Digital citizenship is probably one the most important content areas we are not teaching in schools. The academic world has changed so drastically in the 16 years I have been teaching, that it is imperative we stay current with technology and it's trappings. So, how does this apply to my sixth graders in both my math and language arts classes? Common Sense Media is a good start. This website is a valuable, rich resource, filled with lesson plans, videos, and handouts that are applicable to any classroom and any grade level.
To make it more personal to my students, I would first do an informal survey of who has a social media account. I really liked the sit-down/stand-up method from the video. Then, using the lessons provided from Common Sense Media, I would introduce the three lessons on anti-bullying. It is difficult to speculate on how I can make the lessons applicable to my students' specific needs, as it would depend on the results of the survey and the interactions they have had with their social media accounts. The second lesson, The reality of digital drama, is where I think the most student responses would come from. As middle schoolers, they are no strangers to drama, and would have many reactions. What I want from them, is to see the drama and not be reactive to it, but rather proactive in the solution. It would also, bring up a discussion of gender and how we can break stereotypes. While the third lesson focuses on cyberbullying, I think it is applicable to everyday bullying. As in what is bullying? How can we distinguish between a joke gone bad and cruelty. This is important, because young adults are still trying to figure out nuance and subtleties and those are things that cannot be conveyed through social media. It would be important for students to look at and possible act out scenarios in which body language and context are important. I believe that it is important to teach students, especially my middle schoolers about digital citizenship and the footprint they are going to leave behind. I need to look at my pacing calendar to see where/when I can fit lessons into this school year. Lesson Plan
5 Comments
Marisabel Olguin
2/11/2018 07:02:38 pm
I couldn't agree more about Digital Citizenship being one of the most important content areas we don't spend enough time teaching in schools. At NVLA we do have a teacher that is dedicated to teaching Digital Citizenship but it is just not enough. My fourth graders are no strangers to drama as well, I'm just concerned that their jokes gone bad are getting less trivial. I am having trouble with students using acronyms with sexual connotations and I wonder where they are hearing and getting exposed to these kind of words. My only guess is the internet or the people they hang around with. Do you see that your students are having more mature content problems? I am hopeful that using websites like Common Sense Media can help our students realize the bigger picture and the role they play in it.
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Jose Cerda
2/11/2018 08:18:48 pm
I agree, and it is scary to think that because of time we are sometimes not even able to go over regular offline citizenship skills, let alone online. But I am excited to explore these resources as they give us a chance to combine both online and offline strategies for students to apply when communicating with others.
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I couldn't agree more with you! I can't believe we have been all very busy on trying to help our kids be 21st century learners and not offer the basics of digital citizenship. They gave us green light and provided all of us with a car, and nobody thought about making sure we were going to have all the necessary info to stay safe and think critically. Well, I guess we are catching up now, and it's great to hear that digital citizenship is now just as essential as math and language arts.
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Scott Marsden
2/13/2018 05:05:07 pm
I like how you have thought through 3 lessons you could do with your students. At the high school level, I encounter a lot of cyberbullying, so I'm glad you are focusing on that at the middle school level. Besides Common Sense Media, did any of the resources seem relevant to your practice?
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Heather C Feinberg
2/13/2018 05:59:43 pm
I could not agree more with your statement, "Digital citizenship is probably one the most important content areas we are not teaching in school." Our middle school students seem to encounter many different forms of cyberbullying and it so important to teach more of these lessons. For our students who have cyberbullied others, it is so important to teach them that their digital footprint follows them!
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