Digital Literacy and Citizenship

Last week, I stood in front of a class of 4th grade students and told them, "Today we're going to talk about your very own digital footprint.  Now, what do you think a digital footprint even is?!"  The hypotheses I received we're both comical and enlightening.  "Is it when you scan your footprint into a computer, and a doctor can tell what's wrong with you?" one girl ventured.  "Is it when you put your feet on the computer screen?" another child chimed in.  Eventually, one student raised their hand and guessed, "Does it have to do with information?".  Bingo!  We were getting a little closer.

We spent the rest of the class discussing our digital footprints, and using a Common Sense Media lesson plan to trace the digital trails of Mizzle the Mouse and Electra the Elephant.  I updated the lesson plan slightly to make it a little more difficult for my older students (The lesson is geared towards K-2nd graders).  Students were to review Facebook profiles of the two characters (As opposed to the trail tiles created by Common Sense Media) to discover who had the bigger digital footprint.  By the end of class, we organized our thoughts into information that is appropriate, and inappropriate, to post on the internet.  Next class, I am going to give then a survey and tell them that their answers are going to be turned into a Social Networking profile that will be published on the internet.  None of the fields will be required.  It will be interesting to see just how much, and what kind of, information my students will provide.

I've been cognoscente of my own digital footprint since I made my first social networking profile on MySpace.  Although my parents never lectured me on online safety, I carried common sense real life rules onto the internet.  In real life, I was told never to speak to strangers.  Therefore, I never friended or accepted friend requests from people I did not know.  I didn't wear scandalous outfits in public, and therefore, I would not post one of myself in one on the internet.  I know I may have been the exception to the rule here, but my parents taught me to be a good real life citizen, and luckily, that carried over into the digital world.  Unfortunately, there are many pieces of digital safety now-a-days that may not be translated from common sense lessons (for example, your phone automatically geo-taging photos you take), making the need for digital literacy and citizenship in schools is greater than ever.

In more recent times, I am still pretty careful of what I post online.   I want my digital footprint to represent the best version of me:  Positive, intelligent, caring, etc.  When people Google my name, I want them to see my service learning trip to Nicaragua or these blog posts that promote the positive use of technology.  Like I teach my students, I follow the rule of considering if what I am posting is something that grandma would be proud of.

Digital citizenship needs to be an integrated part of school curriculum in grades K-12.  If students are playing with tablets and smartphones at this young age (and many are!), they need to understand what they are connecting to.  We are at a critical point in time where students are consuming media that their parents have never grown up with, and therefore, may not understand its nuances and possible dangers.  If we are going to use technology effectively in schools, we need to teach our students how to use it, and how to behave when connecting to the wider world on the internet.  As teachers, we are told that we are teaching "digital natives" that understand the world of technology.  This could not be further from the truth.  Our students, now more than ever, need specific instruction in how to both use technology effectively, and more importantly, how to keep safe and be constructive contributors to the digital world.

References

Follow the Digital Trail (K-2). (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2015, from 

           https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/follow-digital-trail-2-3

The Role of a Technology Integration Specialist

 Technology and its related tools (smartphones, computers, laptops, tablet, smart this and that, etc), are being developed so rapidly that it's not uncommon for a particular piece of technology to become obsolete within a year or so.  Sure, your iPod mini may still be functional, but who wants to use that when you have an iPhone that can play your music and so much more.  Now, how do we educate students who have come accustomed to holding a whole world of information in the palm of their hand?  I believe it is the job of the Technology Integration Specialist to work with teachers to create learning objectives that are not "Googleable".  After all, isn't that the whole point of technology in schools?  We should be using technology to help our students create media and use critical thinking skills to solve real world problems.  Now this is definitely a paradigm shift from the teacher being the holder of knowledge.  In this type of classroom, the teacher needs to give students the freedom to think, create, and come up with those important questions that they're use to simply answering.

In order to accomplish this, a TIS must be familiar with content standards, and work with teachers to integrate ISTE and/or state framework technology goals into the different content areas.  By conferencing with content area groups and speaking with teachers about how they teach their curriculum, the TIS can start to brainstorm ideas with teachers as to how technology could make learning goals more accessible to students.  Through these conversations, the TIS can also help teachers create lessons that shift the paradigm from teacher centered, to student centered.  Instead of the teacher giving a lecture on how to add fractions, have students break up into groups and create their own presentations.  Students can watch videos on the process and look at other teacher selected resources, then remix those ideas into their own lecture.  The TIS can be an integral part of this process.

I believe the TIS also plays an important role in helping teachers use technology for assessment.  While this is a crucial part of the lesson planning process, I wanted to separate this role out from that umbrella because of its importance.  There are an abundance of tools out there to help teachers assess students in both formal and informal ways.  There are games (Kahoot!) that will save student data and send it right to your Google Drive to review.  My students use to beg me to play these assessment games, and who can say no to a game that helps students learn and simultaneously gives incredible feedback to help teachers reflect on their teaching and student achievement.  These games like Kahoot and Socrative show students what they know, and like the MacArthur Foundation video stated, "They want to be measured-  The want to see how much they are improving".  Technology allows teachers to measure student progress at the click of a button- literally.  This allows teachers to take more snapshots of student progress, which in turn enables teachers to create learning opportunities that are more tailored to a particular group of students.

Ideally, the TIS is collaborating with teachers to help create this paradigm shift by integrating technology.  Some teachers, however, may just need the TIS to play the role of a coach that they can bounce ideas off of.  Others may want to plan with the TIS, but may not need them present to teach a lesson.  A few may just want you to fix their projector, and while you may do so with a smile to help form a trusting relationship, you should also kindly remind them that the next time it happens, it's best to send an email to the IT department.

For me, the argument around technology shouldn't be if students need to "power down" and stow their devices when coming to school, but rather, how can teachers and schools empower students to use technology in appropriate ways for learning.  It is the role of the Technology Integration Specialist to be a leader in answering that question.

References

Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner | MacArthur Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2015, from http://youtu.be/c0xa98cy-Rw