October | 2010 | Techconnects

October 29, 2010
by ncara
6 Comments

How Do You Read?

Do you like to curl up with a good book? Do you like to leaf through a magazine? Perhaps you are more likely to read online or from a portable device. We are read in different ways. Reflecting on this as we turn the pages, we learn a lot about ourselves and what types of classroom environments we can provide.

Shifting Patterns

In this article by Lynn Neary, we hear about the shifting in reading patterns from paper to online and the resulting effect on writers.

If you are doing more electronic reading as many of us are, you are part of a sweeping trend . These changes impact us and increasingly, our students. In higher education there important trends in elearning and ereading that predict a reading revolution that will also upend the textbook industry.

How do you read? Have your reading practices changed? What is different? Take the poll or reflect below.

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October 25, 2010
by ncara
0 comments

Click or Tweet for Digital Citizenship Day

Administrators, Teachers and Students can truly benefit from resources for safe and informed use of the internet. The tools for digital citizenship are many and the benefits of its’ application can aid our children now and well into the future. I see it as an important issue and I have blogged about its importance here and here. Descriptions of Digital Citizenship can vary but the themes are similar with the focus being on responsible use of technology. Many feel the same way. At DigitalCitizenship.net you can find an outline of its major themes.

School leaders play an important role in safe and responsible use of digital technology. Those familiar with the NETS standards for Administrators, Teachers and Students will notice that Digital Citizenship is a part of each of these sets of standards for using technology in education. It is my belief that it is the primary standard in each set as it helps to set the stage for all of the rest. If done well, it empowers students, teachers, parents and administrators with safe, responsible and informed internet use. I think many would agree that application of digital citizenship can make the world a safer, better place both now and into the future.

The safety, security and well being of all of our students is so important. This month is National Cybersecurity Month and also Anti Bullying Month. Also, in our schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia we are focusing on discussing Digital Citizenship with our schools via online Virtual Academy professional development sessions and with our PLP cohort teams.

Scott McLeod does a great job with his yearly call for bloggers for Leadership Day. In response he gets and shares many posts and resources for Technology in Education Leadership. I decided to follow his lead and institute a call for Clicks(blog posts) and Tweets on behalf of Digital Citizenship.

Ideas for Participation

What does Digital Citizenship mean to you as a school administrator?
How can school leaders promote, model or establish policies around Digital Citizenship in their schools?
Why is it important to teach? What are the benefits?
How does good Digital Citizenship empower school leadership, teaching and learning in a rapidly changing world?
How can school leaders support the Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship?
How does Digital Citizenship support our objectives under NETS A, T, or S or State or other standards?
What is a best practice for teachers, students or administrators?
What does it mean to be ‘information literate’ in the 21st century?
How can we help students to create a positive digital footprint?
What is a favorite video or online resource?
In what ways have you seen success as a leader focusing on digital citizenship?

How to partipipate:

Post on Saturday, October 30th via your blog, website or on twitter. Do a reflection, outline a best practice, showcase resources, or create a list.
Use the #digitalcitizenshipday hashtag on twitter to tweet your post link or share resources
Fill out this online form if you do a blog post so that I can list your response on a summary post.

October 16, 2010
by ncara
4 Comments

Teachers Learning about Digital Citizenship

One only needs to read the headlines to know that there is a pressing need to emphasize both safe and responsible use of the internet. With the whirlwind pace of change in technology there is no doubt that ongoing discussions of what is right, what is true and what it means to be a good ‘Digital Citizen’ can benefit us all. In fact, they are essential.

The teachers in our Philadelphia area Archdiocesan schools were invited to a session called Digital Citizenship for Classroom Teachers held on Oct 14th online via Elluminate. The goal was to discuss Digital Citizenship in support of safe and responsible uses of technology in their classrooms on a daily basis.The was part of a series of Virtual Academy sessions held last year and this year in conjunction with Powerful Learning Practice. We were fortunate to have Robin Ellis, Clarence Fisher and Alec Couros as presenters. Each shared richly from their experiences with working online in innovative and effective ways with teachers and students. Below are the links shared and a link to the online session in Elluminate. Please share any other resources that you suggest for classrooms.

5 categories of Digital Citizenship Outlined

Etiquette, Safety and Privacy,
Research and Truth Finding
Online Ownership
Literacy and Communication
Tools

One Liners for Digital Citizenship

During our online session with Robin Ellis, teachers created some Digital Citizenship one liners. Just as we say ‘Be careful crossing the street’ or ‘Drive safely’ we should have some one liners for being a good online digital citizen. One that many are familiar with is the famous, Think Before You Post’. These are ones our teachers came up with. What would you add?

Digital Footprints are forever

Digital Footprints never disappear

Develop a clean digital footprint

Nothing posted online is ever truly private

Be the best self you can be everywhere – in person and online

It’s like posting a sign on your front lawn

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should