Digital Citizenship

What is Digital Citizenship?  Manson Northwest Webster describes it as using technology responsibly, appropriately, and safely.   It's one thing to use a tablet or computer and its apps to learn basic literacy skills.  In fact digital natives are quite adept at just that.  However, learning to create, read critically, use online content responsibly and be a respectful digital citizen are not always skills that can be learned without the guidance of a teacher.

We know students in many instances are much more savvy in using technology than the adults. However, putting technology in the hands of a child at any age does not automatically make them a good digital citizen.  Even at only two years old, my granddaughters know that an iphone, ipad, and a laptop are for communicating, reading books, and playing games.  But obviously they don’t know anything about using technology safely and responsibly.  They will need to be taught what digital citizenship means and given many opportunities to apply it meaningfully as they grow through their years.

Recently an experiment was conducted by the nonprofit organization One Laptop Per Child.  OLPC dropped tablets into a remote Ethiopian village and found that the children, without an adult teaching them, figured out how to use the tablet and in doing so used the apps to learn the English alphabet and basic literacy skills.  But again, there are many levels of using technology.  While these children were able to figure out the basics of the technology themselves, learning to read critically and create and participate online responsibly and safely was not possible without the guidance of a teacher. Sure, we can place a tablet in the hands of children who have never seen print, and they can figure out how to run it. But what happens when and if those children become connected to a global online community?

For many people digital citizenship encompasses much of what they do. With students maintaining and commenting on blogs, uploading videos and engaging in online learning, playing online games, and participating in social communities, it is imperative that they understand their rights and responsibilities when it comes to content creation and consumption, as well as how to conduct themselves socially online. That’s why MNW has a K-12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum.  The district believes teaching students to use technology safely and responsibly is an important part of 21st Century Learning.  All K-12 teachers use this curriculum to embed elements of digital citizenship into their lessons and units so it can be taught explicitly and practiced regularly.

Matt Ivester offers “10 Tests of Good Digital Citizenship”  that may help people of all ages judge their actions and make digital decisions. These are good considerations relative to Digital Footprints that are constantly being made. This resource is via a blog by Marcia Connor of the business world.

Most of you who read this post probably consider yourselves very proficient with technology use. But, after looking at MNW’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum and reading Ivester’s 10 Tests of Good Digital Citizenship, how do you rate yourself in the Digital Citizenship category?  Are you a good Digital Citizen?

Changing Teaching and Learning With 140 Characters

The staff at Manson Northwest Webster uses a variety of social networking tools for teaching and learning, but in conversation among the staff, Twitter stands out as the number one professional learning tool. Learning is part of being an educator, and Twitter has had a tremendously positive impact on the adult learning environment district-wide. The staff has become empowered as they join in on continuous conversations in Twitter that allow them to make connections, share, learn, ask questions, and get answers to improve their own teaching and learning. As I browse Twitter in the evening, it’s not uncommon to see teachers sharing and connecting or participating in live chat sessions such as #elemchat, #sschat, #mathchat, or #edchat just to name a few.

Most teachers were first introduced to Twitter during the spring and summer of 2010 – over a year ago. The early adopters realized this was a gold mine as a supplement to our own district professional development. They soon saw that they had access to other educators around the world and joined in on the daily and self-directed learning. With Twitter, they were able to begin cultivating their own Personal Learning Networks (PLN) of people and information sources.

A year later, results of the Manson Northwest Webster's Technology Integration Survey indicate that over 70% of K-12 teachers are using social networking for professional use on a regular basis. The tool of choice across the district is definitely Twitter. A few examples will help illustrate how teachers use it in their classrooms.

Annie Schreier, a 2nd grade teacher who was once skeptical of Twitter, has now built a valuable PLN. She says, “I have gotten so many ideas from Twitter and found so many dedicated, passionate teachers to follow and collaborate with. When I first joined Twitter about a year ago, I was convinced that it was way too time consuming. After I began using it for professional reasons to help build my PLN, I began to see the benefits and its potential. The opportunities Twitter provides are overwhelming. One of the benefits this summer was joining the #Daily5 hashtag because it allows me to tap into an amazing community of people around the world who discuss, share, and collaborate about reading.”

Mike Richman is a teacher at MNW Jr/Sr High School. Over the last year Mike and I have had many conversations about Twitter and his PLN. He is one of several teachers who have taken Twitter into the classroom and had students use it. Currently he is teaching a leadership class and is now using #leadmnw for his students’ microblogging platform. Through a tweet last year, Mike connected with Shaelynn Farnsworth, an English teacher at BCLUW. Mike elicited Shaelynn’s senior AP English class to talk with his 9th graders as he introduced blogging. Through skype, the seniors taught the freshmen the ins and outs, of blogging. What a powerful lesson!

Jodi Jacobsen, a 4th grade teacher, talks about using Twitter for connecting and collaborating. She says, “I have made many connections with great teachers using Twitter. A few of these connections have led to classroom projects, such as our Skype partners in Ohio. Following hashtags has led to useful websites, resources, and live chats with other 4th grade teachers.”

Christine Sturgeon is the new Teacher Librarian/Tech Integrationist at Manson Northwest Webster. She talks about the value of Twitter for making connections. “Twitter has been indispensible in reaching out to librarians across the state (#iowatl) and the country (#tlchat). Just now, I checked the #iowatl search and a librarian from Solon has a link to U of Iowa football coach talking about being safe online. Perfect as I work on my first lesson plans in elementary tech! I also follow library leaders like Doug Johnson and Joyce Valenza. A Doug Johnson tweet a few weeks ago led me to the ebook program we're now implementing at the secondary school.” Twitter will also be instrumental in a PLN class Christine is co-teaching with high school TAG teacher Kandice Roethler. Students will have Twitter accounts and will use these to reach out to leaders in the field of their study. Without social media it would be nearly impossible to find such specialized instruction, help, information or advice.

And how do I use Twitter? While I depend on it for learning, sharing, and stretching my thinking, it has also become part of the way I do my job. As an example, here is yesterday’s use:

• Shared information and asked questions about the new version of the Iowa Tests
• Asked a question and received input on my district’s APR
• Gave a thumbs up for the new #alignchat, to discuss alignment issues and the Iowa Core
• Had a short conversation with Prairie Lakes AEA Chief Administrator, Jeff Herzberg, about the ROWE pilot he is starting
• Commented on question from MNW’s Leadership Class #leadmnw
• Read and retweeted a blog post by Jason Glass “Learning From International Experience.”

Excitement is in the air as we begin a new school year, and the #mnwcougars hashtag is busy! The staff continues to learn, share, and connect via Twitter. We strive to prepare our students for life beyond school--to be self-directed and independent learners. Twitter is one avenue that helps our staff model that kind of learning,