Anna K's Personal Digital Citizenship & Responsibility Statement

My Personal Digital Citizenship & Responsibility Statement:

In a world that is constantly going digital, I believe that it is important to realize that this digitalized world comes with its own way of navigation and responsibility. I will continue to have access to technology and be responsible with the various websites, apps, and devices I use. I will give each source of technology its own use (i.e. Facebook is just for the access to friends and family) to ensure my, and others, safety. I will be aware of the copyright laws on any content I may use in my personal and professional circles. I will give credit where credit is due because in return I would like the same of my resources. Overall, I will maintain a positive environment in the digital realm. I think it is always important to remember not to post anything you wouldn't tell everyone about. Therefore, staying positive and respectful on any of my websites, apps, and devices is the key to the respectfulness and care of others who may encounter my digital avenues.

Reflection:

I really enjoyed the pinterest page resources. The above picture is from pinterst. I enjoyed that recourse because there are many ways that it can be used in the classroom. Easy and quick sayings that can help me and my students remember how to be a digital citizen full of new responsibilities. I also enjoyed the Common Sense Media. It has downloadable material that can help teachers implement these ideas in their own classrooms. 

I used the ideas from the sites to create my statement. However, most of my statement stems from personal experience and belief. I think it's important that everyone defines their roles and responsibilities as a digital citizen because it allows them to hold themselves accountable for what they do in the digital world. The digital world can be seen as a reflection of the nondigital world. We have our own set of rules that keep ourselves and others safe, so why would it be any different in the social media and other digital world?

Since we, as teachers, have the responsibility to give our students the knowledge base to be successful in the "real" world, we also have the responsibility to give our students the knowledge base to be successful in the digital world as well. I believe that we can help our students through discussion that is either brought up by our students or relate-able to a lesson.

Digital Citizenship

Technology is increasingly become popular within society. Technology is a great resource and offers many great, new opportunities for students. While technology is great, we must educate our students on what it means to be a good “digital citizen.” Before reading these articles, I had never thought a lot about digital etiquette, however, after reading them, it is apparent to me that guidelines for students must be set. Since technology is growing so much, we as teachers must embrace it. We must grow with the students and along the way, we must be ready to adapt to all the changes within our technologically savvy society.

If I were to write a personal digital citizenship statement, it would be in two parts. The first statement would cover digital etiquette. My statement would be:
“Approach social media and the internet in the same manner you would approach your grandparents or parents, respectfully and consciously. Before tweeting, writing a facebook post or blogging, ask yourself “would my parents or grandparents approve of this statement?” It’s easy to get wrapped up in social media and easy to get emotionally involved. If kids take a minute before they post and think about their comments, they will be more likely to refrain from posting hurtful or negative things.

The second part of my digital statement would address plagiarism and copyright. My statement for this would be:
“Give credit where credit is due, especially on the internet.” It’s very important to teach kids about plagiarism and copyright rules. It’s so easy to get caught up in getting a report done and just to copy and paste. We as educators must be adamant about siting our sources. If you didn’t write it, you can’t take credit for it. 

The internet has such great resources and we should use them as much as we can, but we must make teaching kids about safety, etiquette and plagiarism a priority.

I used a few different articles listed. I especially liked the “9 Resources of Teaching Digital Citzenship,” as well as the “Copyright & Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers.” I thought both of those articles simplified some good rules for the digital world. I think as teachers it is most definitely our job to incorporate lessons on digital citizenship. These students will be using technology their entire lives and I imagine that the use will only continue to grow in the future, so teaching them how to act appropriately on line is crucial. It is also important that they understand the consequences of the things they do  online, such as cyberbullying, plagiarism, etc. I will help my students by going over the rules of digital citizenship whenever we are using computers or some type of technology.

Amanda's Digital Citizenship Statement

There is no denying that technology has been a huge innovation both inside and outside the classrooms. The internet is filled with an infinite amount of information for students to access. However, once we get involved with this technology, we must learn what it means to be a good digital citizen.

My statement on digital citizenship is that if a person wishes to have a voice online, they need to speak like if they were in front of their parents or grandparents. So many students and non-students will feel like they have so much freedom by writing comments and posts online. These posts can be seen by literally anyone. As technology progresses, more companies and administrators are using it. They would be able to see anything a person posts, and one comment could determine whether or not they get hired for a job.

Another huge factor to being a good digital citizen is citing and giving credit to sources. If you did not say it yourself, put it in quotations or leave a footnote with the source! It would be the same as stealing a work of art and presenting it as if you were the one who created it. It is incredibly disrespectful to the original creator, so please give credit to them.

The most useful resource that I found was the Pinterest board. It allowed me to see multiple pictures and statements all at once, and it was very easy to read and understand. I feel like it's important to define your role as a digital citizen because you're essentially making a promise to yourself to be digitally polite. If I follow the guidelines that I made for myself, it can greatly benefit me in the long run. Teaching proper internet etiquette to students will also help them grow up and communicate more effectively when they have to use technology in the classroom. It would be both the responsibility of the teacher and parents to make sure their child has the proper instruction on how to live well in the digital age.

Casey's Digital Citizenship Statement

From looking at all the sources on digital citizenship, I have come up with my own statement on digital citizenship; if you wouldn't do it in person, don't do it online. When you say or do something in person you are able to apologize and people forget. But when you do something online, it can never be erased and can comeback at any moment. So thinking before you post something is highly recommended, just like how you think before you speak or do.

Another thing that I have come up with is that you may try to avoid technology, but the sooner you embrace it, the easier it will be when becoming a true digital citizen. Being a digital citizen has become part of social learning because you are still using words and actions, but through a device. Everyone has a little computer with them at all times and just have not realized it yet. Technology is the future and there is no avoiding it.

Another thing to be aware of while using the internet is plagiarism and copyright. If you did not say it, put it in quotes. If you did not discover or research it, give it credit. There are no "if, ands, or buts" about it, just do it. Most people have worked hard to get their work published, so don't take that away from them by stealing their words and thoughts.

I found a lot of my information from Pinterest. The information provided from the Digital Citizenship board really spoke to me. All of the pins I could see being posted in a computer lab or classroom in every school. I even have one of the pins as a poster for when I have my own classroom! Kids are being drilled with all these rules on how to use technology, but it's always nice to give them a friendly reminder every now and then.

Morgan's Digital Citizenship and Responsibility Statement

In today’s day and age, technology is something that has a strong precedence in our schools.  It takes the form of computers, iPads, SmartBoards, cell phones, etc.  Though it is important that students have access to some types of technology, as educators it is essential that we teacher our students to be good digital citizens.  The concept of 'digital citizenship' covers a variety of issues and categories.  As a whole, it is the idea of using proper etiquette while on the internet.

Someone that is a good digital citizen treats people respectfully online and does not bully others, does not plagiarize (taking someone else’s work and presenting it at their own), and understands the importance of the rights to privacy.  Being that most students have access to the internet on a day-to-day basis, educators and parents must limit accessibility to websites and some resources that may not be appropriate for students/children of certain ages.  For example, it is important to monitor use of messengers and chat rooms.

Etiquette and basic guidelines for safe, student-friendly internet use must be taught to students.  Instead of giving the students lists of things not to do online, explain the safety hazards those behaviors pose and suggest better ways to be an effective member of the digital community.  If the proper guidelines are correctly instilled in students, they will without a doubt get the most out of the technology they are presented with.

I found the Pinterest board provided very helpful in organizing my thoughts.  It is something that I would print off, laminate, and post by the media center in my classroom.  I would also recommend that it be posted in the school computer lab.  Though students should already have learned these things before being allowed to use the school’s technology, it would serve as a nice reference and reminder.  I strongly believe the teacher has a role in helping students develop proper digital citizenship.  We must be advocates of gaining knowledge through technology in a respectable, responsible way.

The Unwritten Rules of Teaching

Here are a list of the unwritten rules I came up with for teachers!

1. Don't use sarcasm. Bottom line, most children cannot pick up on sarcasm. It seems like high school students and above use sarcasm in their daily dialog, however, if you are teaching 2nd grade and a student comes up and asks a question, and you reply with a sarcastic comment, they will most likely take you literally and in turn, not do the correct task.

2. Don't take personal phone calls in front of students. While most teachers do have their cell phones on their desks, it is important that if you have to take a phone call, to step outside your door to do it. Students can easily pick up on conversations and if something inappropriate slips from the teachers' mouth, the students may hear and may repeat.

3. Do not address other teachers by their first names in front of students. This can be an easy mistake, but it is important to refer to your colleagues as Mr. or Ms. in front of students to maintain that respect and also to keep the "authority figure" in place.

4. Non School Events Attendance. It's important for teachers to attend events that are not necessarily "school related," such as a carnival, or a sporting event. This will help to build relationships with your students and show them that you care about the things they are interested in.

5. Refill the copy machine. If you are making copies and the paper runs out when you are finished, fill it back up for the next teacher. If you are using colored paper, make sure to remove any excess left over.

6. Be nice to the secretary and custodians. Make friends with the secretary. They do so much work behind the scenes and it is important to build a relationship with them and to always be appreciative of their work! Also, be courteous of the custodian and also let them know how much you appreciate them!

7. Smile in the hallway. When you pass students or colleagues, make sure you smile or say hi. This will help make the school a comfortable and happy environment.

8. Teacher's lounge etiquette. Try not to bring something for lunch that will smell up the entire lounge. Remember, most teachers escape to the lounge for a break and don't want to have to smell your lunch the entire time :)

9. Always have extra supplies. Students will lose their items, or forget their things, so always have extras of everything in your classroom.

10. Do not blow the recess whistle early. For those teachers not on recess duty, this is a much needed break for them and it is also a much needed break for the kids. No matter how cold you are, do not blow the whistle early! Each minute counts for those teachers inside!

I'm sure there are many "unwritten rules," but these were just a few that I could come up with! Feel free to comment and add to the post!

Anna K's #edchat Reflection

To begin my journey of participating in an #edchat, I went to the calendar for edchats and found several I'd like to participate in. I began by adding them to my Tweetdeck, since they are going to happen all at the same time. I added #edchat, #luthed (a Lutheran ed. chat), #colchat (a culture of the classroom chat), and #tlap (a teach like a pirate chat). I only participated in one chat, but having the options helped when it came time to participate. I participated in the one that was the most interesting to me.

I chose #colchat right off the bat because of their topic.

And the rest is history... which I'll of course explain.





















___ The beginning of the chat can be explained by "mass confusion." Everything was happening so fast. It was almost insane to be able to keep up with it all. Luckily, I found out that Sarah Moser from our Tech Lab was in the chat as well! We both side-tweeted about how crazy we thought it was. Those who were the skilled "edchatters," were very encouraging when they saw our concerned tweets. They gave us tips like, "don't try to read them all, just pick and choose," "make sure you add your opinion in!" "you'll get the hang of it," and "don't forget it will get archived and you can always read everything later!" They were some of the nicest people I've ever "met" via Twitter. After the meet and great, they began asking questions and then we all answered it. I've posted the questions with my responses.

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___ As it came to a close, Sarah agreed to be my accountability partner, which was fun! Overall, it was a neat experience. I can see its potential usefulness. It is also a great way to get teachers to be motivated about different topics.

As I was participating in the chat, I had commented to my husband how crazy it was to tweet your comment and then have to shorten it like crazy. He made a joking/sarcastic comment about "Yeah, Twitter seems like a great place for a discussion..." I can certainly see how hard it might be to discuss super in-depth topics. However, I feel that these edchats are great for bouncing off ideas, motivating others, and creating a sense of focus. After all, you have to know what you want to say quickly and only in 140 characters.

The chat was useful. It was great to grow my Twitter follows and followers. I added people I may not have known existed on Twitter, and I was able to collect my thoughts on their topic. I'm sure I will explore it again.

Casey's #edchat experience

So Tuesday night I joined in on an #edchat that was #7thchat. It was amazing! In the chat, we talked about assessment and reporting. I talked to a lot of current 7th grade educators and they had a lot of great ideas on how to assess students. I contributed my thoughts and experiences with assessment and reporting and got a lot of feedback/questions/people favoring my post. This made me feel as if I was contributing in a very good way. There were 9 questions asked by the host and I made sure to answer and comment on all the questions.
One thing I noticed about the #edchat is that the host would number the questions, so when you reply, you start with A# so people knew what question you were talking about. Genius! This allowed me to think about the question and how I wanted to word it. Also if I was going "too slow" people would still understand what I was talking about.
I would like to get into more #edchats because I got some great ideas for the classroom and even met some people who are now apart of my PLN.

Morgan's #EdChat Experience

Participating in my first #edchat provided me with very valuable information in a short period of time.  The #edchat I joined was was centered on Thinking Maps (#TMchat).  This is a reoccurring #edchat, and this week the main subject of discussion was Shared Leadership.  A valuable circle chart was shared about the concept of rigor--demanding, difficult, or extreme conditions.  The chart showed the importance of complex thinking and deep thinking.  Getting students to elaborate on their thinking isn't solely about the difficulty of the task.  It is important to encourage students to question assumptions.  Because I was learning a lot from this chat, I did not contribute much.  However, there were some thoughts that individuals contributed that I found to be helpful.  On those particular tweets, I gave feedback applauding their thought or idea.  Most of the individuals in this chat seemed to be principals or school officials; this would, however, be a valuable website for teachers to gain and offer insight.  Though I could take a lot from tonight's #TMchat and chats from the past, I think for future reference I would search for a chat with more participants.  The more people that are actively participating in the chat, the most insight I can gain.

Amanda's #Edchat Experience!

This past Monday I was able to briefly participate in a music education #edchat! Unfortunately due to a very hectic schedule that night, I was only able to join for about fifteen to twenty minutes. The topic of discussion for the night was about warm-up techniques for music students. Many people were able to share their experiences and opinions on both choir and band warm-ups, and they were even suggesting different books to each other that they believe were beneficial. While I was there for such a short time, I could tell that the others involved were interested in what I had to say regardless! All of the teachers and students there were incredibly friendly. I definitely felt a sense of community-even if was through one small hash-tag. If I had the time, I would love to try and get more involved in another discussion where I can get the full experience of participating in one.

Ashlee's #EdChat Reflection

Wow. That was a whirlwind. My first #edchat was slightly overwhelming. The chat I participated in's topic was: What are indicators that show us that social media and connected learning are having a positive effect on education? This was perfect because I am learning more and more about social media through our tech lab. I have participated on Facebook and Twitter for quite sometime, but I am not an avid user and still have a lot to learn, especially about Twitter. There are so many awesome things you can do on Twitter and I am just scratching the surface. I know social media will be even more prevalent in my classroom than it is today. Kids are constantly involved in social media and this chat started off by searching for indicators that they are benefiting our students. There wasn't really any data to back up these claims, but the discussion was interesting. There was some debate as to whether social media is helping our students. Some think it isn't because kids abuse it and don't use it for school purposes. Many think that there is potential there, but we must educate our students on how to properly use it. I contributed by agreeing with the potential and I also stated that I think teacher's need to embrace the changes taking place in technology. I think many, much like myself, are not aware of all of the possibilities and opportunities social media can create for students. There were many teachers involved in the chat, as well as researchers. The next time I participate in a chat, I think I will be more prepared to contribute and hopefully will not be overwhelmed. The feed is constantly being refreshed and it goes pretty fast, so I will be ready to contribute and ask questions.