6 Good Classroom Posters on Digital Citizenhsip

September, 2014
This is a short telegraphic post to share with you this new digital citizenship resource I learned from TechChef4U. Venspired ( a wonderful platform that provides educational posters) has this assorted collection of 6 posters on digital citizenship designed specifically for incorporation in classroom settings. Each of these posters highlight an axiomatic statement that represent the essence of what it means to be a digital citizen. Of course, as Vensdale stated, digital citizenship is not a set of posters to be hang in the classroom walls but is a culture that should be lived by everyone of us. Modelling is an essential component of digital citizenship for it allows students to see in action  the embodiment of the meaning of a digital citizen.

The posters come in different formats which you can access from this link but I would love you to read Venspired introduction annexed to these posters, it's really an excellent read. Enjoy

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

A Must See Visual Featuring The Do's and Don'ts of Digital CItizenship

September 7, 2014
Here is a wonderful infographic I have always shared with teachers during the first back-to-school week. This graphic features 20 of the basic digital citizenship rules. These rules are framed in terms of Do's and Don'ts. You can use it with students to introduce them to the topic of digital citizenship and educate them on the different ways they can properly conduct themselves  on the web.

As a refresher, digital citizenship is "the norms of appropriate, responsible behaviour with regard to technology use."It is the combination of technical and social skills that enable a person to be successful and safe in the information age. Just like literacy and numeracy initiatives which provide people with the skills to ' participate in the work force, digital literacy has become an essential skill to be a confident, connected, and actively involved life long learner.'

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

A Good Interactive Poster on Digital Citizenship

August 20, 2014
Here is a new interactive visual featuring different resources for teaching digital citizenship. What I like  about this visual is that it arranges these resources into two sections one for elementary and the other for secondary. Hovering you mouse over each of these sections will enable you to access the different links embedded in it.

Source: Common Sense Media

This interactive visual is created by ThingLink. Check out this guide to learn more about how to create interactive posters such as the one below.



Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Classroom Posters and Resources for Teaching Students about Digital Citizenship

August 13, 2014
After posting about the iPad apps you should try in the first week of this new school year and after learning about the 26 questions students should be able to answer during this week, now comes the turn to talk to your students about digital citizenship, a concept of high importance for students overall development as good citizens.

Here are some resources I specifically curated for you to use during the first week of this school year.

What is Digital Citizenship ?

Digital citizenship is : etiquette, access, responsibility, using internet effectively, communication, digital literacy, media literacy, search literacy,critical literacy, social media literacy, respect, privacy, appropriate use, sharing, participation, creation, your internet trail, information literacy.

Watch this wonderful video to learn more about digital citizenship

Why teaching digital citizenship to your students?

• It is an essential step to becoming media literate in the 21st century
• It prepares students to navigate the web confidently and safely.
• Identity theft, sexting, cyberbullying, plagiarism, predators
• Presnky, 2010: "…installing ethical behaviour… ought to be our number one concern."
• "students must be 'active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society." ( U.S.Dept. of Education, 2010).
• Students learn about the impact of their digital footprints
• Online misrepresentation can have significant impact
• It helps students think about the ethical dilemmas that happen online everyday
• Students are taught skills to deal with potential incidences of cyberbullying
• It helps students think about their online identities
• Everything you do online leaves a footprint so choose wisely what you share.

Digital etiquette: 

• Only do things online that you would not feel embarrassed telling your parents about. 
• Be polite towards your digital peers and treat them the way you want would want to be treated. 
• When citing or using others productions, always make sure you ask for permission and when granted credit them back as the sources of your information. 
• Participate actively against cuber bullying by reporting to admins instances of potential bullying you would come cross. Only post and share you think have a value if not then don't post. 
• Embrace difference and know that others might hold opposing views. 
• Respect them and debate with them civilly If you share personal staff online ( videos, images) make sure it's only with people close to you and can trust fully.

Digital citizenship posters to use in your class

1- Free Classroom Poster on Digital Citizenship

2- Internet Safety

3- Digital Citizenship poster for young kids

4- Do's and Don'ts of Digital Citizenship

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

10 Great Digital Citizenship Lessons from Google

July 15, 2014
Digital citizenship has a central place in  teaching curricula.It is through educating kids on the appropriate ways to use, navigate, interact,create and share web content that they develop the skills necessary for thriving in a knowledge economy. I have already share here a wide variety of resources on this topic but today I want to draw your attention to these excellent resources from Google.
These are 10 interactive lessons designed by the folks in Google to help students learn more about different themes related to the general topic of digital citizenship. And while all these lessons revolve around YouTube, most of the principles they include could also be projected on any other digital platform.

THINK before you by ToGa Wanderings, on Flickr

Using these lessons, teachers and students will be able to gain useful skills and a holistic understanding about responsible digital citizenship, not only on YouTube, but in all online activity.

Below is a list of lessons, and the recommended flow for delivery. Lessons are designed to fit within 50 minute classes, but can be adapted to fit your schedule:

1- What Makes YouTube Unique
What Makes YouTube Unique - basic facts and figures (40 minutes) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides

Lesson objective: Understand the environment and scale of YouTube

2- Detecting Lies 

Detecting Lies - (35 minutes) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides

Lesson objective: Develop skills of critical analysis when encountering online content

3- Safety Mode
Safety Mode - (5 minutes) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides

Lesson objective : Become familiar with what safety mode is, why you should use it and how to enable it for you and your family.

4- Online Reputation and Cyberbullying

Online Reputation and Cyberbullying - (45 minutes) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides

Lesson objective : Appreciate potential short-term and long-term consequences of irresponsible social networking. Understand what cyber-bullying is and its effects.

5- Policy
Policy - The Community Guidelines (30 minutes) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides

Lesson Objective Understand the dos and don’ts of posting content on YouTube.

6- Reporting content - Flagging
Reporting content - Flagging (20 minutes) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides
Lesson objective: Understand the flagging process, when to flag content on YouTube and how YouTube enforces policy.

7- Privacy

Privacy part 1 - (40 minutes) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides
Privacy part 2 - (50 minutes) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides

8- Copyright
Copyright - (40 mins) - Teacher’s Guide, Slides

Additional resources/Appendix including parent resources - Teacher’s Guide, Slides

You can download the full Teacher’s Guide here.

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

A New Great Digital Citizenship Poster for Your Class

June 16, 2014
Raising a digitally savvy and responsible student does require  explicit modelling  and instruction on how to deal with the vagaries of Internet. In an age where everything you do online leaves  indelible marks (digital footprints)  that can be accessed and viewed by anyone , knowing how and what to share and with whom to share it become digital imperatives that every student should be aware of. This kind of knowledge is at the core of the digital citizenship concept.

In an earlier post here in EdTech and Mlearning I shared a detailed guide on how to help students build a positive digital presence and today I am adding another wonderful resource in, more or less, the same direction. This is a visual I came across in Building Digital Citizens wiki . In this visual are featured some interesting tips to keep students safe while using the net. These tips are arranged into three sections: digital citizenship tips, social media tips, and search engine tips.

Here is a brief overview of some of some the tips featured in this graphic:

Digital citizenship tips:

• Anything you post online can be viewed by your friends, family, teachers, colleagues And strangers
• Once you post it you can't take it back
• Friend only people you know
• Never give your personal information such as phone numbers, address, school name, photos..etc.
• Tell your parents or a trusted adult if something makes you worried or uncomfortable

Search Engine Tips

• Think first about what you want to find on the Internet
• Explore your search options. Don't always pick the first site.
• Not everything on the Internet is true. Check before you believe.

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Awesome Digital Citizenship Poster for Young Learners

May 19, 2014
Digital citizenship is one important element of students digital literacy toolkit. Besides developing digital skills that allow them to access, search for, find, evaluate and synthesize digital content, students, most importantly, need to learn how to stay safe while using the net. They need to learn how to deal with the Internet hazards and how to maintain a good digital footprint. Digital citizenship is not only about online safety but is also about netiquette (online social conventions). Learning what kind of digital content to share, how to appropriately cite digital materials, and how to comment on others work (to mention but a few examples) are all digital practices that should be held in equal footing with online safety procedures.

I have compiled a fabulous resource encompassing a wide variety of materials teachers can use to teach students about digital citizenship which you can access here. Today, I am adding this wonderful poster from Sandy Karas from The Book Fairy Goddess . This poster features some important digital citizenship tips for students particularly young learners. I invite you to have a look and share with your students. Sandy also has a page on Teachers Pay Teachers where she shares some of her wonderful teaching materials. Enjoy

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

A Treasure Trove of Digital Citizenship Resources for Teachers

May 8, 2014
With the increasing use of internet by our kids comes the risks that, if not addressed appropriately, would make this use disastrous. From online predators looming around waiting for their next victim to harassment and cyberbullying, these and several other issues are  waiving a red flag for parents, teachers,and education stakeholders to take an immediate action and make digital citizenship an essential component in the curriculum. Kids need to be aware of these risks and should be taught on how to surf the net safely.

Source: Renee Aguirre

There is a special section here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning where I have aggregated a plethora of resources that teachers can use with their students to teach them about  digital citizenship. And today I come across these wonderful resources compiled by Taryn Degnan from Common Sense Media. I thought about tweeting the link without having to share it here but I know thousands of email and RSS Feed subscribers would miss it. Below is a round-up of all the links Taryn featured in her post. Enjoy

You can also check this great page from Tech Learning that features of 20 essential resources on digital citizenship.


ARTICLES AND ADVICE

• 10 Simple Steps to Internet Safety
• Internet Safety Tips for Elementary School Kids
• Internet Safety Tips for Middle School Kids
• Internet Safety Tips for High School Kids
• Internet Safety: Rules of the Road for Kids
• Tech Talk: Beyond Internet Safety
• Internet Filter Tips
• Help Your Kids Stay Safe and Secure In a Digital World
• Rules of the Road for Parents in the Digital Age
• Social Networking Tips
• Is It Safe to Post Photos of Your Kids?

VIDEOS

• Keeping Kids Safe Online
• Why Online Privacy Matters
• Parents Need Rules, Too
• Is It Safe to Use Location Services?
• Staying Safe and Secure in a Digital World
• Social Media and Kids
• Tech Tip: Checking Browser Histories

BEST-OF LISTS

• Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites
• Educational Websites
• Online Games for Kids 
• Free Online Games for Kids
• Online Games for Girls
• Free Online Games for Girls
• Social Networking for Kids 
• Kids' TV Online 

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .