Elementary Students as Digital Citizens

Linda Bennett University of Missouri

Barbara Jamison & Michelle NebelExcelsior Springs School District

Excelsior Springs, MONational Council for the Social Studies

November 15, 2008Houston, TX

It’s Their WorldStudents Are Already Contributing!

Informed Decision Making Promote or Hinder the Common Good?

Tools Are Available

Already Being Taught

+

Instead of Learning ABOUT Making Informed Decisions

Students Can Be Immersed In MAKING REAL WORLD Informed

Decisions

Students Are Able to PARTICIPATE

GOAL ?

Students Able to SELF-SELECT

Behavior in Uncontrolled

Environments

Greatest Change

ACCESS

Our Job As Educators

Provide Students

EXPERIENCES and

CONVERSATIONS

Students Learning Responsible and Respectful Behavior

Online Simulations and Games

Topics to Cover

• Privacy• Safety• Digital Foot Print

• Copyright• Plagiarism• Bullying• Identity Theft• Piracy

Begin by immersing young students in engaging and interactive environments

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/help/safesurfing/index.shtml

http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=1391

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/special_initiatives/games/privacy_playground/flash/start.html

http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexFL.htm

http://www.learningismessy.com/PublicService.htm

Agnes Riley’s School Student Produced Video

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=05a09d33779a17adf170

Cyberbullying

Students Contributing

Collaboration with classmates only

Collaboration with classmates only

Collaboration with students, teachers,

parents, community members, and experts

throughout the world

Receive feedback on work from classmates and teachers

Receive feedback from the world

Students Contribute by Providing Feedback

Tools That Open The Doors to Feedback

http://voicethread.com/#home

Blogs

Wikis

Contribute to Real World Data

Contributing Ideas

http://www.letters2president.org/

http://pbskids.org/democracy/stickerrace/

Students Connecting

Time Bound

Simultaneous/Instant contribution

Contrived audience

Authentic audience

Learning is inside the school

Learning is in the

real world

Places to Connect• Global School Net Online Projects

http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsh/pr/

• Class Connect at Gigglepotz.com www.gigglepotz.com/cc.htm

• ePALS Classroom Exchange www.epals.com

• KIDPROJ www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/index.html

• Virtual Architecturehttp://virtual-architechture.wm.edu

• TakingITGlobal http://www.tiged.org

• iEARN-USA www.iearn.org/projects/sidebyside.html

• Journey North Projects http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

Tools to Connect

• Wikis• Blogs• Student Safe Email• Voice-Over Protocol• Goggle

Docs/Presentation/Spreadsheet

ePALS

http://content.epals.com/projects/info.aspx?DivID=GlobalWarming_overview

ePals is a Global Community of collaborative learners, teachers, and academic experts in 200 countries and territories.

ePALS Student Forums

http://community.epals.com/forums/default.aspx?GroupID=52

http://www.planetfesto.org/

Which Tool?

Students Creating

Receiver of information

Producer of

information

Tools for Easy Publishing

• TeacherTube• YouTube• Lulu.com• Podcasts• Voicethread

Collective Intelligence

Respectful and Responsible Digital

Citizens

Remember…• Treat others as you want to be treated• Sign your contributions• Only use your first name• Be factual• Get permission and give credit• Edit before pushing Enter• Consider your contributions permanent• Practice acceptable online writing skills• Share points of view but no slander or

defamation

Scaffold the process! Start small and work your way up.

1. Start off-line2. Within classroom3. Within school4. Open it up!

What Does It Say About You?

Two examples of posting…Example of different pictures…

Examples of various screen names…

Which one would you like to be from you?

Why?

Find YOUR Voice

Help Your Students Find THEIRS!

Give them the gift of the

WORLD!