Technology Update: Digital Citizenship - Must do's, Should do's, and the Can do's and the Why - 11/29/16

Before sharing the new digital citizenship resources that Melissa Oliver, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, put together last week, I wanted to start with why digital citizenship is so important for our students and staff.  A digital citizen is “a person who develops the skills and knowledge to effectively use the Internet and other digital technology, especially to participate responsibly in social and civic activities”.  As educators, we have a responsibility to teach the skills and knowledge to develop digital citizenship critical to the success of our during their time in Washington Unified and beyond. We’ve instituted several measures regarding our G Suite (formerly Google Apps for Education – GAFE) environment that protects our students they continuously develop their digital citizenship.  One of these measures is what is called a “walled garden” in the Google world. What this means is that all WUSD students can only email or share Google Drive files with other students, teachers, administrators, or staff within the district. We have also turned off access for students to access personal Gmail accounts.

Technology Update: E-Rate and You! (12/11/15)

As mentioned in last week’s Technology Update, Washington USD will be applying for E-rate for the 2016-2017 school year. E-Rate is a federally funded program that provides discounts to assist schools to obtain affordable Internet access and telecommunications services.

Five service types are funded:

1.      Data Transmission Services and Internet Access

2.      Voice Services

3.      Internal Connections

4.      Managed Internal Broadband Services

5.      Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections

Discounts range from 20-90 percent of the costs of eligible services, depending on the level of poverty and the urban/rural status at the school district level. Our current district average is 59% which puts us at an 80% discount per the USAC (Universal Services Administrative Company) Discount Matrix

The E-rate Program is one of four programs funded through a universal service fee charged to companies that provide interstate and/or international telecommunications services. The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) administers the universal service fund at the direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Funding is divided into two categories:

• Category 1: Discounts (80%) on Data Transmission Services and Internet Access, and (40%) Voice Services
• Category 2: Reimbursement ($150 per student, minimum of $9,200 per school site) for equipment for Internal Connections, Managed Internal Broadband Services, and Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections

What does this mean to you and your classroom?

A requirement of E-Rate is that students are taught Internet Safety Education Requirements outlined in the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). We are using Common Sense Media curriculum for standards-aligned, researched-bases lesson plans that meet these requirements.  Many of these lessons are low-tech using only pen and paper and can be completed in approximately an hour.  

At a minimum, we are asking that you include the lesson(s) below for your grade level as part of your curriculum. As you are winding down for the winter break, now might be a good time to incorporate the lesson(s) into your instructional day (see links to lessons by grade level).

·        Grade TK/K: Going Places Safely

·        Grade 1: Sending Email

·        Grade 2: Show Respect Online

·        Grade 3: Talking Safely Online

·        Grade 4: The Power of Words

·        Grade 5: Digital Citizenship Pledge

·        Grade 6: Safe Online Talk, Scams and Schemes

·        Grade 7: Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line, Trillion Dollar Footprint

·        Grade 8: Which Me Should I Be?, Cyberbullying: Be Upstanding

·        Grade 9: Private Today, Public Tomorrow

·        Grade 10: Risky Online Relationships

·        Grade 11: College Bound

·        Grade 12: Taking Perspectives on Cyberbullying

After completing the lesson, please complete the verification form and send it to Kim Harrison or Melissa Oliver at the district office. The verification form will be used to validate our compliance for E-Rate. You are welcome to cover more than just the lessons outlined above – check out the Scope and Sequence of Common Sense Media’s lessons.

If you have questions, we are here to assist!

Kim

Digital Citizenship Week: Ownership & Responsible Use

Want to promote responsible use of images in your classroom? Here's an lesson activity you can do with students that helps students understand why respecting the rights of creators is important.

1) Have students create an image on a topic that you are currently studying in class.

2) Instruct students to put their names on the back of the paper.

3) This next step involves temporarily changing the authorship of images. It is best done after a transition that will allow for the teacher to prepare and set the stage.

• Display student's creations throughout the room
• Using sticky notes, randomly assign other students names to the creations.

4) As students, recognize the disconnect between their art and the name displayed facilitate a conversation with your class. Some possible questions to get the conversation started.

• How does it make you feel to see another name on your creation?
• What's wrong with the teacher randomly assigning illustrators to different pieces of art?
• Have you ever used an image in a presentation or on a poster that you got off the Internet?
• Did you find out who the artist was? Did you have permission to display their work?

Wrap up the conversation, with the following Big Idea, "When we use images created by others, we need to make sure we have their permission to use the image as well as give the original creator the proper credit." Transition into the next stage, by asking students how we can fix the problem of the wrong names attached to the creations. Students will generate ideas beyond what is suggested in #5. Choose the student-generated solution that best fits your classroom community.

5) Provide time for proper attribution of student creations by moving the sticky notes. This is also a great opportunity for students to practice commenting on others work. This can be done quietly by having student write comments on sticky notes and post next to the author's creation. Alternatively, you could invite students to present their work and provide a space for their classmates to provide compliments and ask questions.

It is important that students leave this experience feeling validated for their creation because they got recognition and credit for their original work. You can revisit this experience throughout the year as students are looking for images to add to their work. Your class will have a shared experience of  what it feels like for someone to use their work without permission and not give proper attribution. This is an important perspective for students as they both create and use image sources responsibly.

Look for our next blog post on lesson ideas and resources on where to easily find Creative Common Images and provide proper attribution.

Digital Citizenship Week: Your Digital Footprint

What does your digital footprint reveal?

Looking to KickStart your Digital Citizenship Lessons in your classroom? Next week is a great time to talk with your students about staying safe online and how to evaluate what's true and not true online. Here are some lesson ideas from Common Sense Media for Digital Citizenship to get you started thinking about your digital footprint.

Primary Students:
Follow the Digital Trail. This lesson will teach students what information is appropriate to put online in an age-appropriate way by comparing the digital footprints of fictional animals. Lesson materials include a video and family tip sheets. All materials are also available in Spanish for our bilingual classes.

Intermediate Students.
Digital Citizenship Pledge. This lessons have students working collaboratively to create norms for responsible online behavior. What will your class motto be about digital citizenship?

Secondary Students. 
Trillion-Dollar Footprint. This lesson explores the concept of a digital footprint and how it can be helpful or have real-world negative consequences to one's image. There is a chance for students to consider their own digital footprints now and in the future. Lesson materials include lesson plan and student video.

All of these lessons and much more are available for free from Common Sense Media. I recommend taking a moment and quickly registering for the site so you can download exactly what you need and will also ensure you receive periodic updates from Common Sense with ideas for your classroom and families. If you want to be recognized publicly for your efforts teaching digital citizenship, be sure to view the application process for becoming a Digital Citizenship Certified Educator. You are already doing great things in your classroom in this area, here's your chance to be recognized for your efforts.

Stay tuned to this blog space next week for more lesson ideas to celebrate Digital Citizenship Week.

Digital Citizenship Lessons to Start Off the Year

Common Sense Media defines a digital citizen as someone who knows how to harness the power of technology safely, respectfully, and responsibly. Digital Citizenship lessons will help prepare our students for 21st century learning environments.

For the upcoming 2015-2016 school year, we are focusing on the meeting the Internet Safety Education Requirements outlined in the Children's Internet Protect Act (CIPA) and will be using the curriculum provided by Common Sense Media. They offer a wealth of standards-aligned, research-based lessons available beyond these requirements. All lessons can be low-tech with pen and paper or there is an option for a more teched-up version.  Lesson materials are also available in Spanish for our bilingual classrooms.

These are the required lessons for each grade level:

• Grade TK/K: Going Places Safely
• Grade 1: Sending Email
• Grade 2: Show Respect Online
• Grade 3: Talking Safely Online
• Grade 4: The Power of Words
• Grade 5: Digital Citizenship Pledge
• Grade 6: Safe Online Talk, Scams and Schemes
• Grade 7: Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line, Trillion Dollar Footprint
• Grade 8: Which Me Should I Be? Cyberbullying: Be Upstanding
• Grade 9: Private Today, Public Tomorrow
• Grade 10: Risky Online Relationships
• Grade 11: College Bound
• Grade 12: Taking Perspectives on Cyberbullying

Once you complete the required lesson we ask that you complete the following verification form and send to Melissa Oliver via district mail or scanned email.  

You are highly encouraged to check out the lessons beyond those listed above.   Within the Common Sense Media Scope & Sequence, you'll find great lessons on teaching students effective searching skills, copyright, and much more that will complement your ongoing classroom instruction.  These are great lessons anytime during the year and especially at start of a new school year as you prepare to take students into the computer labs, use mobile devices, and collaborate with on another using Google Apps.  You may even want to consider becoming a Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship Certified Educator.  If you have questions or would like additional support, please reach out for support!

3 Ways to Use the School Computer Lab

Technology is a scarce commodity across the district with many teachers relying almost exclusively on the school site computer labs for access.  So, what do you do when you’ve been scheduled into the computer lab to make this time meaningful and relevant?  Below are three different ways to engage your students.

Developing Keyboarding Skills with TypingWeb

To best prepare our students for the online testing in the spring, keyboarding skills are essential.  TypingWeb (http://www.typingweb.com/) is a free online typing site that provides students with keyboarding instruction and practice.  Teachers can create their class and monitor student progress toward keyboarding goals through the Teacher Portal.  TypingWeb is online – no software to download or install and students can access their account and practice from anywhere.

Introducing Digital Literacy and Citizenship

21^st century learning demands that our students know how to “think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in the digital world” and Common Sense Media is packed with a wealth of resources to help students do just that.   At this free website, teachers will find materials for Digital Literacy and Citizenship including downloadable and printable lesson plans, videos, classroom posters, and much, much more.  Take some time to look through the resources to see what all is avail­able.  A good starting point is the Scope & Sequence  which provides leveled units that address digital literacy and citizenship.  The Common Sense Media resources are the approved Digital Literacy and Citizenship materials being used in the district.

Improving Search Skills with Google

Want to help your students become critical thinkers and independent learners?  Google Search Education provides teachers with leveled lesson plans and activities to help develop search literacy skills.  Students can take the self-paced Power Searching course and receive a certificate of completion at the conclusion.  They can also put their searching skills to test in the A Google a Day.