   I got very sidetracked exploring the Creative Commons site.  Another resource I am so glad to be introduced to.  Again, part of the 9 p's may be too much for some of my elementary students, but a great goal to shoot for.

I spent quite a bit of time looking a the ideas for Classroom Activities and know I will be referring back to it often.  I loved the paper blogging idea Sara Briggs shared in "See Why This English Teacher Says Digital Citizenship Must Begin With Pen and Paper."  What an engaging way to show students what they will be encountering as they interact on social media.   I have explored (and need to keep exploring) Common Sense Media and ISTE, but was glad to learn about Digital Citizenship Education and Edutopia as well.  I liked the links to the different modules and lessons both sites provided and know I will be referring back to them in the coming year.

I have never googled myself so I did so first thing.  I was glad to see the first responses were not me and it was a little jarring to have one of the first things be my obituary!  :-)  I have always tried to keep my online presence private, but it was reassuring to see that I was doing it right.
ohhh...Family Tree Now, was much scarier!  Found all my family members and cried seeing info on my mom who passed away recently.  I know this is something my dad will LOVE as he is big into ancestry and tracing our family.

This was another heavy content "thing" that I will be coming back to again and again.    Building a strong digital citizenship foundation for my students is my job-I'm so glad to have this excellent resource to help me do it properly.