Teaching Students to be Digital Citizens

There seems to be a great deal of discussion around the term "digital citizenship."  The main idea of digital citizenship has to do with an individual understanding and conducting oneself appropriately with regard to technology.  To better understand digital citizenship we must look at the elements included in digital citizenship.  Curriculum resouces have been developed to assist teachers in preparing their students to use the Internet as responsible digital citizens.

Some of the discussions around digital citizenship talk about how students require leadership to understand the power they hold at their fingertips in the form of technology (Ohler, 2009).  The idea of empowering students through teaching them to be socially responsible instead of policing is mentioned as something that should be included in education (Truss, 2007).  Teaching both ourselves and our students about digital citizenship could be a way to prepare them for a society full of technology (Couros, 2007).  "Our children are watching us, they put their trust in us, they're gonna be like us..."(Maines, 2007).

After researching digital citizenship, in order to try and better understand it, there seems to be conflicting views as to what it should include.

Dr. Mike Ribble and Dr. Gerald Bayley provide a definition at their site titled, "Digital Citizenship" which includes:

Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology. Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology but not sure what to do. The issue is more than what the users do not know but what is considered appropriate technology usage.

Dr. Alec Couros (2007) in his blog post, "Understanding Digital Citizenship", believes Ribble and Bayley's definition should also include:

1) A responsibility to critical interpret our place in the collective, especially in terms of power, authority, influence and position, and
2) An obligation toward bettering our (digital) communities through critical, ethical and moral decision-making.

 Will Richardson (2007), in his blog post titled, "The Kids are All Right", suggests that we have been conditioned, though media, to look for the worst behaviors at the expense of the good behaviors.  Richardson believes that if we teach both ourselves and our kids to use the "five habits of using one's mind well, we'll get a long way down the citizenship road" (2007).

1. How do we know what’s true or not true? How credible is our evidence?
2. Is there an alternate story? Perspective? How might this look from another viewpoint?
3. Is there a connection between x and y? A pattern? Have I come across this before?
4. What if… supposing that…? Could it have been otherwise if x not y had intervened?
5. And finally, “who cares”? Does it matter? (And, perhaps, to whom?)

 When we look at the overall idea of digital citizenship, we see it includes various elements.  Dr. Mike Ribble and Dr. Gerald Bayley identify, Nine Elements or Themes of Digital Citizenship to include:

1. Digital Etiquette
2. Digital Communication
3. Digital Literacy
4. Digital Access
5. Digital Commerce
6. Digital Law
7. Digital Rights and Responsibilities
8. Digital Health and Wellness
9. Digital Security (self-protection)

Resources are available to assist teachers with preparing lessons for integrating digital citizenship into current curriculum.  CyberSmart (2009) provides a free K-12 Student Curriculum that is organized in Lessons by Grade Level based on the following SMART topics:

• Safety and Security Online
• Manners, Cyberbullying and Ethics
• Authentic Learning and Creativity
• Research and Information Fluency
• Twenty First Century Challenges

Another resource available to educators is BrainPOP, an idea originally by Dr. Avraham Kadar, M.D.(immunologist and pediatrician).  BrainPOP is animimated curriculum-based content that supports educators to explain difficult concepts.  One of the many curriculum areas available through BrainPOP is Digital Citizenship.  Although some resources through BrainPOP require a fee, you are provided with a free trail period.  You will see most resources provided under Digital Citizenship are free including topics such as:

• Blogs
• Copyright
• Digital Etiquette
• Information Privacy
• Online Safety
• Plagiarism
• Computer Viruses
• Cyberbullying
• Email and IM
• Online Sources
• Social Networking

Additional Resources for Digital Citizenship:

• Digital Citizenship in Education - Digiteen (Qatar Academy, Westwood Schools, Vienna International School)
• Cyber Safe Kids (Cybersafeworld, 2009)) 
• Play it Cyber Safe ( The Business Software Alliance - BSA, 2009)
• Digiteens: Digital Citizenship by Digital Teenagers (K12 Online Conference 2009)
• Digital Literacy 09: Copyright and Fair Use (Technology in the Middle, 2009)
• Online Safety 3.0 Calls for Teaching Media Literacy, Digital Citizenship (Sarah J., 2009)
• Think Before You Upload! (Privacy Victoria, 2009)
  

Digital Literacy: New Kids, New Media and New Literacy – Transforming learning through digital creativity...

We participated in an ISTE (International Society for Technology Educators) Webinar on December 8th and 9th on new media literacy presented by Dr. Jason Ohler (http://www.jasonohler.com/).  The presentation focused on how "it is up to us to help digital kids “write the media they read” so they can be active media creators rather than just passive media consumers" (Ohler, 2009).  Students must be able to write what they read and therefore migrate from literacy which is text centric to media collage.  Dr. Ohler describes nine digital literacy action guidelines that are necessary for teachers to implement in order to teach new literacy.  Digital Storytelling is one of Dr. Ohler's areas of expertise and through his presentation we see his passion for teaching students the literacies required to be successful in the digital age.  He currently has a book available titled, "Digital Storytelling in the Classroom" and will soon be releasing his book, "Digital Citizenship and the ReImagination of Education.

The term "literacy", described by Ohler, is the consuming and producing of the media forms of the day, whatever they are (2009).  He therefore believes we should help students develop a sense of wisdom and to get in touch with the power available to them.

On his webpage, Dr. Ohler provides a section titled, Beyond Words Literacy that discusses how the default media has shifted from the text based essay to the multimedia collage (fig.1).  He believes it is necessary for us to teach students to be able to read, write and comprehend new literacy in formats provided today.

  Figure 1 (Ohler, 2009)

There are nine digital literacy action guide lines presented by Dr. Ohler in order for teachers to focus on new media literacy.  They are:

1. Shift from text-centricism to new media collage
2. Value writing more than ever
3. Adopt art as 4th, next R
4. Follow DAOW (Digital, Art, Oral, Written) of literacy
5. Attitude is the aptitude
6. Practice private and social literacy
7. Develop literacy about digital tools
8. Fluency, not just literacy
9. Harness both reports and story...embrace story

Digital stories are seen as a new media narrative where students can imagine, create and express their world.  Digital story telling is not about high end lengthy media production but about adapting to technologies and tools available and about non-techies deciding to take the next step.  Two kinds of narratives are voice over narration and green screen production.  Locations available on Dr. Ohler's website that provide further support and resources on storytelling are Storytelling and Green screen storytelling.

When creating a story it is important to consider the story first and the technology second.  The three core elements of a story in education consist of inquiry (tension), discovery (resolution) and transformation (learning).  Traditionally, stories began with an idea and developed through a storyboard and outline.  A new approach to creating a story is called story mapping.  Though mapping story creation can be organized on one piece of paper, begin at any stage and does not require the story to be developed in sequential order.  One advantage to mapping vs. boarding is it is directed through emotional flow vs. flow of emotion.  The mapping process can be described through the visual portrait of a story shown below in figure 2.

Figure 2 (Ohler, 2009)

An eight step process to story creation is provided Dr. Ohler (fig. 3).  In fact he calls it the "how to do just about anything" process.

Figure 3 (Ohler, 2009)

View Dr. Jason Ohler's entire slide presentation titled, New students, New media, New literacties: Transforming learning through digital creativity...

NSDC 2008 Keynote

View more documents from jasonohler.

Additional Digital Storytelling Resources:

• The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling (University of Houston, 2009)
• 2nd Digital Storytelling session presentation with Jason Ohler, 2009
•  Digital Storytelling in Plain English (Sublimities, 2009)
• Digital Storytelling+(Teaching Teachers, 2010)

Low-Cost Digital Whiteboard Using Wiimote

Mr. A. Bourgeois from MUCC recently showed us a low-cost alternative to interactive white boards (Thanks Mr. B!). From the directions provided by Johnny Chung Lee's Wii projects, located at http://www.johnnylee.net/projects/wii/, Mr. B put together an interactive white board similar to the one shown in the following video.





As shown in the Johnny Chung Lee video, the low-cost interactive white board requires an interactive light pen, Wiimote, LCD projector, USB Bluetooth adapter and Wiimote Whiteboard software download.

The video describes how to make a light pen, however Mr. B. found a company that makes these infrared pens called IR Great Innovations, located on the web at www.irgreat.com. After checking their website the pens sell for approximately $17.99 U.S.

The Wiimote is the controller used with the Wii video game console. It can be purchased separate from the console for approximately $50.00 Cnd.

The USB Bluetooth adapter connects to your computer through a USB port and links up to the Wiimote. You can find different name brands, of these adapters, but Mr. B. has had success with and recommends the D-Link. These Bluetooth USB adapters can be purchased for approximately $35.00 Cnd.

The Wiimote Whiteboard software is the software that connects your computer to the Wiimote. This software will need to be downloaded and installed onto your computer. The software download can be found on the Johhny Lee Chung Projects website located at http://www.johnnylee.net/projects/wii/. You will find it under the heading "Low Cost Multi-point Interactive Whiteboards Using the Wiimote." Be sure to read the software instructions to limit complications.

After watching Mr. B's demonstration we believe this is an excellent alternative to a SMARTBoard. Although it does not have the notebook software like the SMARTBoard, it does provide similar interactivity with a computer on projected surfaces such as walls, whiteboards or projection screens.

Additional Resources:

• Bonn Jin has developed a shareware program called Smoothboard to enhance Johnny Lee Chung's version.  
• View instructions on "How to: Connect your Wiimote to your computer via Bluetooth" by www.instructables.com