A Lesson in Digital Citizenship

The website "commonsensemedia.org"provides unit plans full of lessons on topics related to digital citizenship. This website is an excellent resource for teachers at any grade level. The lesson I investigated was titled "Oops! I Broadcast It on the Internet!" This lesson comes from the first unit for grades 9-12.
 

There are three objectives for this lesson. The first is that students will be able to identify some of the benefits of sharing information online. I was pleased to see that while explaining the risks of the internet, this lesson would also explain the benefits of internet. The second objective for the lesson was that students will be able to reflect on the risks of sharing inappropriate information (oversharing) online. Finally, the third objective of the lesson was to have the students be able to think critically about what they choose to post and share about themselves online. I thought that this lesson would an essential lesson for high schoolers are frequently crazed about social media.

The materials for this lesson include both technological and non-technological resources. The technological resources include a video about a girl who shared information online which she later regret. This is used for one of the major activities in the lesson. The other technological resource is an option; the students can use a blog to record their thoughts at the end of the lesson. The non-technological resources are discussion guides for viewing the video. Also, if students do not use a blog for writing, they can use a journal of some sort. 

The main activity in the lesson is to watch the video about a girl sharing information online and regretting the decision. The students watch this video as a class, then the students break into groups of 4-5 and discuss the video as well as some case studies about sharing information online. After the students discuss in their group, the whole class discusses these topics. This type of activity would be an excellent ice break activity at the start of a semester. The students would have the chance to get to know one another while discussing a topic to which they can all relate. The teacher is given two choices of videos to show the the class. 

To assess the students the teacher can ask three questions and have the students respond in writing either on a blog, or in a journal. The questions include: "What are some examples of people sharing in a rewarding way?", "What things can you do to minimize oversharing in your life?" and "How can you create a positive digital footprint?" These questions allow the teacher to asses the students' understanding of the learning objectives. 

In my classroom I think this would be a lesson done either at the start of the semester, or prior to starting a research unit. As previously explained, the discussion elements to this lesson make a create icebreaker to starting an English class. It allows the teacher to establish protocol for classroom discussions and group work while working on an easily accessible topic. It also allows students to get to know one another in a less academic sense. This lesson could also be part of a larger unit dedicated to digital citizenship to prelude students using internet research and resources for a research unit. In this lesson I would definitely have the students use a blog to answer their assessment questions. This would be an excellent way to model an appropriate form of sharing information online. In my classroom I would also have the students perform the Extension Activity for this unit. This activity allows the students to make their own videos warning against the dangers of oversharing on the internet. I feel this extension activity would not only incorporate more technological skills for the students to learn, but also make the dangers of oversharing much more relatable to the students. 

Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants

Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants

"So I try hard, in my thinking and writing, to see education through the eyes of those who were born in this century (or almost)—through the eyes, that is, of the students who are receiving our education, rather than through the eyes of their elders who provide it. I have come to see clearly that the conclusions about education one draws from this alternative perspective are very different from the ones nearly all educators, politicians, and parents are currently drawing."-Marc Prensky

Marc Prensky coined the idea of Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants in 2001 in his paper titled by those terms. Prensky updated his ideas in 2011 with the paper "From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom", from which the above quote is taken. Prensky describes Digital Natives as those born in the age of technology who speak the new digital language fluently and natively. Digital Immigrants are those who have had to learn the ways of technology, they did not grow up with computers, cell phones, ipods, and ipads. I feel that the dynamic of Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants leads to part of the struggle in school today. Some Digital Immigrants who are teachers struggle to understand the mindset of Digital Natives. I personally feel that I fall into both of these categories depending on the type of technology. I cannot imagine a life without computers and the internet, because it has always been around. When my mom talks about typing her thesis paper on a type writer I feel like she is talking about the stone age. I learned how to use PowerPoint at a very young age, my brother and I even used it to make a Christmas list one year. However, in other ways I feel like a Digital Immigrant, amazed by the students I interact with and their mindset that has been shaped by technology. When I was in high school I had a cell phone, but it had 100 text messages per month and the only game was snake. The RAZOR cell phone proved far less distracting than iPhones with SnapChat, Twitter, Angry Birds, and on and on. I feel that my status as half immigrant half native places me in an interesting place as an educator. I can understand the frustration of other educators, as well as of students. 

I feel that Marc Prensky, who began this fascinating and essential discussion at the start of the 21st century, added excellent insight in 2011. Too often teachers forget to think about what school is like for the student, when really, that should be our main focus. The goal is for students to learn as much as they possibly can to become the most successful and happy versions of themselves. When the cell phones are interrupting our lectures technology can seem like the enemy, but technology is part of the key to our students' success in the world. The alternative perspective that Prensky sees in our Digital Native students is something that all teachers should try to keep in mind when developing curriculum, lesson plans, and activities. By incorporating the aspects of technology that students love so much, we can make school more engaging to our students. So our high schoolers love instagram? Have them apply the same type of filters to photos in their presentations. Technology can be seen as the friend of education, rather than the enemy, as long as teachers can open up their perspective.