Thursday, February 2, 2012
Week 3.1
Awareness and Planning for Digital Citizenship
It can be overwhelming, to say the least, when you are the forerunner of making change happen in your school or environment. We have discussed the urgency in teaching our young students about Digital Communication and Literacy and what is considered private. There are people who have got the ball rolling in their districts. I came across this article in the West Hartford News and I'd like to share it with you.
Right in our backyard, at Renbroook Elementary School in West Hartford, CT, Dave Blodgett has been a pioneer in terms of educating professionals and families about the importance of digital appropriateness. He is currently part of the IT team there and has also been a teacher. The development of his blog called, www.renbrook.org/techbits, is to inform teachers and families of the challenges facing our youth today in a digital world.
The article can be found at
http://www.westhartfordnews.com/articles/2012/01/17/news/doc4f0f402b84dcb248571530.txt.
Please read one or two of his posts and let me know what you think.
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After perusing through several of Mr. Blodgett's posts, I have a new appreciation for the tough decisions that parents make (or don't...) regarding their children's technology usage. His post on "tween" cell phone usage spoke to the importance of providing children with sufficient guided practice on acceptable cell phone usage. Mr. Blodgett set strict limits on his own son's cell phone usage, by initially monitoring his texting patterns prior to purchasing a phone. Since I'm not a parent, I had not previously considered how a cell phone can drastically blur the boundaries of parental authority, given that these portable devices facilitate communication anywhere and everywhere. As a technology novice, I enjoyed reading Mr. Blodgett's witty and, at times, humorous posts. More importantly, he speaks in a language that I can understand and writes about pertinent topics!
ReplyDeleteJust as our textbook spoke of technology "natives" and technology "immigrants," many parents incorrectly assume that their child's tech-savvy behaviors (often more sophisticated than their own) translates into appropriate digital behavior. Therefore, it seems that Mr. Blodgett's intention in creating this website was to open up a dialogue between parents, teachers, students and administrators about the advantages and caveats related to 21st century technology. I especially liked his post in which he compares internet safety to digital citizenship. I have come to understand that internet safety is a subset of digital citizenship, but is in no way synonymous with the 9 tenants that digital citizenship espouses. I wholeheartedly agree that a conversation about appropriate digital behavior cannot begin and end with the "not's..." "Don't do this, or this will happen..." Too often we broadcast all of the potential negative effects that may arise during internet usage, yet we fail to capitalize on the benefits that occur when users began to understand what their rights and responsibilities are as digital citizens. It is not until we engage our students and children in a conversation about how to appropriately and purposefully use technology, will they truly reap the benefits that arise from our digital society.
-Andrea
Andrea - I agree with you that too often the potential negative effects are being address, yet most people do not understand their rights and responsiblities of on-line use are. I have to admit I am learning more and more by my technology classes I am taking and all the readings we are doing. And as a parent I admit that I need to make sure I have guidelines and rules for my son when he starts to use on-line technology or cell phone devices. I am fully aware that it is just as much my reponsiblity as it is for him. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteAndrea,
DeleteI also completely agree that we put the negative sides of things out way too much. Even when I was a camp counselor years ago we were told not to say the negative sides of things especially consequences because children will not respond to things like this. It really is all about the positive reinforcement.
I feel that to be a well informed individual you need to know the positivies and the negatives. Children need to know positive from negatibe just like cause and effect. However when when working with children their are ways that you can get them to see the negative side of things by the way you approach them. Helping them see the negative on their own.
DeleteBunker
Great response, Andrea! Encouraging dialogue and allowing kids to ask questions about topics that are confusing is such an important relationship to have with our students as well as our own children. I do think that parents assume their kids are being digitally appropriate because parents, themselves, don't completly understand the technology themselves. That's why it's urgent we start educating adults, friends and family members about this matter as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree. When adults have open lines of communication with kids about any topic it helps kids to ask questions that they are unsure about or confused. I feel that kids need to feel comfortable with the adult so that they will then approach them. The relationship that adults have with children will deterine if they will seek them out when they need help.
DeleteBunker
I have to say that it did not occur to me that so many school systems have incomplete technology guidelines. Our reading indicates that there are 9 areas of digital citizenship that should be addressed and that these areas should be guides to appropriate technology use. Most policies, such as the one in my district, just tell the does and don’t of technology devices use: No cell phones in class, no email at school, limited internet access. Not once does it educate students on how to properly use the internet, or talk about how students, teachers, administrators, and parents are leaving a digital footprint once they are on-line. I was surprised at my “aha” moment when I realized the policies were not aiding our students, school, and/or community. Recently I had been chosen to be on our districts technology committee that will be creating a technology plan for the next 3 years. I am excited to share this information with them and encourage the members to read this book to get an understanding of the direction our district to head. I foresee this committee to be on on-going committee since technology is always changing and is not going away.
ReplyDeleteDavid Blogett’s allows you to understand the importance for digital citizenship in our schools and with our children. Our children are digital natives, while most teachers, administrators, and parents are immigrants to the techno world. Think about it, most children toys these days are computerized and have some kind of technology connection; Leap Frog Pad, DS games, Wii games. And many of the advertisements kids see on television will direct them to the internet to find more information or access apps or learning games. Children get how to use technology before they even realize they do. There is no way getting around technology. So it is only logical that we as teachers and parents need to educate our children on how to use technology properly because on-line is the extension of our communities. David Blogett’s blog shows how this information can easily extend and be accessible to teachers, administrators, and parents. He gives great advice to parents on how to teach their children how to behave on- line or with technology such as his advice on cell phone monitoring and appropriate texting. I also agree with his advice about creating conversations with your children and other parents about being an active on-line participant. Parents need to become involved with their children’s on-line use and they need to know how to be a positive digital citizen in order to teach their children. I believe this to be a powerful resource for parents before they are dealing with their child being cyber bullied or involved in inappropriate things such as on-line gambling. David Blogett’s blog shows how easy it can be to start the discussions about digital citizenship in our communities. A blog post connected to your districts site can allow for students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members to have access to information about on-line use that can benefit everyone.
Kate, you're very right that Mr. Blogett's blog opens up a healthy discourse between the major technology "players," especially within the Renbrook community. Just the simple fact that parents are navigating a blog is likely a major step for many. After all, blogs are an easy, more accessible mode of conversation for busy parents, than perhaps a town meeting or an evening assembly that targets similar information. Thanks for sharing!
Delete-Andrea
I'm sure you will have a great influence on your team and the important decisions you will make together. You can and will be changing lives and the roles kids play as digtal natives.
DeleteI think the most important feature Mr. Blogett's writing brings to light is that digital citizenship is happening 24/7/365. The trend is only growing and, in turn, so should the discussion. If you expect students to behave in a particular manner in person, than those same expectations should be considered when discussing digital citizenship.
ReplyDeleteBoth Kate and Andrea make excellent points by referring to districts' lack of "how" to use technology instead of the "do or don't" language technology usually coincides with. By discussing the why and how technology should be used, we can offer our students a more authentic procession of acquiring invaluable technological learning opportunities, just as Mr. Blogett suggests.
Teach On!
Mr. Blogett's blog is a great resource. He provides quick reads on important digital citizenship topics about how to make good choices as a parent when a child begins asking for cell phones(this specific blog points out that providing a cell phone is just like providing access to the internet), protecting passwords, or the latest, over sharing personal information in text and photos. The blog is a great site to refer anyone who states "I don't have time to learn about this stuff."
ReplyDelete~Anna
Dear Anna:
DeleteI agree that this is an awesome site for those who say, "I don't have time to learn about this stuff." However, can you see the danger in pushing too much technology without focusing on the old ways first!
I also agree that there must be rules between parents and children at home as well as teachers and students in schools. Digital Citizenship will provide that as long as everyone agrees and jumps on board.
I am still concerned about the humanity cost to all this. After all, do we walk first or run? What if I do not have a technological machine in front of me? What will happen to the child/student? The way we did it back in the day without all this technology will still allow me to write, add, subtract, multiply, and divide in my head or on paper. Today's kids would be lost. The previous example I gave about the girl who could not figure out 20% of $20.00. What happens to our youth if they cannot do simple math in their heads?
Anna, I completely agree with your statement, particularly the significance of cell phone use as a portal to the cyber world. His blog is definitely a good resource as it is becoming more necessary to parents and educators to be well versed in technology. I also share similar concerns as Michael. While we can now tell the whole world what we are doing at every second of every day, it seems that people are taking advantage of these technological resources, using them for their own purposes versus utilizing them as a means to develop global citizenship through technology.
Delete-Chelsea
I just read the blog about whether or not to get your child a cell phone. One of the first things I thought of is how old would this child be. I am starting to think that perhaps middle school would be the time to get your children a cell phone, especially if they have many after school activities. I have seen students in elementary school who have cell phones, this to me is crazy. But, anyways I liked how Mr. Blogett spoke about the different options they have for cell phones. I feel like some people are not aware that they do have simple cell phones out there. Of course, every child is going to want a smart phone but I do not think they need one when they are in middle school. In high school, I could see the benefits it could have for a student like this. In middle school, I believe the best option would be a pay as you go cell phone. The parents should sit down with the child and say exactly how much they can use, if they go over, tough luck. I also believe this will teach children responsibility. One of the other blogs spoke briefly about how to teach your child to be responsibly. The best way, like Blogett said is to talk to them.
ReplyDeleteMellissa,
DeleteI remember getting my first phone when I was 15. It wasn't anything to go crazy about. Besides, I was instructed to use it to call for rides after soccer practice or other circumstances. I didn't even know how to text at that point, so that wasn't a concern for my parents. I thought, "wow, this isn't a bad age to finally have a phone". Little did I know how young children would be getting phones.
When I worked at a summer camp this past summer, my ten and eleven year olds would come in with iPhones and smart phones. I was surprised because I didn't even have one of those phones. I'm glad I was able to use this as a way to teach responsibility. If they wanted to leave with their phone at the end of the day in awesome conditions, they had to be responsible for it; not leaving it in random places, not throwing it or letting others use it etc.
Dear Mellissa: I remember my first cell phone back in 1993. It was with Bell Atlantic (Now Verizon), and it was the one that was installed in the vehicle. God, I miss those days.
DeleteToday, the cell phones are mini computers. I would like for a parent today to buy a basic phone for their child when 99% of all other kids have smartphones. I tried. My daughter broke my DALE JR NASCAR PHONE so that we would be forced by buy a new one. Heaven forbid that phones should be cheaper to fix than to buy. Nope. They force you to buy new ones today.
As teachers, we have to monitor the texting during class or even the cheater who sends answers via texting or even a stored file.
For most concerned parents, the idea started for emergencies only. For others, a way to keep their kids busy. The end result, kids have too much energy that they cannot burn because they lock themselves in the house texting, tweeting, facebooking, or gaming.
How do we change this? Get the kids OUTSIDE. Take phones away when they are home.
HUMAN BEINGS NEED CONTACT. Do you agree?
The Iphone 3s is now $0.99 at ATT&T.
Mike Hatzikostantis
I have three children. 16, 12, and 9. My 16 year old did not get a cell phone until he was in middle school, then my daughter when she was in 5th and now my son that is in 4th has one as well, Yes they are all smart phones. Even though they are in all different grades I think the benefits that come with a smart phone are endless for them. My youngest uses it for games and find out facts about aninmals, history, science or the weather. My 12yr old uses to text, hear music, video chat, and my 16yr old uses it to watch soccer games, email, updates, etc. I feel that it is more of maturity than age thing. When my 16yr old was in 4th grade there was no way he was getting a phone, let alone a smart phone. But times change and technology changes. And yes, my 16yr old doesn;t get why his siblings have phones since he was not allowed to at a young age but, hey times change..
DeleteBunker
After reading the post "Password Lessons Learned", I was shocked to learn that you can never be to sure that your complex passwords can keep your accounts safe. He hit some pretty important points for example, having different passwords for different accounts. Guilty! It gets hard to remember several passwords for different accounts and then sometimes I can't find the "sticky note" I wrote it on. I looked into the password keeper applications and once again, I'm just so surprised that they have a solution for that.
ReplyDelete"Got Backup?" Recently, my laptop and I went through a crisis. I lost all my information because it crashed on me. Did I backup any of my stuff? No. Why? Because, of course, I thought something like this would never happen to me. I cannot stress it enough how thinking that way will cause you tremendous stress afterwards when it does happen. I kept pushing it off thinking it would take too long. Luckily, I contacted the company and they were able to retrieve ALL my files. I was so grateful. I immediately backed up all my files onto a flash drive. Lesson learned. I backup my files often and encourage all my friends to do the same.
We are living in a time where our children are being born into a digital world. I remember playing with my dolls or coloring in a coloring book. Today, you see less of those toys, and as Kate mentioned, more of Leap Frog Pad, Wii's, DS's, etc. Technology will constantly grow and we cannot stop it. Therefore, it is important we educate ourselves and parents in order to further educate our children on what it means to be a digital citizen. Mr. Blodgett does a great job educating parents and holding parent sessions to further discuss these topics.
You make a great point. Today in my students language arts class, we were talking about what fun things teenagers could do with toddlers when they are babysitting. The teacher suggested a board game, almost all of the students said no! They would rather play a game on the computer or most importantly play a video game! It's crazy!
DeleteI just commented about the password thing on my post. I have so many different passwords for things it's easy to lose track and forget! I think it's great he offers advice for this though!
Delete--Diana
Rubi, I had a similar reaction to the password post as well. I unfortunately had to learn the hard way through; as my Facebook and Hotmail accounts were soon sending all of my friends and contacts information about how to buy "male enhancement" medication...so embarrassing! So a few things Ive done to solve this were to change my passwords to random yet not-so-random jumbles of letters and numbers (ila28srd--I live at 28 Sunrise Drive), and to change my passwords periodically and make sure they are not the same; get rid of my contact list from hotmail and save email addresses in an outside document, and periodically review my privacy settings for all my accounts to make sure nothing has changed if updates had been made. Seems like a lot of work, but I definitely learned my lesson!
Delete-Chelsea
I especially liked Dave Blodgett's posts about password security and parents being involved in conversations regarding digital citizenship with their kids. It seems (from his post) that many parents don't know much about internet safety or the issues behind it, and more so, they don't want to admit that they are uninformed. The first step is for parents to become more knowledgeable about the topic, especially considering that most kids are pretty up-to-date regarding technology. Let's face it: they know more than adults do many times. It's important for parents to know what is going on so they can discuss these issues with their kids. The more parents are involved the better digital citizens our students will be.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the whole password thing makes me nervous. I don't like to think that people out there try to hack people's accounts, be it email, facebook, financial accounts, or whatever else. I like the suggestions he offers, though I admit, it's kind of a pain to have to keep changing your password (for everything you have an account for) every few months.... Better safe than sorry though.
--Diana
It is a really great point! I feel like I don't have the time or capacity to remember all of my passwords and I often think, "I'll do it next time...I'll be safe until then." Very scary thought process~
DeleteToday's students carry cell phones. My wife and I were opposed to the whole idea of children having/using cell phones. Then, we received notices that there were 3 cases of possible child abductions near our childrens' school and 1 at the high school. This is every parent's worst nightmare. We gave in and bought 2 phones for our kids for emergency purposes only. Yeah right. Our lives have never been the same since. Kids today, including mine, have turned what was meant for talking and staying in contact in case of emergencies into a way of life. Our land line does not ring except for my wife and me. Kids today rarely pick up the telephone and exercise their vocal communication skills. They text, facebook, tweet, etc. If they find themselves next to other kids at the bus stop, they stare into space. They cannot communicate face-to-face. We are becoming drones in a capitalistic free-for-all. All in the name of technology.
ReplyDeleteWhile we cannot turn back technology, there is a cost to humanity.
Today's phones are no long just phones; but rather, mini computers. Kids do not even have radios anymore. They store music on their phones.
Mike! Great comment! You should think about posting this on your blog.
DeleteAfter reading his first two posts, it really makes you think about yourself as well. I feel that his blog is really good for not just parents, but for any adult or kid. It's scary to know that he has also been a victim of being hacked. I appreciate him sharing his story and what he does to avoid that! That is truly one of my worst nightmares. I am always concerned about someone finding my information and taking advantage of it. I also would love to know a good "free" antivirus program that wouldn't slow my computer down, but finds everything. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really enjoyed how well written and informative it is. I can't wait to forward his blog to my IT person, to show him what this guy has accomplished. Once again, thank you for sharing!
I don't know of any antivirus programs but I will ask around and get back to you!
DeleteMelissa, I have used a couple free antivirus programs, which have all worked really well for me. They were recommended to me by a former computer forensic officer after my computer was hacked a few years ago, so they are pretty legit.
Deletehttp://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage
http://www.malwarebytes.org/
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials
Hope this helps!
-Chelsea
I was particularly interested by the blog post regarding internet safety versus digital citizenship. I too struggle to find a happy medium between the two notions. While one approach can be to introduce students to digital citizenship by showing students the right things to do, how do you instill measures of safety (like recognizing redflags: common virus threats, possible predators, chatroom safety, credit/finance safety, personal info security) without leaving the students either too ignorant to possible dangers or too fearful to even attempt to use the internet?
ReplyDelete-Chelsea
Did you post it anywhere online?
ReplyDeleteYES -> It's not private!
NO -> Private!