Teacher+Notes

Digital Citizenship: // Being a responsible online citizen // // ﻿ // One of the reasons why I think this program has been successful for me in the past is that I live in an online world. I am not warning students off, or saying how terrible technology is, but I know how important it is to be online safely and as a good Digital Citizen. I can share lots of anecdotes about my experiences online and am honest with students about the positive and negative situations that can arise. I think it's important for this program to be delivered in that vein - technology is a part of their (and our lives) and we can't go back, but we can help ensure they are using it appropiately and safely. Education is their best weapon in staying safe online.
 * Start by defining the term Digital Citizenship. Break it down and have student discuss what they think it means before you start ** . **


 * ** Responsible Use ** After the student complete the activity, share rules from each table with the group and discuss how similar they are to the Computer Use policy in the student planner. This could be an activity to actualy set the rules for the year in an IT class etc also.


 * ** Resources Available. ** This isn't on the student's pages as it will be different for each school. Spend some time navigating the school intranet or learning management system, and pointing out any relevant resources.


 * ** Private vs Personal. ** The difference between ‘Private & Personal Information’is key. Make sure students understand this and make it clear by comparing with 'real world' scenarios - eg asked them what they would do if a stranger walked up to them on the street and asked for their contact details. (When they all say no, ask why they are willing to 'friend' strangers online then?). Make students see people online in same way as strangers in the street.

aaaa Talk to the group about ‘netiquette’ and cyber bullying. Some points to cover:-
 * ** Netiquette & Cyberbullying **.


 * Don’t post photos of someone without permission ( this deserves some detail – it’s a habit that is rife in adults as well and is illegal!)
 * Don’t pretend to be someone (or an age) you are not. (A t this stage I am honest with kids about risks online. Statistics show the risk of online predators hunting out children is almost non-existent – **the greater risk comes from children acting older than they are and engaging in sexually explicit conversations** with adults, and then arranging to meet....)
 * Don’t ask questions about ‘private’ information. (Y ou want to keep your safety online – respect others privacy also).
 * Encourage students to tell an adult if they think they are being cyberbullied
 * If you wouldn’t say it to their face, don’t type or text it. (I u se an analogy of standing in front of an assembly using a microphone. Unfortunatey, people cyberbully who would never physically bully, often they don’t realise how damaging their words are. Explain that texting etc feels impersonal because we don’t see the impact of our words, so people go too far.)


 * **Online Image.** Briefly discuss students ‘online image’ and how it can last forever. Discuss potential issues with what they put on MySpace, Facebook, Habbo etc – future employers or education institutions looking, etc.


 * ** Researching Online. ** Have students work in pairs at a computer to complete the activity sheet on ‘Smart Searching’. Once the majority have finished, briefly show them advanced searching on google. Sections most useful for them would be language, search for phrase, search minus specific words etc


 * **Reliable Websites.** Have students work in pairs at a computer to complete the ‘Can you trust it?’ worksheet. When students have finished, have a short group discussion about the websites, which one they think is real and why. Afterwards, explain both are hoax sites, and why we must be careful of the reliability of websites. Tell them they should always confirm research with a second source – another website or book etc. *Note : If time is running short, this can be done as a group discussion with the websites shown on the screen.


 * **Copyright and Plagiarism.** Talk to the students about copyright and intellectual property in relation to your lcoal laws. Explain any particular formats the school uses for Bibiographies etc.


 * **Project. The project is a WIP. When I have run this program in the past, at 2 different schools, there was only limited time to work with the students, and I have preseted a cut down version of this program, on occaison. I would like to extend it to include a more involved project, perhaps as part of a cross curricular program completed in class after the Digital Citizen program was completed. If and when that is possible, I will add resource materials, rubrics etc. Currently I invite teachers to proceed as they see fit, taking as much or as little time as they have available. It could be a short project, using a Web 2.0 resource such as Animoto (where photos are uploaded and automatically arranged in an interesting way to suit the accompanying music - which is chosen from a selection of creative commons titles) or Photostory, or a long term group project where students film and edit their own video, or use claymation.**