When Dr. Shanique Worthey launched her Cyber Champions program, she had no idea just how many students would jump at the chance to participate in the digital citizenship program.

“As we began collaborating last summer for the Cyber Champions, we expected a group of 25 or so,” says Worthey, Manager of Security Awareness and Engagement for Georgia’s DeKalb County School District, which serves 92,066 students across 137 schools. “Instead, we had about 100 students immediately apply to be a part of this initiative to virtually meet monthly to talk about different topics such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and being a good digital citizen.”

For her efforts, Worthey was recently recognized as Innovative Educational Technology Specialist at the Southeast Regional Leadership Summit as part of the Tech & Learning’s Innovative Leader Awards.

Worthey discusses her impressive Cyber Champions program and shares five tips to launch a similar digital citizenship program in your district.

A Winning Gameplan for Cyber Champions

Worthey launched Cyber Champions with Eric Logan, Director of Information Security, but its immediate success made the duo realize they would need reinforcements to achieve their goal.

”The numbers were definitely overwhelming,” Worthey says, adding she was thrilled when a dozen teachers volunteered their time to help. “We recruited teachers to help us facilitate virtual meetings and run small breakout rooms to dive deep into the lesson shared in the monthly meeting. We’re hoping to pay them in a future cohort, but we're not there yet. So at the moment we are relying on their enthusiasm and willingness to participate in such an initiative.”

With such a wide age range, one common digital topic was presented each time with breakout rooms providing space to scale participation by grade level.

“When I first started out, I was tweaking plans from Microsoft and Common Sense Media about AI and cybersecurity,” Worthey says. “I created a template for the teachers to align to the grade level of their group of four to six students. I wanted to celebrate, not micromanage our volunteers, so I gave them the autonomy to use their expertise in their respective fields to help students understand.”

Building Leaders—The Domino Effect

Empowering and growing leaders extended beyond the volunteer teachers. Student participants not only put in the time to learn the technology-based lessons, they actively teach others in their school community what they learn.

“They're definitely our ambassadors,” says Worthey. “They're our champions for cybersecurity and AI. They act as a liaison between us and the other students. After the monthly meeting, students are required to create their own presentation based on the information they learned with us and share it with their classmates. That’s why we call them our Cyber Champions.”

Strength in numbers proves true at DeKalb. Worthey’s team reaches out not only to peers and classmates, but shares lessons with parents, teachers, the local community and beyond.

“Some of the students may get selected to present at the PTA or during their school’s morning announcements. Some participate in monthly tech cafes for the community, where they get to present to parents and visitors,” says Worthey. “Many Cyber Champions compete in our tech fair competition, placing in their respective categories. They are highlighted outside of the school community—one was even a participant in the student panel for Tech & Learning.”

Keeping the monthly message relatable and easy to digest helps kids pass the information on to others, a proven technique for ensuring lessons land and are remembered.

“We talk about topics like privacy and reading privacy statements,” says Worthey. “We talk about using artificial intelligence—who's behind those chatbots? Ask teachers if now is an appropriate time to use AI and use it as a brainstorming partner, not for answers. We theme it to what is happening for the kids to make it relevant, so over the holidays we discussed how to shop safely online.”

Worthey promotes the continuation and expansion of the program by using the champions’ own words.

“As part of our closeout ceremony, I asked our students to create a 30-60 second video to help recruit other students,” she says. “I'm definitely enjoying watching their videos, to learn their feedback and what their thoughts are on the program.”

5 Tips to Launching Cyber Champions in your District

Worthey and Logan share tips on developing a successful Cyber Champions program to boost digital citizenship and understanding.

1. Offer Opportunities to Hone Soft Skills

Soft skills such as communication, collaboration, and presenting in front of an audience creates opportunities for students to shine and really be leaders in the field. By working on those soft skills, students will be more comfortable when looking for jobs, interviewing for college, presenting at competitions, and giving classroom reports.

2. Build Model Students

Breaking information into smaller, digestible pieces helps students easily share lessons with peers in the classroom. “When we discuss using AI in an ethical and responsible way, students can model proper behavior when using the tech and show others how to be a good digital citizen,” says Worthey.

3. Bring in Subject Matter Experts

Worthey has reached out to the local FBI office and shared with them about the Cyber Champions program, explaining that they were looking for ways to partner with the FBI to bring strategies for online security awareness to the table to share with the students.

4. Create Career Pathway Awareness

“A lot of our vendors, such as Microsoft, Google, Fortnite, and others have a lot of opportunities for training students interested in careers in cyber security and IT,” says Worthey. “It's a level of experience and knowledge that they have access to through Cyber Champions, so once they go to college or into the workforce, they are already a step ahead.”

5. Offer Volunteers a Choice of Recognition

“I created a form asking teacher-volunteers how they’d like to be rewarded for their time,” says Worthey. “Some like personal recognition — a mention at year-end celebration, some wanted items boasting the Cyber Champions logo, some preferred a district-wide news flash, while others would like a gift card.”

The Tools They Use

• Microsoft Teams
• Canva
• Common Sense Media
• Fortnight
• Google

• Innovative Leader Award

With the amount of digital technology being used in classrooms today, digital literacy and citizenship is a more widely discussed topic now more than ever. However, it is not often taught as a separate subject despite the world being more connected through the proliferation of devices and platforms we all use on a regular basis.

So just as reading, writing, and general literacy are dedicated subjects, has the time come to intentionally designate a classroom period of the school day to specifically focus on digital citizenship and literacy?

Lisa Nielsen, Executive Director of Technology for the NYC Department of Education in Manhattan, Melissa Jacobs, Director of Library Services for the New York City School Library System and the New York City Public Schools Office of Library Services, and Tali Horowitz, East Coast Education Director at Common Sense, discuss the need for a dedicated digital citizenship/literacy curriculum.

Providing Digital Citizenship and Literacy When No One Else Is

Whether it is through a computer, a tablet, a smartwatch, or a smartphone, we are never out of reach of the internet. However, we often tend to overlook how to use our devices in a responsible, secure manner. This is especially true of grade school students.

“It’s basic life skills at this point in order to function in today’s society,” Jacobs says. “It’s not an opt-out option. It’s in everything, and when we start thinking about AI or Google, for example, you don’t have a choice in the matter. It’s required for any level of success professionally, if we’re thinking about college and careers. So I think it is incumbent upon us to set our students up for success by teaching them digital citizenship.”

But how did we arrive at this point of using so much technology without actively knowing how to use it effectively and responsibly?

“I think that a lot of people make the assumption that if you own a smartphone, you know how to navigate it, that you have the critical thinking skills, the digital citizenship skills, the inquiry skills to be able to use it,” says Jacobs. “I don’t think that’s necessarily a fact. And I think that simultaneous to being catapulted into this world where it is a part of our everyday life, we have decreased the number of pedagogues that have the skill sets to teach these things, and that have the ability to integrate these skills into curriculum.”

Digital Citizenship PD and Teachers

While education follows an overarching theme of teaching and learning, there are many ways to achieve those goals. Teaching and learning digital citizenship is no different, says Nielsen, who adds that although different schools might take different approaches, the overall need for digital citizenship being formalized as a subject is still there.

“I think different school districts have different ways of thinking about where areas fit best, where subjects fit best,” Nielsen says. “That could be left up to different school divisions to decide.”

Nielsen suggests that the school librarian or media specialist could be an ideal person to teach the subject, or possibly whoever is teaching instructional technology. “Others might say ‘Have mandatory advisory periods where every teacher is teaching digital citizenship so every student is getting it,’” she adds.

What about providing professional development around digital citizenship and literacy for teachers? Horowitz says that teachers should already be taking a digital citizenship course.

“It should be a part of the teacher program,” Horowitz says. “We have a one-hour, self-paced course called Modeling Healthy Digital Habits, and this is for educators. Not for them teaching digital citizenship, but for them just leading the digital model.”

Common Sense offers other on-demand classes for getting experience in digital citizenship, Horowitz says. “You can become a Common Sense Recognized Educator.”

Teaching digital citizenship in school is a topic we cannot ignore, and there are some who are taking up the mantle and leading the charge on educating both students and teachers on the responsible use of digital tools and devices inside and outside the classroom.

• Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities
• 7 Things School Leaders Can Do To Promote Digital Citizenship in the Community

Ensuring students’ safety and responsibility online must be a priority for schools. While educators often focus on teaching students about digital citizenship and literacy within the classroom, it is important to engage parents and the entire school community. School leaders play a critical role in fostering this.

Digital citizenship reinforces the norms of appropriate, responsible technology use. Etiquette, security, and the ethical use of digital resources serve as the framework to use digital tools safely and effectively. Understanding these concepts is crucial for students' success and safety while engaging in their digital orbit.

Digital and social engagement offers major advantages and at the same time the potential risk for significant negative impacts on children and families. We see this online, everyday. Shifting to the positives of supportive networks and messaging online, rather than admonishing the detrimental impacts, is the road to success for school communities. Educators owe it to families to teach how to interact in constructive online engagement.

First, Understand the Trouble Spots

Recently, I heard a quote: “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” Some debate exists about where this originated but it appears to be centuries old, and could be a derivative of the Jonathan Swift saying from 1710: “Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it.”

My point? All the noise about misinformation online is something that has always existed in other formats. We used to call it propaganda. We likewise have age-old methods for righting the digital citizenship ship in our schools.

A study conducted by Twitter (now X) demonstrated that false news travels six times faster and farther than the truth. Sound familiar? Maybe Swift foresaw, or little has changed. Either way, it reinforces the significance of helping our school communities to foster a constructive approach to good, honest digital citizenship, with some age-old wisdom, as well as develop new techniques to leverage the very technology that disrupts a positive experience for online users.

Social media also creates other landmines, such as the online disinhibition effect, about which I’ve written. When misinformation spreads rapidly online, the school community is affected by the "hyperactive hive mind," a sort of destructive gang mentality which leads to toxic groupthink. This has no place in schools, where children should find sanctuary in learning and development.

7 Things School Leaders Can Do To Promote Digital Citizenship in the Community

1. Disrupt negative interactions such as the hyperactive hive mind by promoting positive online interactions through the benign disinhibition effect. This method cleverly flips the script, by which supportive and monitored online groups can provide healthier engagement alternatives for students. People feel liberated in this safe zone, more comfortable sharing personal information, feelings, and vulnerabilities online than in real life, where they fear judgment and the danger of social ostracism.

People can provide compliments, defend others, and donate to charitable organizations when anonymous online, since they fear being judged by others disagreeing with them less. Kindness, support, and generosity fosters a network of prosocial contexts, and these happen everyday online for digital citizens. Informing families of these safe spaces can be the catalyst for altering online engagement to constructive interactions.

2. Promote critical thinking by questioning the credibility of sources and recognizing misinformation. By providing tools and strategies for identifying reliable content, it fosters a culture of skepticism and inquiry.

3. Emphasize the importance of adults modeling responsible digital citizenship. Children often mimic the behaviors they observe, so it is crucial for parents and educators to demonstrate ethical online conduct.

4. Avoid rabbit holes. “Reply only twice” is a method that encourages us to limit our responses to two online exchanges to foster clarity and efficiency, while preventing prolonged threads of back and forth.

When digital communication with the school community becomes inefficient and unclear, redirect the conversation to direct dialogue, such as a phone call or meeting. This shift allows for real-time clarification and a more personal interaction, reducing the risk of misinterpretation and enhancing understanding. Additionally, this provides the experience so many new generations need, to learn to interact in person, during which empathy and understanding always have the edge.

5. Encourage open conversations at home, and even help structure it. In communications with parents, provide them with conversation starters and strategies for talking to their children about digital citizenship. For example, ask them to discuss the consequences of sharing personal information online or the impact of digital footprints on future opportunities. This open dialogue builds a foundation for mutual trust and accountability. It is also helpful to schedule homework or other family activities around the student to help further family interactions about digital citizenship.

6. Partner with local organizations. Partner with local organizations and law enforcement agencies who specialize in digital safety. These partnerships can provide valuable resources and additional expertise for your school community.

For example, inviting a local cybersecurity expert to speak at a parent night or coordinating with a nearby community center to host a joint event can expand your reach and reinforce your school’s commitment to digital citizenship. This was one of the most profound experiences we had in our school community, because parents got to see firsthand examples of how significant these interchanges can be, for better or worse, and much depends on how the adults steer this.

7. Celebrate good citizenship. When you see students practicing responsible digital citizenship, acknowledge their efforts publicly. Share these stories in your newsletters or on your school’s social media channels. Recognizing these positive behaviors not only reinforces the message but also encourages others to follow suit.

Ultimately, It is essential to ensure that students, parents, and educators understand the significance of responsible and informed use of digital technologies.

By prioritizing digital citizenship and literacy, we can prepare our students, families and school staff to navigate the digital world responsibly and safely. It is a collective effort that requires the involvement of each of these stakeholders. Through open communication, education, and modeling responsible behavior, we can cultivate a school community that values and practices digital citizenship, ensuring a positive and productive digital future for our students.

• Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities
• 9 Digital Etiquette Tips

AI is taking over the job market. 

That’s the thesis of the new book The Algorithm: How AI Decides Who Gets Hired, Monitored, Promoted, and Fired, And Why We Need To Fight Back by Hilke Schellmann, an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter and contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, as well as an assistant professor of journalism at New York University. 

In the book, Schellmann recounts how major companies are increasingly turning to AI to scan resumes, assess video interviews, and predict applicant or employee success through games that do not always have a clear connection to the job. 

This is all a problem, Schellmann tells Tech & Learning, because the decisions AI systems make can be arbitrary, unfair, and sometimes, blatantly biased against certain types of applicants. And students preparing to enter the job market, need to know how to navigate the evolving hiring landscape. 

Schellmann offers advice and techniques that you can use to help prepare your students to stand out to AI recruiters and overcome some of the problems associated with the growing AI jobs market. 

Overcoming AI Hiring Algorithms: A Time-Saving Tool for Companies Inundated by Applicants  

"Job platforms, like LinkedIn, Monster, ZipRecruiter, and Indeed, they really tried to democratize hiring and they have — a lot of us can apply to a lot of jobs,” Schellmann says. “That has led to a lot of companies getting a lot of applications for a role. We see large companies like Google, they get about 3 million or so applications a year.” 

And it’s not just a tech giant such as Google dealing with this challenge. Anyone who has ever served on a hiring committee knows that any semi-desirable job will receive at least dozens of applications, many from candidates who seemingly meet none of the requirements for the role.  

“A lot of companies are just overwhelmed by the number of applications," Schellmann says. "So they're looking for a technological solution, and the vendors come in and say, ‘These tools are going to make hiring more efficient, they're going to save a lot of money, they will have no bias and they will pick the most qualified candidates.'” 

These AI screening tools do increase efficiency and save money, but the other claims made by vendors can be more dubious, Schellmann says. “Are they without bias? That’s certainly not true. And do they pick most qualified candidates? We don't have a whole lot of evidence that is true.” 

Problems With AI Bias  

Bias can be built into AI algorithms in subtle and unintentional ways that can have devastating consequences. An employment lawyer Schellmann interviewed for the book found a resume screener that gave people who mentioned baseball on their resume more points and gave fewer points to those who mentioned softball. 

“That's probably a case of gender discrimination,” Schellmann says, since you’d expect more men to list baseball on their resume and more women to list softball. What likely happened in that case is that the AI tool was trained on the resumes of past employees at the company. 

“There might have been historical bias at the company, they may have hired more men than women in the past,” she says. So the AI may have seen more mentions of baseball and inferred, wrongly, that those with baseball on their resume were better employees. 

As bad as bias in individuals is, AI bias has the potential to be much worse. “The problem with resume screeners, or with a lot of AI tools, is the scope is just unprecedented,” Schellmann says. “A human hiring manager can discriminate against only a certain number of people, and I'm really sorry for them, but an AI tool can discriminate against millions of people.” 

Overcoming AI Hiring Algorithms

To standout to AI algorithms when you or your students are applying for work, Schellmann suggests: 

• Keep your resume simple. Forget the old advice to make your resume stand out, the opposite is now true, as you want it to be in a format AI already understands. “Use short, crisp, clear, sentences,” Schellmann says. Images, multiple columns, or other layout flourishes should be avoided. 
• List skills separately. Many AI tools scan resumes for specific skills, so applicants should create a separate section that lists your skills in a clear manner with bullet points. This helps ensure the algorithm will “ingest their skills correctly,” Schellmann says. 
• Quantify wherever possible.  “Anything that you can quantify, quantify, versus just describing it — this is really helpful for machines,” Schellmann says. 
• Use technology to asses your resume before submitting it. Schellmann recommends using a tool such as Jobscan, which allows job hunters to input their resume and the description of the job they are seeking and compare the similarities. “You always try to use the keywords that are on the job description but make sure it's not 100%” Schellmann says. Instead, you want about a 60-80% overlap. “Because if it's 100% of the same words, some of the resume screeners will infer that this is just a copy of that job description,” she says. 
• Reach out to a person. If you are able to learn the name of the person in charge of hiring for that position, it can be worthwhile to send a short message to them on LinkedIn. This ensures a human will look at your resume. This is important for the reasons laid out in this article and described in more detail in Schellmann's book. “It’s hard to understand how machines will treat your resume," she says. 

The Algorithm: How AI Decides Who Gets Hired, Monitored, Promoted, and Fired, And Why We Need To Fight Back is available on Amazon.

• The Disruption of AI in CTE Is Real
• Best Free AI Quiz Generators

Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that occurs online and/or is perpetrated via technology.

Cyberbullying increased during the pandemic era and has continued to rise, thanks to students spending more time online and the prevalence of AI deepfakes. According to the CDC, 37% of middle schools and 25% of high schools reported at least one cyberbullying incident per week in the U.S. Globally, the WHO released research in 2024 showing that across 44 countries, about 1 in 6 school-aged children experience cyberbullying and 1 in 8 report cyberbullying others.

Cyberbullying can be particularly challenging for educators to prevent as it can’t be seen in school hallways and can occur off school grounds and after school hours. Despite this, cyberbullying still impacts students and can be an in-school problem. Preventing it often involves education, both of potential cyberbullying victims and perpetrators as well as outreach between education staff, parents, and other stakeholders.

Cyberbullying can take place on social media, through videos and texts, or as part of online games. Instances can involve name-calling, the sharing of embarrassing photos, and various forms of public shaming and humiliation.

This brief overview of cyberbullying includes strategies educators can take to prevent it.

What is Cyberbullying?  

Traditional bullying is generally defined as involving an imbalance of physical or emotional power, intent to cause physical or emotional harm, and behavior that is repeated or likely to be repeated. Cyberbullying also fits this definition, but occurs online frequently through social media or other forms of digital communication.

Chad A. Rose, director of Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab at the University of Missouri, has said that unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying can occur anytime and anyplace.

“We live in a world now where bullying doesn’t begin and end with school bells,” Rose said. “It encompasses a kid’s entire life.”

How Common is Cyberbullying? 

Cyberbullying can be hard for both educators and parents to recognize because they don’t overhear or see it occurring, and it might take place in private text chains or on message boards that adults don’t typically frequent. Students may also be reluctant to admit it is happening.

Even so, there is good evidence cyberbullying is on the rise. In 2019, The CDC found that 16 percent of students experienced cyberbullying. More recently, Security.org’s research found that 20 percent of kids and adolescents between the age of 10 and 18 experienced cyberbullying, and children from households that earned less than $75,000 annually were more than twice as likely to experience cyberbullying.

The WHO also found that globally, cyberbullying has been increasing in recent years. Between 2018 and 2022, the period from which the most recent WHO research is based, the number of children who experienced cyberbullying rose from 12% to 15% for boys and 13% to 16% for girls.

What Role Do AI and Deepfakes Play?

Deepfake AI technology can be used to mock or bully students in the school setting. UNESCO has reported on the deepfake trend in cyberbullying, noting that “students are using deepfake technology to create harassing and sexually explicit content of classmates and teachers, leaving lawmakers struggling to adapt existing cyberbullying laws to the new threat.”

This is a new area of cyberbullying that schools are monitoring and learning how to respond. Educators Stephanie Jones and Kerry Gallagher have written here at Tech & Learning that strategies aiming to prevent AI deepfakes in the school setting should adopt a “victim-centered approach.”

They add, “This means the goal of programming is to ensure students’ voices are heard, they are engaged . . . and they know how to seek support.”

What Are Some Ways To Prevent Cyberbullying?  

To prevent cyberbullying students should be taught digital citizenship and literacy, Rose said. These lessons and activities should emphasize online safety, remind students to think before posting, that posts are permanent, and that there are important implications to that permanence.

Other key steps are for school leaders to prioritize SEL and empathy education and to forge strong relationships with caregivers. That way if cyberbullying does occur, the caregivers of both the victim and the perpetrator can be enlisted to help put an end to it.

While some educators, parents, and caregivers might be inclined to ban technology use as a way to protect students from cyberbullying, Rose said that’s not the answer because technology is part of kids’ lives.

“We used to tell kids if someone is mistreating you, delete the app,” Rose said. “I’ve long said that we can’t just tell them to socially remove themselves.” For example, Rose said you wouldn’t tell a child to stop playing basketball if they were getting bullied on the court.

Instead of banning technology use, educators and caregivers need to teach children how to use technology responsibly and guard themselves against the negative effects of cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying Prevention Resources 

• StopBullying.gov - Practical advice, including warning signs of when a child may be being cyberbullied – or may be cyberbullying others.
• Teachers’ Essential Guide to Cyberbullying Prevention - Common Sense Education’s guide includes cyberbullying FAQs as well as grade-specific lessons and activities.
• Preventing Cyberbullying: Top 10 Tips for Teens - Student-focused advice from the Cyberbullying Research Center.
• Who To Call - The Cybersmile Foundation provides helplines for cyberbullying, mental health, eating disorders, revenge porn, and more.
• Security.org - A well-rounded collection of cyberbullying prevention resources, including podcasts, books, apps, and more.
• Do Something About Bullying - Featuring cyberbullying prevention support campaigns, news, resources, and more.
• Internet Matters - Conversation guides, legal resources, and links to cyberbullying prevention in social media and gaming.
• Stomp Out Bullying - Resources, videos, supports, and more for support in regard to all manner of bullying.
• National Crime Prevention Council - An array of resources including rapid response outreach tools and cyberbullying tip sheets.
• American Federation of Teachers - A plethora of online safety and cyberbullying resources.

It’s undeniable that the pandemic changed the way we teach, learn, work, and live, but when some people returned to in-person learning and their schools, it seemed they could use some advice on digital etiquette for the new, and extremely connected, world in which we are now operating. This is a world where at any time you may be meeting or teaching in-person, via video, phone, or a combination thereof at the same time. 

While adapting was easier for some, others could use a bit of help. For those people, you may want to share or discuss these tips with them.

Digital Etiquette Tip 1: Use Earbuds / Headphones 

There is never a time when you are in the company of others that you should listen to a device through the device. Lowering the volume also doesn’t work. If you don’t wear earbuds or headphones, you may come off as inconsiderate. 

2: Multitask Mindfully if You Must 

You may think that you are not captain obvious when you are doing something unrelated to the work at hand. However, usually, you are. If you must multitask on your phone, laptop, or other device, let the person in charge and those you are meeting with know, and give you feedback if it is okay or if it is better you don’t participate. 

3: Know How to Handle Hybrid 

While remote was king in the first year or so of the pandemic, hybrid is now the norm. It’s beneficial to know how to do this effectively. Learn to use your camera to livestream and even record meetings, lessons, conversations. If your district prioritizes this, there are products such as WeVideo, Screencastify, and Flip that make this easy peasy. Having a backchannel for chat, insights, and feedback has many advantages. Have a moderator for this. They can bring any questions or comments to the attention of the presenter and/or participants as needed.  

4: Ask If It’s Okay to Pop On By 

Whether it’s a student or a staff member doing deep work it is important to respect their time. While some may not mind unexpected interruptions, others may. It’s best to ask rather than just popping over to someone. If they’re okay with that, great. If not, let them know when you plan to connect in advance and make sure that time works for them. This is true whether you’re popping by in-person or connecting via video or phone conference. Respect the time and work schedule of others, know how to use digital calendars, and determine a time that is mutually convenient. 

5: Courteous Calendaring 

Calendaring technology, such as Calendly, makes scheduling easy. Use calendars to coordinate and book meetings and events. Know how to read the calendars of others to know when they are free rather than asking. Don’t book someone when they are already booked. Staff should also know how to share their calendar so it is visible to colleagues. This can also apply in school settings. Get rid of the bells and teach students and staff how to use a calendar to coordinate where they are going when. 

6: People Over Phones 

When you are in-person be with the persons you are with and put away the phones unless it is a part of what the group is doing together. If you think you must use your phone (relative in the hospital, sick child, etc.), then explain this to others and be discreet. 

7: Conscious Camera Connecting 

How do we find the right balance between Zoom fatigue and connection with cameras on? The answer is to choose consciously. If it’s an ongoing meeting or class, you may want to discuss norms with participants. For example, you can acknowledge that having the camera on for everyone can be exhausting. Perhaps, you ask that cameras come on when folks speak. Or, cameras can be on in certain types of video conferencing and not others. Not talking about it can lead to discomfort. Instead, talk. Discuss. Create norms and figure out what makes sense for people. The organizer of the activity should share expectations up front, but be open if some folks have preferences or sensitivities. 

8: Don’t Attach. Link. 

Never attach files when sharing. Instead share links. Why? Attachments often have a variety of issues including version control, ability to access from any device, storage waste, and more. Additionally, if you mention a document when communicating, link to it. You can create links using a variety of platforms such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive. Simply upload your file to the desired platform and access a copy of the link. Make sure you check visibility and share the file with the correct audience. 

9: Interact

Learning and meetings are more effective when participants react and interact rather than sit back as passive participants. If you are leading the meeting or lesson, encourage the use of emojis or hand signals. Use polls to get reactions from those in attendance. Create time for whole and/or small group discussion. Use tools such as Adobe Express for folks to create and other tools to collaborate such as Padlet or a digital whiteboard. 

As we move to a new normal that values digital teaching, learning, and working, it is more important than ever to integrate digital etiquette into our work, and into our students’ work. Each of these tips will be crucial to ensure we all are as successful and effective as possible in the work we do with our colleagues and students. 

• How To Teach Digital Citizenship
• Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities

More than Generation Z or Generation Alpha, students today may fairly be termed Generation Digital. They've lived their entire lives with the internet, smartphones, and instant communication. Given that many kids know more about digital technology than their teachers do, it may not seem obvious that lessons in digital citizenship are necessary.

But these lessons are. Regardless of their tech savvy, children still need guidance in learning the rules of the online and social media landscapes—both how to cross the street safely and how to navigate their increasingly complex and pervasive digital universe. 

The free sites, lessons, and activities below cover the breadth of digital citizenship curriculum, from cyberbullying to copyright to digital footprint. 

Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities

AT&T’s Achievery
Whether you celebrate or look askance at the neologism “achievery,” you’ll find a lot to appreciate in this free site from internet giant AT&T. An extensive collection of downloadable and printable PDF lesson plans from a variety of highly respected sources are searchable by grade, category, and resource provider. No account is required and it’s simple to browse resources on this easy-to-navigate site. Diverse topics range from the basics of digital citizenship to more in-depth ones such as AI algorithms, white-hat hackers, and large language models. Do sharks love ice cream? Yep, that’s there too. 

Teen Voices: Oversharing and Your Digital Footprint
Teens listen to other teens. Sometimes that’s a problem, but in this video from Common Sense Education, teens talk frankly about the harm of oversharing personal information on social media and the permanence of even so-called “disappearing” messages. Put peer pressure to good use. 

CTRL-F: Digital media literacy
From the Canadian civic education nonprofit CIVIX, the digital learning platform CTRL-F aims to enhance students’ critical thinking and fact-checking skills. Once you get through the slightly tedious sign-up forms, it’s easy to explore the strong collection of lessons, exercises, and expert videos. Resources are conveniently accessible via Google Drive or local downloads. Be sure to check out the Example Bank, which features a variety of topical news stories for students to evaluate, ranging from simple (Did the Simpsons predict a bridge collapse?) to challenging (Is Patrick Moore an expert on climate change?). Available in English and French.

Common Sense Education’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum
If you access only one digital citizenship resource, make it this one. Common Sense Education’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum includes interactive, customizable, and bilingual lessons and activities, browsable by grade and topic. Each step-by-step printable lesson plan includes everything teachers need for classroom implementation, from learning objectives to quizzes to take home resources. Integrates with Nearpod and Learning.com.

PBS Learning Media Digital Citizenship
A comprehensive, preK-12 resource for teaching 10 digital citizenship topics. Videos, interactive lessons, documents, and more are easily searchable by grade. Each standards-aligned exercise features a downloadable video accompanied by support materials for educators, transcripts, and lesson-building tools. Shareable to Google Classroom.

NewsFeed Defenders
From the top online provider of evidence-based history and civics education, this engrossing online game asks students to take control of a fictional social media site with the goal of boosting traffic while being alert for fake news and scams. A great way for teens to appreciate the risks and responsibilities that an online presence confers. Free registration is not required to play, but it does allow users to save their progress and unlock other benefits. 

Google’s Be Internet Awesome
The Be Internet Awesome downloadable curriculum is accompanied by the slick and sophisticated animated “Interland” game, featuring cool music, super stylish 3D graphics, and colorful, fun geometric characters. The curriculum includes five lessons and a teacher’s guide.

Which Digital Citizenship Skills Do Students Need Most?
It’s not just cyberbullying, privacy, and safety. Common Sense Education’s Erin Wilkey Oh takes a dive into the research to provide ideas for broadening your digital citizenship curriculum while boosting kids’ news literacy, focus, and habits of mind.

Digital Citizenship Progression Chart
This super-useful guide organizes the elements of digital cItizenship by concept and lays out a timetable for appropriate introduction by grade level. Best of all, it links to a spreadsheet that can be copied, downloaded, and adapted for your own classroom.

Google Digital Literacy & Citizenship Curriculum
Google teamed up with iKeepSafe to produce this digital citizenship curriculum that’s interactive and hands-on, and gives students the opportunity to learn by doing. Each topic features videos, lesson plans, and student handouts. 

7 Tips and 1 Activity To Help Digital Citizens Engage With Empathy
We spend a lot of time cautioning our students against potentially unsafe digital interactions and practices. This article takes a different view. By guiding kids toward appropriate digital communication and engagement, educators can help them develop openness to new ideas and empathy for others.  

• How to Help Students Overcome AI Hiring Algorithms
• From Social Media to School Halls: Understanding and Preventing Cyberbullying
• Best Cybersecurity Lessons and Activities for K-12 Education 

Technology is changing the social-emotional learning landscape that all students navigate every day, from how they express themselves to how they communicate with friends and family. How educators support all students, regardless of language or ability, to promote their own well-being and be a positive influence online, continues to be a priority for all school districts. 

And in light of the pandemic, that SEL piece of digital citizenship has become even more critical.

“Even though students are back in the classroom and it’s supposed to be back to normal, it doesn’t quite feel like that,” said Tali Horowitz, New York education director for Common Sense, during a session of the recent New York City Department of Education Beyond Access virtual professional development conference. “It’s been a rough year for all of us. We may have lost people close to us, our students may have, and there’s a lot going on.”

Accordingly, much of the focus in schools has been on social-emotional learning. “Much of that is around soft skills, not core content,” said Jackie Patanio, edtech citywide lead, NYCDOE. “Not things you need to know for math, right, but soft skills on how to interact with one another and build those skills internally, so you can build a relationship with someone and learn how to empathize with them.”

Resources, lessons, best practices, and activities to help boost SEL in digital citizenship were the focus of the discussion during the session, which can be viewed free on demand here. 

Common Sense Education has also created a resource center full of free resources for promoting SEL in the digital lives of students.

Social-Emotional Learning & Digital Citizenship Takeaways 

Taking stock. To help support SEL and connect with students and families, teachers may want to consider focusing on specific key areas with the help of these questions from ShareMyLesson:

• Experiences: What losses or significant changes has your child experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic? 
• Feelings: How has your child handled being out of school, away from their friends, and sheltered in place with your family? 
• Anticipation: What has been your child’s reaction when they knew they were coming back to school? 
• Behavior: Is there anything else about your child’s behavior during the pandemic that you think will help us help them take full advantage of their time with us? 
• Consider adding: How can the school support you? OR What could help your child have more success in school? 

“Remember, this work should never be done alone,” said Laura Ogando, program manager for Digital Literacy & Inclusion, NYCDOE. “When we’re working on these topics, we need to connect to the support community, and involve our social workers, guidance counselors, school psychologists -- there’s an array of folks in the building.” 

During the pandemic, social media was cited by students as important for keeping connected to family and friends, staying informed about current events, and getting information about COVID-19, according to research by Common Sense. 

In addition, there’s been a marked increase in hate speech online, and learning to navigate all this is an essential part of good digital citizenship. “It’s important to teach our students how to be upstanders,” Horowitz said. “How do they address and report people when they see this kind of hate speech, and how do they handle it when it’s hitting themselves as well.” 

SEL and digital citizenship lessons. Common Sense Education offers a plethora of free, vetted SEL-focused lessons.

“The beauty of these activities is that a lot are quick, 15-minute activities, which is great when you need to address something but don’t want to take up an hour,” Ogando said. “It’s all just very practical. These lessons are not necessarily bounded by grade. Some students may not have gotten these lessons when they were younger.”

Many Common Sense lessons start with self, and then go to responsible decision-making, and then finally widens out into social awareness. 

Different lessons that span across various grade bands are available. For example, during the presentation, one lesson on self-management was shared. It focuses on teaching children to say goodbye to technology by developing a three-step routine consisting of pausing, breathing, and finishing up. Act out scenarios are partnered with the lessons to help students learn to use the lessons, and space is also provided for students to reflect on the lesson.

Another lesson that was shared focuses on being a “super” digital citizen who makes sure other students make good choices and are safe, responsible, and respectful. Other shared lessons explored digital “drama” and considering other peoples’ perspectives as well as dealing with online and digital relationships. 

Every lesson also has a family conversation piece and is available in Spanish. “It’s a good opportunity for families to share their thoughts and ideas around these topics as well,”  Horowitz said. 

Finding what works best. To help lower stress and prevent online burnout, it’s important to remind students that they can put conversations on mute, turning off notifications or stepping back before responding. Or that they can even disconnect completely by putting down their device and just going outside. 

“We’re working to help our students find what works best for them versus what the tech company says works best for them,” Horowitz said. 

• How to Teach Digital Citizenship
• Supporting Digital Citizenship During Remote Learning

Tech literacy is the language of the future, says Jeremy Keeshin, co-founder and CEO of CodeHS and author of the recently released book Read Write Code!

In his new book, Keeshin gives a primer for the world of computers, explaining the basic building blocks of programming, the internet, data, Apple, the cloud, algorithms, and more. 

He believes that everyone, regardless of their career goals or interest, should be educated in tech literacy in today’s world. Here are his tips for educators on how to develop their own tech literacy and share that knowledge with students.  

1. Tech Literacy Today is Similar To Actual Literacy in the Past  

 “Reading and writing, those are kind of core foundational skills, you expect students to know how to read and write,” Keeshin says. “It doesn't mean you have to be a professional reader or writer, but you use those skills all the time. Five hundred years ago most people couldn't read or write, and they were like, ‘What am I missing?’ But now we look back on that and go, ‘Of course, you need to read and write.’” 

He adds, “The printing press then caused an inflection, an explosion of literacy. And I think with computing, with the internet, we're at a similar inflection point.” 

2. Tech Literacy Isn’t About Becoming a Programmer 

Thinking that students should learn programming in order to become programmers is a common misconception, says Keeshin. “You can take what you learn in coding and programming and apply it to any area,” he says. “You can apply it to the medical field, the health field, you can apply it to the media or journalism, you can apply it to gaming, or you could apply it to athletics or whatever you can come up with.” 

Coding is already intersecting with most professions and that this intersection will only grow in the future, he says. 

3. Tech Literacy Is Critical For Everyone  

One of Keeshin’s main goals with his book is to show students and educators that achieving tech literacy is easier than they think. 

“Usually we have these associations, ‘Coding, computer science -- that's not for me. I can't do that,’” Keeshin says. “We want to dispel that notion. We want to say, ‘Hey, actually, you can do it. It's not that hard to get started.’ And in today's day and age, you don't have an option not to if you want to understand what's going on around you.” 

4.  It’s Never Too Late to Learn Tech Literacy 

For educators looking to increase their own knowledge of tech literacy skills such as coding, Keeshin says the secret is starting small. In the book, he takes readers through the basic building blocks of computing. “It goes, ‘Okay, there's bits and bytes, and how does that make up the language of computing? And what is coding? How do you use those to build apps or websites?’ And then we go into cybersecurity and AI,” he says. 

Educators can also take part in various trainings offered by CodeHS and others. Whether someone is a beginner or looking to increase their abilities in a new coding language, Keeshin says the best way to learn is to “Dive in and try it.” 

5. Districts Should Have Thoughtful Tech Literacy Programs  

To create an effective tech literacy program, districts need to know the skills of their teachers and students. Continuing education opportunities should be afforded to educators, and tech leaders should take time to see where students are, and thoughtfully plan the sequence of courses. 

“Do you have students who are new to coding, or have they been doing it for a few years?” Keeshin asks. Depending on the answer to those questions, it may mean that what your high school pathway looks like today is different than what it looks like in a couple years after a full K-12 tech literacy program has been implemented. “Because today, maybe it's their first course,” he says. “But maybe in a couple years, it's their third or fourth course.” 

• 4 Tips for Teaching Digital Literacy
• 3D Game Design: What Educators Need to Know

Teachers are moving to utilize technology on a scale that has never been seen before. Educators are being asked to set up classrooms and help students to learn in an online or hybrid situation with technology firmly in the center.  

These tools are critical to help make the connection between a student that is often not in the classroom but still provide a quality education. In the speed to provide content often one area often overlooked is digital citizenship.  

So what is digital citizenship

When you search the Internet there are many definitions of digital citizenship. The one we find most inclusive is the continuously developing norms of appropriate, responsible, and empowered technology use. To be effective in the use of their technology tools in the classroom, educators need to understand the opportunities as well as the challenges. 

To assist in reaching this goal The Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship outlines the core foundation of any good digital citizenship program. 

These themes coupled with the “S3 framework”:

• Safe (Protect Yourself / Protect Others) 
• Savvy (Educate Yourself / Educate Others) 
• Social (Respect Yourself / Respect Others) 

Each section of the framework includes the following nine elements, which support these three sections of the framework: 

• Digital access 
• Digital commerce
• Digital communication and collaboration
• Digital etiquette
• Digital fluency
• Digital health and welfare
• Digital law
• Digital rights and responsibility
• Digital security and privacy

For a graphic to show how these two areas work together to create a school technology plan see the Digital Progression Chart. You can download and modify as you need for your school or district.

Teaching digital skills to all users of technology is needed, but beginning with our students is critical to create a foundation of knowledge. Understanding how to act when we are using these tools is as, or more, important than the tool itself. It is time to embed the ideas of digital citizenship into our educational process. So how do we accomplish this in our classroom?

Digital citizenship in the classroom

The issue is how we provide skills to a generation that has grown up swiping, posting, and liking on digital devices. For some who have tried to incorporate such a program, there is a need for support from administration, faculty, and parents. Often it can be hard to maintain the interest and momentum in “one more program” when we are just concerned with connecting with students. So with all the other requirements today how can this be done?

Have a Plan and How to Implement It

Make sure to ask questions.
What does our district use as a guide? Who can help provide direction for use in the classroom?

Despite the fact that school leaders know how important digital citizenship is to their school cultures, many still find it difficult to implement. There are three reasons for this:

1. Knowledge. When the discussion turns to technology, many educators are unsure of these tools and the appropriate uses. With few opportunities to learn how and where technology tools can fit into a curriculum or learning experience, educators are often hesitant to implement tools that seem complicated and that take away from other opportunities in the classroom.

How can teachers implement digital citizenship into their lessons? Many are already doing it but do not have the language to express what they are doing. 

■ Make it part of the classroom. If you have classroom rules do not forget the digital ones as well.
■ Encourage teachers to identify one or two technology tools for use in the classroom. Research how not just to use the tool but how to do appropriately. Don’t try too much at once.

2. Time. The time constraints of busy teachers, coupled with limited professional development and a constant stream of new tech to learn, make the implementation of digital citizenship programs difficult.

■ Encourage students to lead the process by creating banners, public service announcements, and presentations as classroom assignments to teach others to use technology.
■ Look for opportunities to learn new technology skills. It may be in your school, district or even course in local colleges. These skills might be important one day.

3. Support. Teachers often don’t have (or feel) that they have the instructional support to learn how best to implement digital citizenship programs into the curriculum.

■ Include students to teach others how to use these tools in the classroom.

■ Include parents, community members, and law enforcement officials in conversations about technology needed in the larger community.

Realize that digital citizenship is more than safety 

The safety topics provide a strong foundation to build upon, but there needs to be more.  

Digital citizenship, from its introduction, focused on safety as a primary concept but we also need support for understanding technology use and not a list of what not to do. We teach students skills in the physical world to protect them--“Look both ways when crossing the street,” “Don’t touch a hot stove,” etc. But how do these translate into the digital space?  

We must explain when and where to share information, how to interact with others without visual cues, etc. This cannot stop with one lesson but needs to be retaught at every level and built upon.

Users need to understand the concepts that help to support a technology so that they can become more savvy  

There cannot be an assumption that everyone understands the tools just because they grew up exposed to the technology. Even those who seem to have mature technology skills still need assistance to become effective users of these tools. 

Students need to understand how to use the technology to create context in their own learning. How do we do this?   

First, we need to provide our educators and parents with the technology knowledge. They need to be introduced to apps and applications, such as word processing and spreadsheets, and how each one should be used. Once they are comfortable with the tools then they can share these skills with the students. As technology and its use within education continues to change educators, students and parents also need to be flexible and change with it.   

Second, these skills need to be practiced and reinforced at home as well. School and home need to work together on times technology is appropriate and when there are times it needs to be set aside.  

The digital expansion is now a part of daily citizenship 

The online world is a social experience as real as any community, and often it is difficult to differentiate from the real world. The two are more intertwined with the expansion of the Internet of Things and its possibilities. 

The individual nature of the technology has made the tools, apps, and sites more personal to us, while we still are trying to interact with others. We see this change every day, people looking at devices instead of at one another. We need balance in our lives, and we must find ways to use these tools to our advantage, and not the other way around.

Know your resources
Many examples of digital citizenship being implemented in schools exist, as well as tools that have been created for classroom and whole school use. Many have the flexibility to meet the needs of diverse communities and needs.  

Once your school or district has started focusing on digital citizenship, make sure to refer to the points above to continue the process. This is not a single assembly or professional development presentation; this is a commitment to the appropriate and responsible use of technology today and into the future.

Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities

What is the future of digital citizenship?

Many educators share the enthusiasm for technology but often without the support and resources to make real changes for their students, interest fades.  

Schools need to identify a plan to integrate the ideas and tools of technology today to help reinforce their classroom experience. There needs to be encouragement to help make digital citizenship “stick” in our schools for our educators, students, parents and community.

With the inclusion of technology, education has changed. The tools and experiences may be different from what was available in the past but people have not changed. The idea of technology should be used to help and ease the issues in the classroom, not make it more stressful and confusing.   

Digital citizenship needs to be properly integrated into the curriculum to support the faculty and students and to provide a foundation for your staff so that they in turn can help the students to be the effective users of the technology.

Mike Ribble and Marty Park are the authors of the book The Digital Citizenship Handbook for School Leaders: Fostering Positive Interactions Online.

With schools moving classes online, a lot of new challenges have arisen as educators engage with their students through a screen. One of the first challenges that has emerged as a result is the ease with which students can record what teachers say during video calls and then manipulate the images or recording and post it online.

During Tech & Learning’s recent Virtual Leadership Summit, a talented group of educators from the New York City Department of Education--including Lisa Nielsen, Laura Ogando, and Jackie Patanio--led an engaging discussion about teaching digital citizenship to students. I was honored to attend and would like to share some thoughts.

See the entire discussion 

Norming Guidelines 

One thing reiterated by the panel throughout the presentation was the idea that teachers need to share norms about how to interact and expectations for online behavior, especially at the beginning of the year. 

Some guidelines to consider and discuss with your students: 

- When is it appropriate to turn your camera on or off?

- Please limit private chat.

- Mute your mic when you’re not talking.

- Check your background and the items/people behind you.

These may seem fairly simple but each one has a lot of impact when it comes to student privacy laws. Now that teachers have a window into the homes of their students, there is also an added pressure to report things that they might see happening in the background, which adds additional pressure. 

Here’s a full list of questions for teachers to consider addressing with their students.

Personalizing Remote Learning 

It’s hard to gauge your audience when they are online. Even if their cameras are on, it’s impossible to hear all your students when the entire class is off mute. Teachers need to create strategies to engage their students but also get to know them without the benefits of being in-person.

Holding one-on-one and small group virtual discussions can help with that. Some schools mentioned having virtual “meet the teacher” sessions planned for the beginning of the year so that teachers can get to know their students better.

One idea that has gained steam over the past few months is the idea of a “BitMoji Classroom.” The premise is teachers create a mock classroom using presentation software such as Google Slides. Then students can click on different parts of the classroom that will guide them to the classroom rules, about the teacher, etc. In many ways, it’s a simpler way to make an interactive website, only with the clever BitMoji versions of the teacher. The presenters even created a slide in their presentation that represented this: 

While I agree that it personalizes the experience, I would also encourage teachers to share their actual face with students to help build those relationships. Otherwise, they might just think their teacher is a cartoon. 

Consequences for Later Life 

One of the bigger hot-button issues that came up during the conversation was at which point do students’ actions online impact their future life? Recently, we’ve seen a rise in celebrities and politicians being called out for comments or feelings posted online or during an interview, but at what age should students be held in the same regard?

The group was somewhat split in their responses but the majority felt that around the same time a student is allowed to drive a car is when they need to be a little more serious about their digital footprint. Posting funny TikTok videos and SnapChats are part of the exploratory nature of tweens and teens and shouldn’t be held against them. Intent is still the primary driver of whether or not there should be harsh consequences levied by schools or the public.

Setting the Routine 

Teachers can’t control what is being said or encouraged at home. They can, however, control what they do and say with their students. 

While norms and strategies are important, the panel emphasized that teachers need to make sure that routines and expectations are continual and redundant. Both teachers and students are experiencing this new experiment in remote learning at the same time. Creating those routines continue to be an important component of the classroom, whether it be in-person or remote. The emphasis on digital citizenship is now much more critical as learning moves online.

Additional Resources

• Best Free Digital Citizenship Sites, Lessons and Activities 
• How to Teach Digital Citizenship - Tech & Learning Magazine 
• Digital Citizenship in the Online Classroom Checklist 
• Digital Media Guidelines for Remote Learning 
• Extending Classroom Management Online - Edutopia 

RoboKind today announced the advanced release of their District Enterprise robots4STEM® Avatar Version software to provide coding instruction at no cost for students in districts that are experiencing school closures due to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. 

Designed for students in grades 1-8, robots4STEM® engages beginning and intermediate learners and is aligned to the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) standards for computer science education. Educators can learn more in this video. 

Many district leaders have expressed concerns about students and online safety as they prepare for an extended period of online learning. The first lessons in RoboKind’s robots4STEM® course are focused on digital citizenship and online safety, so districts can rest assured that students begin the course with instruction on how to use technology safely and responsibly. 

Districts who have announced or are anticipating potential COVID-19 related school closures can visit Robokind.com/avatar to learn more and take advantage of this opportunity. 

Spot fake news, sharpen media literacy skills with speedy quizzes

Pros: Simple questions (is this an ad or not? is this news or opinion?) help kids think critically about what they see online.

Cons: There's limited content and only some of it gets updated, so students may be reluctant to replay.

Bottom Line: A solid starting point to support critical thinking habits and media literacy skills.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

A cross-disciplinary collaboration at the University of Delaware has developed a teaching tool to deliver cybersecurity training in classrooms—Zenbo, the social robot. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the project joins researchers from the College of Education and Human Development and the College of Engineering.

Recently, fifth graders from The College School learned lessons about safeguarding information online from Zenbo. The two-foot tall robot is programmed to tell children stories and solicit responses that test their knowledge on topics like phishing and password safety.

Based on prior research, the team believes using a social robot is an advantage over other methods, such as having children watch a video or animation. The children’s responses will provide data that the researchers can use to measure student knowledge about cybersecurity. Interacting with the robot may improve student engagement and bring about better outcomes for students with autism or emotional learning difficulties.

The research team plans to pilot Zenbo and the UD-developed cyber safety curriculum in classrooms in spring 2020.

Adventure 2 Learning, a video-based learning platform, today announced the launch of its second generation educational technology platform. The new platform offers more on-demand, interactive videos and more supplemental resources from Pre-K to 8th grade. Videos focus on core curricula, social and emotional topics and mindfulness, and were developed or curated in response to educators’ requests.

Adventure 2 Learning has expanded its program portfolio with Digital Life lessons, in partnership with Circle Media, ranging from how to protect user names and passwords to respecting others online to prevent cyberbullying. 

New algorithms suggest videos based upon teachers’ needs, making recommendations to videos they might like and keeping them updated on what’s trending for the grade level and subjects they choose. All Adventure 2 Learning content is vetted by a community of educational advisors and experts.

For more information on Adventure 2 Learning, visit https://www.adventure2learning.com

How It’s Done: Using Tech-PBL to Reach Struggling Students

Using tech tools to enhance project-based learning helped one teacher personalize lessons and reach all her students, regardless of knowledge gaps and multi-level abilities. 

Who: Lacrecia Terrance, M.Ed—theEduProject, Lead Consultant/CEO PBLWorks, National Faculty Member, 4th/5th Grade Teacher 

Where: EBR Readiness Elementary School, EBRPSS Baton Rouge, LA 

What: Using PBL and Tech to Motivate Struggling Students 

I teach fourth and fifth-grade students at an alternative center for students who are at risk and have behavioral issues. With this group of students, it is important to have engaging activities that keep them motivated. Teaching struggling students with learning gaps led me to research different strategies and tools to interest students and hook them into wanting to learn. To address multiple-ability levels and differentiate instruction, I implemented Project Based Learning. My PBL projects are strategically planned to connect to students’ personal experiences using tech such as; Flipgrid, Youtube, Quizizz, Anmito, Flipgrid, Spark, etc. This has allowed students to be more creative and provides them with more opportunities to take ownership of their knowledge and understanding. 

After getting to know my students’ interests, strengths, and challenges, I start with a video from Youtube and SchoolTube to give exemplars for the learning objectives for the day. This sparks student interest and inspires them to try things they have not done, leading to deeper discussions and extending their thinking. I then use Quizizz activities to assess understanding of the information and content. The first time the students saw me pull up Youtube on the Promethean board, they said, “Oooh, you’re gonna get in trouble.” Their previous experiences prevented them from viewing computers as a learning tool. The very first video I showed was a music video of their choice and had students critique it. This is where it all began and students were hooked.

Positive Results

Agency and Excitement! When I walked into my classroom, I saw great anticipation and a desire to learn. Reflecting back on my first impression, these students cared less about school and felt that everyone had forgotten about them. Just observing the growth, agency, and confidence of each student helped confirmed using PBL and high-quality dynamic tech tools to be an effective approach to reaching ALL students, especially struggling students.

The Biggest Challenge

My biggest challenge was keeping them from watching inappropriate music videos and not focusing on the lesson objective. I needed to teach them how to be responsible digital citizens and what that means. Students were only accustomed to being left alone on the computer or earning time on it as a reward for good behavior. To overcome this obstacle, my involvement became key to provide them a purpose for each online tool. I used Minecraft to connect them to a team-building activity. Students had the opportunity to play their favorite game while I modeled how tech could also accomplish learning objectives for the day.

Finding Funding

Many of the programs are free and some can be found on ISTE teacher resources. Others, such as FlipGrid, Google Classroom, and Clever, are funded by the school or district.

Pro Tips

Get to know your students and provide opportunities to include their voice. Many students feel like passive participants in their learning and the key is to give them relevant authentic experiences. ISTE has five competencies of digital citizenship that I use to guide my understanding to give students a greater opportunity at success: inclusive, engaged, balanced, alert, and informed.

Tech Tools

• PBLWorks.org
• ISTE.org
• Google Classroom
• Flipgrid
• Youtube
• Quizizz
• Anmito
• Spark
• Gallup
• Clever, an instructional portal to store all of my online digital resources for my students.

Remember the good old days of inappropriate use of the internet? The teacher would just take away the student's "privilege" of using a computer and give them paper instead. Those were the days when many educators using computers were just in the first stage of SAMR. Technology served as a "substitute" and provided no functional change.

The good old days weren't really so good

Fast forward to today and many administrators and educators realize those good old days really weren't so good after all. Today, technology, is not a privilege. Equitable access to technology is a right. It allows students to do work that is real, relevant, and authentic in ways that are not possible or even conceivable without it. The introduction of technology is no longer an enhancement of what paper can do, it transforms what students can do. Additionally, technology makes learning accessible and inclusive for all students including those with disabilities and who aren't fluent in the language.  

New consequences for inappropriate use

At the Tech & Learning Leadership Summit that took place December 2019, leaders in technology and education discussed the new consequences for inappropriate use.  Here were some ideas shared.

Step 1: Lock down the filtering
Step 2: Only open it up after students have:

• Completed an online course in digital citizenship 
• Met with the guidance counselor to address the issue 
• Discussed the issue with their family and school staff

This strategy doesn't focus on punishment. It focuses on helping the student learn and grow.

cross posted at The Innovative Educator 

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal. 

A diverse group of tech, education, and media organizations announced today that they have come together to launch the Digital Citizenship Commitment campaign (DigCitCommit) with the goal of redefining digital citizenship and reaching one million students by 2021. The campaign will engage educators, allow for the sharing of best practices, and provide them with the tools to teach a new definition of digital citizenship. 

Through the development and sharing of curated resources, the DigCitCommit campaign supports educators in teaching youth to be safe online as well as instill in them a sense of digital literacy, civility, community, and engagement. 

Coalition members include: ISTE, Google, KQED, HundrED, Team4Tech, Facebook Education, Common Sense Education, Digital Citizenship Institute, KidCitizen, Wiki Education, Los Angeles Unified School District, Caroline County Public Schools, Generation Citizen, Media Education Lab, National Writing Project, EVERFI, National Constitution Center, The National Institute for Civil Discourse, and Newsela. Learn more about the coalition at digcitcommit.org/partners. 

In addition, the Digital Citizenship Commitment campaign is launching a new #DigCitCommit challenge, calling on educators and students to share how they are using technology to lead communities with the five DigCitCommit competencies. Prizes will be awarded for the top submissions. More information can be found at digcitcommit.org/join-us. 

The five DigCitCommit competencies – inclusive, informed, engaged, balanced, alert – are designed to focus less on a list of DON’Ts and more on a proactive approach of DOs that challenge students to stay safe, solve problems and become a force of positivity. The DigCitCommit campaign and the competencies were previewed at ISTE19 to more than 20,000 attendees.     

The DigCitCommit coalition also announced the first Digital Citizenship Commitment Virtual Congress February 11-12, 2020. The free virtual event will showcase educators and students who are demonstrating effective digital citizenship based on the five competencies.  Programming and registration will launch in tandem with the coalition’s celebration of Digital Citizenship week in October.

 School districts partnering with Gaggle helped save the lives of 722 students who were actively planning or attempting suicide during the 2018-19 school year. To   ensure students' safety and well-being in digital spaces, 13 districts in six different states across the country have chosen to team up with Gaggle, which helps K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology.

The Gaggle safety solution uses a combination of both artificial intelligence and trained safety experts to provide real-time analysis and review of students’ use of online collaboration platforms, such as Google’s G Suite for Education, Microsoft Office 365, and Canvas.

Some of the newest districts partnering with Gaggle are: 

·       Anaheim Elementary School District, California

·       Pasadena Unified School District, California

·       Bunker Hill Community School District #8, Illinois

·       Community High School District #117, Illinois

·       Rochester Public School District, Minnesota

·       Rockwall Independent School District (ISD), Texas

·       Dickinson ISD, Texas

·       Irving ISD, Texas

·       Santa Fe ISD, Texas

·       Roanoke County Public Schools, Virginia

·       Shenandoah County Public Schools, Virginia

·       Bellevue School District, Washington

·       Federal Way School District, Washington

Gaggle adheres to the requirements of the National Center of Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) to protect school districts from the risks and liability involved in handling pornographic images that may be inadvertently uploaded to school servers when students sync their cell phone to their school accounts. 

For more information, visit www.gaggle.net.

As a former middle school teacher who taught in a lower-income, majority-minority school equipped with lots of "high tech" tools, I often wondered about equity when it came to edtech. For me, students' access to tech at school wasn't the issue. However, I knew that things were a lot different once students left my classroom. Because the majority of my students lacked internet access at home, I never assigned homework that required technology.

But that was over 10 years ago, and a lot has changed since then. Today, using tech for teaching and learning -- both in class and for homework -- is a lot more common than it was. Nevertheless, many teachers and students are struggling to adapt to a world where it seems like everyone is connected, yet not everyone has the same access.

Curious to learn more about digital equity and its implications today, I attended a local community roundtable focused on how digital inequity affects schools and their communities. I wanted to know more about what students, educators, and community leaders think about leveling the playing field when it comes to edtech. At one panel, a distinguished group of experts, from city officials to district tech leaders, discussed what they saw as the most pressing issues. Solutions they proposed ranged from providing free citywide broadband access to giving students cellphones with preloaded data plans.

I learned a lot, but it was all about digital equity at a district and citywide level. As a teacher, these technical and infrastructural issues felt so far outside of my control. Then, a group of seven high school seniors took the stage and brought a whole new perspective to the conversation.

One after another, the students spoke about their challenges with technology and what a lack of access actually felt like to them. What surprised me was that the students didn't focus on the lack of hardware (one working printer for over 1,000 students) or lack of high-speed networks (having to sit in a dark parking lot to use the public library's internet). Instead, they shared a more down-to-earth perspective, centered on their teachers and the happenings within their classrooms. From inconsistent homework policies to a perceived lack of empathy and understanding from their teachers, the students were coming at the digital equity issue from a whole different angle.

Of course, issues of digital equity are multifaceted, multilevel, and, at times, technical. But hearing these students' perspectives inspired me to think about some small changes that we, as educators, can make in changing what digital equity looks like for our kids.

Here are four simple things you can do right now to bring more digital equity to your classroom:

1. Seek first to understand.

Recognize your students' current tech capabilities and their concerns. Consider using a survey at the beginning of the year to get a baseline understanding of your students' access to tech. Make sure to let your students know you'll use the results to inform your teaching (and that their answers will remain confidential to their peers). While you may have strong rapport with your students, don't assume too much -- it's important to ask questions to understand what tech use is really like in their homes so you have a clearer and more accurate understanding of needs and constraints. Try to learn from your students: How many have computers at home? How many of those computers have access to a high-speed network? Are there families who use only phones (or tablets) to access the internet? Where do students access the internet if they can't do it at home?

2. Try it out!

It may seem obvious, but before giving assignments on a new platform or app, try it out for yourself! A lot of times, things we'd never assume could go wrong actually do. But trying out the experience beforehand -- just as students will -- can help us catch some bugs before we turn students loose. And it gives us some valuable insight into what students will experience in our classes. From there, you can give kids ample time to complete their work and maybe even offer some pro tips in the process. Everything from log-in problems to having the right browser can affect how long it takes for students to get the work done.

3. Create a tech equity vision with your students.

What exactly is a "tech equity vision"? It's a fancy way to describe the act of involving your students in conversations about how tech use happens in your classroom (and beyond). What better way to elevate student voices and partner with students on how to use technology for teaching and learning? Ask questions like, "What do we use technology in the classroom for?"; "How do we want technology to help us learn?"; "What are some challenges you face using technology in and out of school?"; and "When does technology actually enhance our learning, and when can it get in the way?" Document and post responses on a tech equity vision so students feel (and see) accountability and ownership.

4. (Re)consider your homework policies.

One student on the panel shared that his teacher had an "Absolutely No Late Work" policy, and when he couldn't turn in an online assignment due to lack of access at home, he simply received a zero on the assignment. Another student shared that her teacher gave a week between assigning online homework and turning it in, which allowed for more flexibility in finding access to a network.

Consistency between classes can really help kids, too, so if you're working as part of a team, collaborate with your colleagues on creating consistent policies around homework and digital assignments. Don't be afraid to rethink how your team handles digital learning, and be mindful of the constraints students may face in how they access technology.

cross posted at Common Sense Education

Kaili Hwang has over 10 years of experience as both an educator and administrator in school communities around the world. Kaili joined Common Sense as the Foundations Manager of education-related grants in 2018. 

Innovative educators understand the importance of being in touch with the latest trends in ed tech. Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) helps us by sharing what the organization sees as the next big trends. To bring this to life, he had the global leaders in each area explain what's in store for us.

2019/20: The Year Of...

Artificial Intelligence

Culatta explained that AI is so important that General Motors approached ISTE with their concern that today's students won't graduate prepared to work for them. They need students who are immersed in and knowledgeable about AI on their team. But most teachers aren't doing that.

Fortunately, teachers like April Keck DeGennaro who teaches at Peoples Elementary School in Georgia is. She shared why AI is important in her SCREAM Lab. SCREAM stands for science, computing, robotics, engineering, artificial intelligence, and math. Her students use technology to interact with others around the world to solve real-world problems in their community an beyond. She has used empathy-based engineering and AI to solve these problems. April also was a participant in the ISTE U Artificial Intelligence Course.

Educator Voice

Patricia J. Brown, a tech specialist for Ladue School District explains why we need to start hearing more stories about education from educators. She knows first hand. When she first enlisted in the ISTE and TED masterclass, she didn't know what story she had to offer the world. It didn't take long for her to figure that out and then share her powerful story on the ISTE stage in 2018. You can check it out in the video below.

If you want to find your story to share, check out the ISTE and TED masterclass. You have until July 2 to apply.

Digital Citizenship: Student Style

Dr. Marialice B. F. X. Curran and her twelve year old child, Curran Dee explained the importance of including students in the digital citizenship conversations, lessons, and use even before they are 13 years old.

Dr. Curran explained that she and her son have a joint social media account. They use social media side by side so that when he turns 13 he will have the tools and guidance necessary to be successful. 

Curran Dee, Dr. Curran's son, explained that to learn about the digital world, kids need to be in it. He says instead of telling us what not to do, adults should help kids change headlines by turning negatives into positives. Curran provides advice for how kids can be responsible digital citizens by sharing their voice, solving problems and creating solutions, and empowering other kids. 

Dr. Curran explained that what should be trending in social media is the learning that happens in the classroom.

This duo serve as the global connectors behind DigCitInstitute, DigCitSummit and DigCitKids. You can check out their mother and son story, DigCitKids: Lessons Learning Side-by-Side, to Empower Others Aroundthe World.

Keep an eye out for their upcoming joint campaign with ISTE: #DigCitCommit

Digital Equity

The importance of digital equity was explained by Dr. Nicole R. Howard, assistant professor at the school of education at the University of Redlands and Dr. Sarah Thomas, regional tech coordinator in Prince George's County Public Schools. Both are members of the ISTE digital equity network.

They explained the importance of hearing from the voices that need to be heard and the power we now have to share those voices. A useful resource is the COSN Digital Equity Tookit.

Dr. Thomas shared some strategies to provide digital equity such as:

• Homework hotspots: Have a map of internet hotspots around the community
• Low-cost broadband programs: Search for ones like EveryoneOn that exist in your community
• Mobile hotspots and devices: Search for programs like the 1 Million Project that provide mobile hotspots and devices.
• School bus wifi: In communities where students spend a lot of time on a bus, consider using a company like Kajeet to provide internet access during the commute.
• Schools as wireless hubs: Some schools are using LTE technology to push internet access to their community.
• Digital Equity PLN: Join the digital equity network

Your turn

What do you think? Is Culatta right? Are these the trends of the year? What do you think is missing?

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.   

Digital citizenship has emerged as a top priority in U.S. schools and classrooms. In fact, six out of 10 educators are teaching some kind of digital citizenship skill every month. To find out more about this growing effort, we've completed a first-of-its-kind research report, The Common Sense Census: Inside the 21st-Century Classroom. This research gives a unique window into today's classrooms, including the challenges and opportunities teachers see in managing technology and using it to enhance student learning.

Though digital citizenship encompasses a range of skills and habits of mind, we've observed that often teachers and schools design digital citizenship instruction with a protectionist approach, emphasizing anti-cyberbullying education and internet safety. The new findings confirm this is true: Of the six topics covered in the Common Sense K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum, teachers most often address digital drama, cyberbullying, and hate speech (taught by 46 percent of teachers) and privacy and safety (taught by 44 percent of teachers).

Include opportunities that empower students with thinking skills and strategies to evaluate what they find online, along with support in developing self-awareness and self-regulation as they learn to manage their own tech use.

Despite a tendency to focus on safety issues, teachers are keenly aware of how student needs are changing due to our increasingly connected culture. Teachers reported their top technology-related concern was that "students lack skills to critically evaluate online information," which 35 percent observed "frequently" or "very frequently" in their classrooms. Their second-largest concern was that "technology distracts students from the learning experience and interferes with learning," reported by 26 percent of teachers as "frequent" or "very frequent." In contrast, only 13 percent of teachers in the Common Sense study observed cyberbullying "frequently" or "very frequently" in their classrooms.

While we aren't suggesting teachers throw out their cyberbullying lessons, the data does suggest teachers and schools should consider adopting a more holistic approach to digital citizenship. Instruction needs to include opportunities that empower students with thinking skills and strategies to evaluate what they find online, along with support in developing self-awareness and self-regulation as they learn to manage their own technology use.

The following three research-based tips offer fresh guidance on how to make your digital citizenship instruction the most relevant and effective it can be:  

1. Make news and media literacy education a priority.

As the Common Sense study suggests, teachers know that students are struggling with news and media literacy. For students to become informed citizens who are able to distinguish among fact, opinion, and misinformation, media literacy education is essential. Fortunately, these skills are broadly applicable no matter what content area you teach: whether you're digging into research projects in ELA, investigating how scientific misconceptions spread online in biology, or analyzing social media's impact on elections in U.S. history. Try adding a news literacy lesson to a relevant unit, or find ways to incorporate media-analysis strategies into your existing lesson plans. 

2. Model and encourage media balance in the classroom.

Teachers' second top technology-related concern was digital distraction in the classroom. Add to this the statistic that nearly half (47 percent) of teens report feeling "addicted" to their phones and it seems clear that students need some help with media balance.

We've long advocated for device-management plans as opposed to bans in the classroom. While this can take some work for teachers to put in place, it allows the classroom to be a place to model and practice intentional and mindful use of devices. Teachers can also empower students to take control of their own media use through media balance lessons that focus on self-reflection and critical analysis of how media contributes to their lives and relationships. Students can develop individual plans for healthy media balance and practice these skills in and out of the classroom.

3. Empower upstanders with habits of mind.

Though cyberbullying and hate speech didn’t surface as the most pressing technology-related concerns for educators, the rates at which teachers observed these issues in their classrooms is significant. The frequency of cyberbullying and online hate speech increased with grade level, with nearly half of middle and high school teachers reporting that cyberbullying occurred at least occasionally in their classrooms. Regarding online hate speech, about one in 10 middle and high school teachers said it happened at least occasionally in their classrooms.

Whether you teach dedicated lessons on cyberbullying and hate speech or address these topics more informally when teachable moments arise, it's helpful to focus on what students can do as opposed to what they shouldn't do. Encourage students to pay attention to "red flag feelings": when something happens on digital media that makes them feel uncomfortable, worried, sad, or anxious. Habits of mind like "slowing down," "exploring different perspectives," "envisioning options and possible impacts," and "taking action" can prepare students to recognize and respond to cyberbullying when they encounter it.

Source:  Which Digital Citizenship Skills Do Students Need Most?

Erin Wilkey Oh is the Executive Editor, Education Content and Distribution for Common Sense Education

Storybird

[A Home for Young Writers Seeking Real Audience]

Social storytelling fun; artwork inspires, but limits creative freedom 

Pros: A huge collection of curated art provides kid-authors with distinct and inspiring illustrations.

Cons: Students can't add their own art to stories, which limits creativity a bit.

Bottom Line: For anyone interested in kid-authored storybooks, this is a great resource.

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

 By Common Sense Education 

CDI Computer Dealers, provider of classroom-ready technology to schools, has partnered with Toronto-based Parlay to bring its new online classroom discussion tool to schools throughout North America. 

CDI partners with educators in schools and districts across North America to deploy and support classroom technologies. The company provides student and teacher devices, a wide range of classroom technology and instructional tools, professional development, deployment services and warranty programs. 

Parlay helps promote meaningful student discussions while teaching digital citizenship and helping teachers measure student engagement. The program offers a library of discussion prompts called the Parlay Universe and two classroom activities called Live RoundTables and Online RoundTables.

For more information about Parlay or to request a demo, visit https://parlayideas.com/ 

Parlay and CDI will host a webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 27, 2018 in which McDonald will explore how class discussions can be used to transform the modern classroom. For more information and to register, visit https://goo.gl/u6nSkZ. 

New research reveals differences in how lower income students and higher income students use technology. Low-income parents put their children, from birth to age eight, in front of television or computer screens for 3 and a half hours a day on average—double the screen time for higher income children. More specifically, the participation divide refers to the fact that some students are more plugged into an Internet culture around creating, connecting with others and giving and receiving feedback around their work. This observation around screen time and media usage has profound implications for educators. The solution is to develop or renew a focus on creating digital citizenship. This means not only teaching specific digital citizenship skills across the curriculum, but also communicating with (and teaching) parents as well. While organizations like Common Sense Media are playing an important role in educating families, schools and districts must participate in a systemic manner as well. Most existing digital citizenship efforts are focused at the classroom level. It’s critical to address it from a system-level perspective so that digital citizenship practices can be embedded across the instructional program. If your school or district is ready to respond to ISTE’s #DigCitCommit program, consider developing a policy that positions digital citizenship as a critical life skill for college and career success.

https://tinyurl.com/y8ycqbgh

In Denver Colorado, there are 300 days of sunshine, golf balls go 10% farther and Elvis Presley once flew to Denver Stapleton Airport just for a sandwich. This city, nicknamed the Mile-High City, welcomed 50 edtech leaders from across the country for the October 2018 Tech & Learning Leadership Summit. This invitation-only event focused on sharing and learning about the many innovative solutions that district leaders are creating to close the digital equity divide.

Seeing is believing

Respect, responsibility, integrity, courage, curiosity and doing your best are the core values of one of the country’s leading public charter STEM school districts, the DSST School District in Denver, Colorado. They opened the doors of both Green Valley Ranch High School and Conservatory Green High School, so that T&L Leadership Summit guests could observe STEM in action! While these classroom observations and conversations with students and teachers were inspiring, the most enlightening part of the tour was the Q&A session at the Conservatory Green High School with DSST edtech leaders. When asked what makes DSST unique, Scott Walker, DSST chief operating officer, said that they focus on preparing  all their students not only for success in getting into college but for success during their college years and beyond. DSST does it through an integrated program that focuses on ensuring that all students have the same educational opportunities no matter their backgrounds or socioeconomic conditions. Walker stated, "we want to make sure our kids are in an integrated school that makes all the other things (college and career) possible.” Their guiding principle is that real learning happens in smaller school environments because it allows for relationship building and developing shared values. 

The school visits and the panel discussions were a popular topic at the first evening’s dinner event as school and district leaders reflected on how they could bring the energy, commitment, and vision they experienced on their school visits back to their own districts.

Bridging the Equity Gap

The smell of coffee brought the attendees together for an early Saturday morning session. The always entertaining Adam Phyall, director of technology and media services in Newton County (GA) School System moderated an innovative panel of edtech professionals who shared their challenges and experiences about “working to provide equal technology access to students and school leaders of all genders, races, and economic backgrounds.”  

The first panelist was Wisdom Amouzou, executive director of Empower Community High School in Aurora, Colorado. He talked about the need to reframe the “problem” around the “inequitable economic and educational systems that bar access to high-income pathways,” and how these educational systems “neither authentically value family input nor enable their participation in decision making processes.” The vision and commitment of the Empower Community High School is based on the premise that, “if you want equity to be sustainable, it has to be led by the ones most impacted.”

The next panelist was Melissa Schwass, program director of ChickTech at Denver High School. ChickTech is a nonprofit dedicated to engaging women of all ages in the technology industry and increasing the number of girls and women pursuing careers in the technology world. This inspiring, dedicated edtech leader emphasized, “girls feel that they have to be perfect and can’t fail. We need to let girls be brave enough TO fail.” ChickTech believes that it is never too late to pursue love of STEM and that we need to mentor and support our girls and women to find a STEM path.

The final panelist was Sean Wybrant, an educator of digital media studies at the William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs. He eats, sleeps and breathes the idea that educators craft the heroes of tomorrow and that he is doing it every day in his classroom. He teaches students to think critically and solve problems through computer science and video game development. What resonated with the audience was his statement that, “if we don’t let students build the future they want to inherit, then they will inherit our future.”

Better when we do it together

The rest of the summit was spent in collaborative working groups that focused on issues that challenge us all to improve student achievement, support our educators, and ensure digital equity for all our students. The session ranged from network and infrastructure issues to data privacy, security and identity management, to redesigning classrooms and other learning spaces. All sessions were well attended and you could feel the collaborative vibe as you walked by session rooms. I have highlighted just a few of these well-crafted working group sessions. 

Bradford Hubbard, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Community High School District 117 (IL), showcased how digital citizenship and critical thinking are working in tandem to build empathy and seek equity in the Digital Citizenship and Critical Thinking session. Edtech leaders such as Tianay Amat, deputy superintendent in Cincinnati (OH) Public Schools and Jose Perez, technology integration coach at NYC Department of Education, asked important questions about how schools are incorporating digital citizenship into their everyday curriculum, how we can support teachers, and where to find best practices resources. Patrick Larkin, assistant superintendent of Burlington (MA) Public Schools, provides some answers to these question in his “Minimizing the anxiety on D.C. (that’s Digital Citizenship!)” presentation. 

It was all about hands-on activities in the Emerging Technologies session led by Randy Rogers, director of digital learning services in Seguin (TX) ISD and Sean Wybrant, career and technical education teacher and Colorado teacher of the year at Palmer High School in Colorado Springs. The focus was on new and emerging technologies, such as AI and VR and the impact these technologies are having in schools today and into the future. In this session, students were our teachers. We got to experiment with Cospaces Edu, a tool that allows students or schools to create their own VR experiences and content. 

In the Blended and Personalized Learning session, Brian Seymour, director of instructional technology at Pickerington (OH) Local School District, talked about how his district is  transforming education through use of technology and more student centered pedagogy. Stephen Woicik, technology director of Maynard (MA) Public Schools, talked about a specific goal of their 1:1 program: to eliminate the technology barrier of entry that will make creating personalized learning easier in the future.  Paul Vieira, assistant superintendent of Ashland (MA) Public Schools summed up this session well by saying, “Personalized learning is learning that has been personalized to a student’s individual needs, likes, and interests. Blended learning is when technology and/or other ‘non-traditional’ methods are used to deliver the curriculum or show mastery.”

Next Steps with Lessons Learned

The exhilarating, inspiring, and motivational weekend ended with a brownie and an opportunity for all to share what they would be bringing back to their districts. Jose Perez is going back to his district to start a PLC on understanding digital equity and digital literacy as well as its effects on underprivileged communities. Andrea Tejedor, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Highlands Falls-Fort Montgomery (NY) School District is going to begin a conversation about the soft bigotry of low expectations in her district by examining biases.  Shawntee Cowan, chief technology officer at Duncanville (TX) ISD, inspired by Wisdom Amouzou said that her district is going to rethink the design of schools and incorporate the voices of stakeholders. Scott Harris, technology director at Neosho (MO) School District, is committed to involving parents with decisions that affect their children when it comes to technology while Brian Seymour, said he was going to be mindful of equity when decisions are being made. 

Todd Dugan, superintendent of Bunker Hill (IL) Community School District #8, summed up the Denver 2018 T&L Leadership Summit well with the statement, “1:1 is NOT the answer to digital equity.”

Eileen Belastock is director of academic technology in at the Mount Greylock Regional School District in Williamstown, Massachusetts and is a certified education technology leader (CETL).

I have been a dedicated listener to “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd for years. One of his many rants (when he is not loving up Lebron, or busting on QB’s for wearing their hat backwards…or many fun Russell Westbrook rants) is that we have to work to GET IT RIGHT, not rush to just “be right”.  Monday @SylviaEllison posed a question on the #HackLearning daily chat asking

“Q1 What is your NEW intentional act for this week? If possible, share results or pictures.”  

I quickly thought about a conversation I had with @SimplySuzy while talking about our co-writing project for @times10books (wow, now I am channeling the real Herd – dropping shameless plugs!) about authenticity in photos and images.  

My answer to the question Monday was

“A1: I plan to be intentional with all content posted to ensure copyright and to give credit. Today I changed my Twitter banner – I do not know where I found the photo that was there, so I used one I took from @BostonCollege and made a new banner.”

In my drive to be authentic, I wanted to share that I took advice from a professional I trust (Suzy) and then started to self-evaluate my own work. Then in her drive to always push leaders/learners, Sylvia asked if I was going to write more about it.   I naturally jumped in.

I was motivated because I realized an often overlooked point when talking about digital citizenship is to cite  or give credit. Technology is all around us, and in schools it is used for research, writing, and many other tasks.  This ease of access is important for educators incorporating technology into their lessons and student projects because it has become very easy to post work, thoughts, ideas without acknowledging the original creator. Sometimes we forget the fact that if you post someone’s content and do not give them credit, you are essentially stealing their work.

We can all avoid this issue by giving credit to the creator, or by  posting our own content. For example, I read a lot over the last two days to frame my thinking, including ISTE blogs, eSchool News, Tech & Learning Leader Blog, K-12 Ed Leader, and a study by Career Ambassador: Juliana Conklin, Junior in Business Administration-Marketing at North Carolina State in 2017. Combining my thoughts and experiences with this collective content helped me frame my thinking for this post.

I did this pre-work because when someone plagiarizes, it also calls into question academic integrity and intellectual property. This point was driven in to all of us writing our dissertation at Boston College. I had over 14 pages of references to support my thinking and I learned so much from other thinkers.  After all of my research and writing in the realm of academia, it makes sense that I would carry that practice into my social media presence and presentations. However, this week I realized due to my enthusiasm to share and collaborate and network, I might have overlooked the lessons I already knew deep down.  So, as a result of all of my thinking, reading and conversations…. I made these commitments to get back on track:

The best site I revisited  was: Common Sense Media Student Library: Click to visit site

Common Sense Media has videos to embed into lesson plans, or use them to jump start a conversation with your students or your children. This site also has Digital Citizenship Classroom Posters. Click here to download these from Common Sense Media. These posters could be the perfect addition to any classroom. Additionally, this site also has a Digital Citizenship Scope and Sequence tool to find the lessons that are just right for your classroom. Click here to view. These cross-curricular units incorporate digital literacy and citizenship topics are presented in an age-appropriate way and are being used by thousands of school districts across the country..

A great site I found about Copyright information is Copyright Kids.  This site is age appropriate and gets to the point about intellectual property.  Click here to view and share with students.

I found a short You tube video detailing the ins and outs of copyright law and how to be respectful of others’ intellectual property. Click here to watch.

Some students will search Google Images and copy anything they see, assuming they have the rights. Sometimes they’ll even cite “Google Images” as the source. Our role (see #2 above) is to teach them that Google Images compiles content from many sources and Mr. Google does not “make” all the images. Students can go to the source to see the photo’s original owner or website. This will also let them determine if they have permission to use the graphic, and then cite the source correctly.

Students need experience sharing and connecting online with others in a variety of environments. In allowing them to do so, we have to ensure they understand the safeguards and ethical rights of intellectual property.

So, my intentional act is to learn more, model, and share how to be the best digital citizen so I can GET IT RIGHT. I am writing this article on my flight to Georgia EdTech Conference (GAETC), which has reminded me to change some of my slides/resources to be mindful of digital content. Thank you Suzy and Sylvia, and I will share this tomorrow with all the participants in my two sessions. Also thank you to Suzy for reading, giving feedback, editing, and supporting. I wanted to be intentional to give her credit for editing this post. #Team #LeadForward 

cross posted at techinnovation.live

Dr. Matthew X. Joseph (@MatthewXJoseph) is currently Director of Digital Learning and Innovation for Milford Public School, Milford, Ma. Before Tech and Learning Boston 2018, he had the opportunity to present at #TLTechLive in Boston and New Jersey in 2017 and other state opportunities focused on Ed Tech Leadership and empowering teachers. Before Milford, he was a building principal for 11 years in Massachusetts. Other professional roles include: classroom teacher, PD specialist, and other district roles supporting technology instruction. Dr. Joseph holds licenses in general education, school administration, and MA superintendent. His master's degree is in SPED and he holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Boston College.

During Digital Citizenship Week, Common Sense is partnering with the California Department of Education and the International Society of Technology Educators (ISTE) to share free tools, tips, and resources for teaching digital citizenship in the classroom.

First launched in 2010, then updated in 2018, the organization's free, K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum was developed in collaboration with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and provides lessons and resources that help students to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions online.

[Teaching Digital Citizenship with Adobe Spark]

The K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum is available free to all schools. For more information, visit https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship-week.

Post this on your wall for 2018/2019 school year as a reminder of all the dates you can celebrate ways to prepare modern learners. (May take a moment to load.)

Visit the infographic here.

[New Infographic! 8-Step Plan to Finding A Student Internship]

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several books and her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.

Today's students are using technology to collaborate, learn, research, and communicate while at school. Blended and personalized learning with digital tools has flooded classrooms, but most teacher-prep programs do not incorporate digital citizenship as requirements for teacher certification. This leads to a cross roads of districts pushing digital learning into schools with teachers who may not be trained in the use of safe online instruction and hence the problem of a fear of the internet.

Launching technology lessons or creating online learning is a huge responsibility. Teachers are asking students to be safe online but we must do more than trust they are safe, we must make teachers students and students aware of the concerns. Then empower students with strategies to be good digital citizens. If we don’t teach our students proper digital citizenship, we run the risk of:

• Students sharing personal information
• Students using classroom technology for cyberbullying
• Students searching or sending inappropriate photos or images
• Not preparing our students for a digital world.

The list could go on, but essentially, anything on the Internet with your name on it is a digital record. Unfortunately, students rarely think twice about putting their names on things online, so their digital presence can be wide. They don’t think about

• If you visit a website, the website usually looks at what websites you were on before and after you looked at theirs.
• Anything that you search on Google can be looked up.
• If you want a job in the future but you have a negative digital presence, you’re not getting the job.
• Every computer has an internal number, so if you write something negative online, it is recorded.

Every time you hit post on Twitter, update or add to Facebook, share a photo on Instagram, or even “like” a page or a Facebook or any social media, you add to your digital footprint.

When you walk on a beach and leave a footprint, and the wave rushes over – it is kind of Hollywood to see the footprint go away, however your digital footprint is not easy washed away and a more accurate description of digital footprint is a Digital Tattoo because it is not easy removed.

As educational leaders, we must combine the use of online work, encourage online storytelling through blogging or web creation, and encourage students researching and branding great ideas. That encouragement comes with teaching students/staff to be thoughtful around what is posted because there is NO GUARANTEE information/data has been shared online will ever be removed from the Internet. With everything I have shared so far, your digital presence is not easy washed away so that is why I say it is not a digital footprint, it is a Digital Tattoo.

[Tech Tools for Active Learning Classrooms]

The goal of this post is not to deter the use of online learning, it is encouraging the use, but be mindful of what is posted because what you put online is not easily washed away. I encourage the use of online work, online storytelling through blogging or web creation, and encourage students researching and branding great ideas.

So, how can we encourage a positive online image.

Today’s classrooms are providing opportunities for students to learn with technology tools and nonstop information. Online learning provides students the ability to communicate and interact very quickly. The growth of 1:1 and digital initiatives in schools is driving the conversation and need to highlight the responsible use of technology in education. When you teach digital citizenship to your students (or children), you help create a positive school culture that supports safe and responsible technology use.

Here are some reflection key questions to help:

What impression are you giving? If you didn’t know you, what would you think about this post? What impression would you have of the person who posted it?

Is the Tattoo ‘ink’ what I want out there? When you share something online, you turn over control of it. Even if you delete a photo or post you can’t guarantee that it hasn’t been copied or downloaded by someone else. Don’t forget how easy it is for other people to copy what you share online, change it and share it without you knowing.

Am I oversharing? The more you share, the more people learn about you. You can’t control how someone else uses the information

Would I want someone to share this fact/idea about me? It’s important to think about the impact what you post online might have on others.

Does it pass the newspaper test? Before you post something online, think: would you be happy to see it on the front page of local newspaper.

Teachers have long understood the importance of teaching and modeling good global citizenship in their classroom, positive interactions between students, and taking the time to focus on social etiquette and how to treat their peers with respect. Digital citizenship requires that same daily instruction and opportunities to practice using their digital citizenship skills. In today’s classrooms, it is just as important that students understand what kinds of behaviors are acceptable “online”. Teachers can use instructional time to incorporate digital citizenship skills to help students become smart, responsible, and respectful online users.

There are many positive uses of online learning and social media and it is critical to have conversations about the current and desired state of digital citizenship in a school. These critical conversations are essential in K-12 education today with all the access our students have. What school can do tomorrow is start the conversation about good online digital citizenship with teachers and students to begin to cultivate a culture of positive online users.

• R: REMIND. Remind students to be mindful about what information and opinions they make public. Use information shared in this Hack to educate students on the negative aspects and the unknown facts about online use.
• E: ENCOURAGE. Encourage students to step away from their phone and/or computer screens when hanging out with friends; offline peer relations are just as important as online ones!
• A: ACCOUNTABLE. Encourage digital accountability by creating a student digital use guide for online use that teaches students how to properly and safely use the internet. Districts may have a district responsible use policy, but a classroom reminder always helps.
• D: DEMONSTRATE. Incorporate lessons about the difference between sharing and stealing online content. Content and photos are easily found and it may feel like anything on the internet is up for grabs, but copyright and intellectual property laws protect almost all online content. By demonstrating and modeling good digital citizenship, you are embracing and promoting a culture of positive online use.
• Y: YES. Be a culture of “Yes” when launching digital tools. Too often school block or lock down everything to be safe. Instead of blocking and locking (because we know that blocking is just an invitation for kids to go around it) start teaching positive digital citizenship by opening tools like YouTube and Twitter and teaching and modeling the positive uses of the tool

Today, nearly everyone seems to have some type of presence online. Schools should explore ways to help students intentionally build a positive digital identity. Student portfolios, blogs, and other online tools provide avenues to assess learning while simultaneously allowing students to develop a positive online presence. Students can use these tools to showcase their learning while also highlighting their strengths and personality. Having a positive identity that represents their authentic self will be valuable when the student applies to college or for a job.

Rather than just teaching children about internet safety and reducing their digital tattoo, we should also encourage them to design and Ink a positive digital tattoo which will be an asset for them in their future.

cross posted at techinnovation.live

Dr. Matthew X. Joseph (@MatthewXJoseph) is currently Director of Digital Learning and Innovation for Milford Public School, Milford, Ma. Before Tech and Learning Boston 2018, he had the opportunity to present at #TLTechLive in Boston and New Jersey in 2017 and other state opportunities focused on Ed Tech Leadership and empowering teachers. Before Milford, he was a building principal for 11 years in Massachusetts. Other professional roles include: classroom teacher, PD specialist, and other district roles supporting technology instruction. Dr. Joseph holds licenses in general education, school administration, and MA superintendent. His master's degree is in SPED and he holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Boston College.

I was lucky enough to be part of an Ignite breakout session at ASCD's Empower 2018 conference in Boston, Massachusetts last March. My co-presenters were impressive educators from throughout Massachusetts. My Ignite was focused on the changing research and education around screen time. Please watch, think, and comment.

[Why Student Creation is the Hardest/Best Form of Assessment]

cross posted at www.KerryHawk02.com

Kerry Gallagher is the Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts. She’s also the Director of K-12 Education for ConnectSafely.org – internet safety non-profit in Palo Alto, California – a FutureReady Instructional Coach, ASCD Emerging Leader, and EdSurge Columnist. She served as a middle & high school teacher and digital learning specialist for over 15 years, and her passions include digital citizenship and effective integration of curriculum, pedagogy, and edtech. Kerry is a TEDx & keynote speaker and a lawyer by training. She is on social media @KerryHawk02 and her website is www.KerryHawk02.com

Digital equity is one of the most complex and urgent issues facing 21st-century educators. It’s an economic concern, as schools consider how they can ensure equal access for all. And it raises questions about gender and race: How can schools inspire more girls and students of color to pursue STEM? Creating authentic learning opportunities to equip a diverse body of students to identify and solve the world’s problems will require risk and change. Many educators are looking beneath the surface inequities of devices and connectivity to consider how digital tools can revolutionize learning and address even deeper inequities.

DEFINING EQUITY: EMPATHY, AUTHENTICITY, AND ACCESS

“Equity is empathy in action,” says Dr. Angelina Walker, principal of John H. Amesse Elementary at Denver Public Schools. Living digital equity involves thinking of each child and their individual and communal needs and actively seeking to provide access, resources, opportunity, standards, and support to all children, “especially groups that are and have been historically marginalized.”

Although we often talk about digital equity in terms of trying to fill deficits, says Sean Wybrant, digital media studies teacher at William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, his approach is also personalized and relational. “Equity is making sure every kid gets what they need to pursue their goals and be part of creating their future with authentic, meaningful projects.” And it’s essential that a diverse body of students learn to think critically, because they all see and experience different challenges. Wybrant cites the North Dakota Access Pipeline as an example. “The people who had the problem didn’t have access to solve it.”

• Closing the Achievement Gap: The Road from Recovery to Restart
• Remote Learning and Digital Equity: Best Practices
• Remote Learning and Digital Equity: Challenges and Opportunities

Another aspect of inequity and access can be seen in the consequences of restrictive technology use agreements and imposing technology fees in schools with high free and reduced lunch populations, says Jeffrey McMahon, STEAM teacher leader at John H. Amesse Elementary. He likens these practices to taking away students’ encyclopedias, through which they find knowledge and begin to make choices that will lead to advocacy for others and for themselves. In the same way, he says, confiscating devices as punishment amounts to the same thing as taking away paper, pencils, textbooks—basic, essential tools for learning. In contrast, McMahon has witnessed students struggling with difficult circumstances transformed by opportunities to succeed in a STEAM lab setting where they’re given access to tools, the freedom to create, and guidance and support in using technology.

REDRESSING INEQUITY: BEYOND CODING

“Digital inequity is the thoughtful and intentional result of many interlocking systems of oppression. Treating it as an intentional act and not a foregone byproduct acknowledges the inequitable history from which it arises and the many tangible ways it can be reversed,” says Wisdom Amouzou, co-founder and executive director of Empower Community High School in Aurora, Colorado.

Wybrant and Amouzou are both concerned that “teaching coding to all” is sometimes seen as the soundbite solution to deep-seated systemic issues. The digital divide will not be bridged simply by coding but “by young leaders who have been educated to transform their reality” says Amouzou. “Equity is not that everyone knows how to write a loop but that they understand why it matters and how a loop can help people,” says Wybrant.

“Increasing digital access without transforming the fundamental systems at play will lead to the same social structures and inequities,” says Amouzou. “We might see more students of color and low-income students (increasingly white) on computers, but will they still be at the bottom of the totem pole?”

This transformation involves integration and collaboration. “Digital equity is about so much more than the device—it’s about how they’re using the tool,” say Jessica Martin and Meredith Stolte, co-founders of Colorado’s Aurora Community School, as they “learn to integrate content, innovation, technology, and life skills.” While many “students and families have access to digital tools for internet searches and solitary activities,” the role of the 21st-century educator is “to help students learn how to use the tools they have in new and collaborative ways.”

CONNECTION AND CO-CREATION ARE KEY

“To inspire more students of color to pursue STEM, we have to redefine what excellent STEM instruction and curriculum look like,” says Amouzou. Instead of lectures and labs that are disconnected from everyday reality, students need to “remix the content they’ve internalized” to create solutions for real people. This remixing, Wybrant says, involves developing an understanding of what problems can and cannot be solved with technology, learning how to source the necessary tools and work on a team, and discerning scope and scale.

New models of learning, Amouzou says, need to be co-created by educators “with the students and communities they serve.” It’s nuanced, time-intensive work, and requires that, as Wybrant says, “more people engage in better conversations.”

Finding solutions also requires listening to communities and learners, says Walker. She began to dialogue, brainstorm, and research with students last year about an underutilized space in the school. And now they have a STEAM lab, “a space where every learner and adult can play, build, and dream.” And in these spaces, instead of being told how they’re doing, says McMahon, the students’ “self-reflection, personal goal-setting, and self-awareness are the driving forces.”

REPRESENTATION: SEEING PEOPLE LIKE ME SUCCEEDING IN STEM

It’s critical, says McMahon, to make connections within the STEAM community and show students that people who represent them can be successful in STEAM fields. “Children need to see others, who look like them, doing work in the field,” and have opportunities to learn alongside them to solve problems they see in the world around them, say Martin and Stolte. At Aurora Community School this year, for example, “middle-school students will work alongside experts from the Youth Empowerment Broadcasting Organization (YEBO) to learn how to use media arts to uplift their unique identities and social justice causes.”

Melissa Schwass, ChickTech Denver’s High School Program Director, says that the more different voices there are at the table, bringing distinctive approaches to troubleshooting and problem solving, the more richly and rapidly technology will develop to address the issues we face. For ChickTech, that means intentionally targeting a diverse demographic for participation in their year-long program of workshops and activities. Schwass says that engaging women and girls in technology requires an emphasis on creativity, design, and thinking outside the box in addition to building relationships with peers and mentors. “Girls are excited when they see tech isn’t just about sitting behind a desk,” Schwass says. As girls who built robots, LED bracelets and tote bags, mobile apps, and websites said, “This is so much cooler than we thought.”

While women hold the majority of college degrees, Schwass says, they have less than 30 percent representation in STEM jobs and more than double the turnover of men. The Denver chapter is one of 22 across North America, and they’re currently accepting nominations from schools and non-profits for the 2018–19 school year.

THE PERMEABLE CLASSROOM: PROJECTS TO CHANGE THE WORLD

HackSchool launched at STRIVE Prep – Excel in Denver in 2015 through a Kickstarter to provide students of color with more access to STEM opportunities. With access to a makerspace and tools like a 3D printer and laser cutter, students have identified needs and created projects including a quadcopter to deliver food to people without easy access to nutritious food and models to help students at a school for the blind in India learn about concepts that traditionally rely on diagrams in textbooks (e.g., the human heart and the atom). Through these and other projects responding to real needs, HackSchool students have honed their knowledge of science and math in addition to developing skills like perseverance and teamwork.

“Every student has a problem they want to solve,” says Wybrant, and he’s gathered an impressive array of tools to help them do this. In addition to designing games requested by local teachers—for example, to teach the water cycle and help students learn fractions—Wybrant’s students have worked on projects including an AR periodic table, a VR presidential museum using assets from the Smithsonian, and a VR escape room with an art history focus. This year they’re working on a VR model of wrecks off Saipan Island in the western Pacific. Alongside the technology component, this project incorporates history, process-pedagogy, and community building. His students are creating videos documenting their work to share with students on the island. There’s a digital equity strand too, Wybrant explains, as this project will enable those who cannot visit the sites to experience them.

One of his students “was born with a mouse and keyboard,” Wybrant says, and equity for him meant access to sophisticated resources so he could continue to grow. While he didn’t need instruction, he benefitted from coaching in project management skills.

“Great solutions grow organically,” Wybrant says, and he attributes the success of his students’ projects to the fact that they were co-created out of authentic needs. There’s no magic-bullet tool or one-size-fits-all approach. While Wybrant acknowledges the irony that setting up a quarter-of-a-million-dollar lab creates inequity with the school down the street that doesn’t have this equipment, he says that with online resources the hardware isn’t always necessary. Above all, “We need teachers who are ready for this, to help all students learn to find what they need to pursue the projects they’re passionate about.”

RECLAIMING THE POWER OF VOICES

A group of high-school seniors in Denver who wanted to reclaim the power of voices launched the nation’s first student-led writing center. With help from a trusted educator, they use social justice events happening in the community to create authentic writing and performing opportunities for themselves, their peers, and their families. Third graders write alongside seventh graders, high schoolers, and even college freshmen—true intergenerational learning. In this learning environment on a Friday evening, an activist, a pastor, an educator, an organizer, and a chess master guide youth through an essential question for a writing workshop. That’s the genius of the writing center. Learning that’s led by students and guided by educators.

Christiana Rodriguez, a student at the Street Knowledge Center at Manual High School, wanted to challenge racial microaggressions she was experiencing in a concurrent enrollment course. Using a CCSS-aligned rubric made in collaboration with the center co-director Olivia Jones, she crafted a powerful blog post to examine and analyze her experience on a national scale, making connections to other forms of racism in America. After publishing her work, she was invited to speak in an Intro to Education course at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

“We used the blog post for PD for teachers from two different districts,” says Rebecca Kaplan, instructor at CU Boulder. “I love seeing teachers grappling with the tough reality the student author was exposing about racism in teachers’ expectations.” The post is now on the syllabus for an Intro to Education course.
—Wisdom Amouzou

I recently finished two weeks of intense teacher training. I enjoyed what my district coach had to say when it came to classroom rules. She only has one expectation, which is be respectful and that covers pretty much everything when you think about it. I took this idea and decided on 3 expectations. I love this idea, because I teach 440 elementary students and in charge of the technology curriculum for 640. From experience, I know they can’t remember every rule or procedure from every classroom, but perhaps 3 might be more manageable. It’s also so much easier to make that into a poster! These are my 3 expectations/classroom rules:

Be invested:

in their personal growth and development and the well-being of their communities

Show respect:

for peers, their communities (physical/virtual), and themselves

Be a champion:

for peers, their communities (physical/virtual), and themselves

[Kick Off the School Year Right with These 14 Back to School Tips and Tons of Resources!]

Digital Heroes PledgeI

I created this Digital Heroes Pledge Handout for you to copy/edit as you like to whatever subject you teach (Math/Science/History/English/5th Grade) Heroes Pledge. The students have to reflect on the 3 expectations and think of specific ways they can achieve these expectations. Feel free to copy the template and edit as you like. I don’t need any credit, but you could always share with me on Twitter (@ShellTerrell) the way you used it!

Challenge: Narrow down your expectations/rules so students remember them and find examples of how they personally can meet these expectations.

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

Digital citizenship is an essential topic for students to understand. Many schools have adopted digital citizenship curriculums to help introduce students to these concepts. From Internet safety to commenting in online spaces, there are lots of topics to consider when deciding how to best prepare students for an online world.

Giving students an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned is essential in any subject area. Students should see how everything they do in school connects to the world outside of the classroom. Adobe Spark is a popular suite of creativity tools for students. As students create websites, movies, and graphics with Spark, they can apply digital citizenship skills.

Authentic Digital Citizenship Experiences

Outside of the classroom students of all ages are faced with challenges when it comes to navigating online spaces. Students might see someone posting something they shouldn’t on a social media platform. Or they might visit a website that uses copyrighted images, or is difficult for a reader to navigate. You can help students put their digital citizenship skills into action using Adobe Spark.

[Class Tech Tips: Spark Video Activities for Google Classroom]

Providing Online Feedback

When students create a movie with Spark Video, ask them to share it in a class LMS or online space designed for your group. This space could include Google Classroom, Seesaw, or even a backchannel. If your students have had discussions about posting comments online as part of a digital citizenship class, they now have an opportunity to put their learning into action.

Using the discussions you’ve had as it relates to your digital citizenship curriculum, ask students to brainstorm one or two comments they could leave on the work posted by a peer. Provide a moment for students to share their proposed comments face-to-face with a neighbor. After they have given each other suggestions or talked through their ideas, allow time for students to post a comment to provide feedback in your class LMS or discussion space.

Citing Sources

Giving credit for images or information a student uses is an important digital citizenship skill. Spark Video and Spark Page automatically generate credits for materials used within their creations. This means that if students search for a photograph or icon to use in their Spark Video, a citation will automatically appear on the final slide of their movie. With Spark Page, the citations appear at the bottom of the website students create.

Connect this feature back to your digital citizenship curriculum. Ask students to review what other type of materials they’ve included in their Spark Page or Spark Video. There might be something that needs a citation. Both Spark tools provide an option for students to modify the credits. With this feature, your students can reformat the citations into a desired format (like APA or MLA) or add to the list.

Attending to Audience

Students consume a wide range of content both inside and outside the classroom. As consumers of content, students know when a website is easy to navigate. They also know when a video clip is easy to understand — or hard to follow. Ask students to review a few websites or videos you have selected. Then they can discuss with a partner how the creator of this content could better attend to their audience.

When students take on the creation role in any subject area, ask them to use what they’ve learned and keep their audience in mind. For example, imagine your students create a video documenting a recent field trip. You can pose questions like: Does the theme or colors connect to your topics? Have you spoken clearly so a viewer can understand you? Is there a specific type of music you can add to connect the topic to your audience?

As you review your goals for digital citizenship this school year, make connections to topics covered across subject areas. The more your students can see digital citizenship skills in action, the more they will take these best practices and put them to use in their own classrooms.

Ready to get started with Adobe Spark? Check out the Adobe Spark for Education page for more ideas for your classroom!

I've had the pleasure of working with this company. All opinions are my own.

cross posted at classtechtips.com

Monica Burns is a former classroom teacher, author, speaker, and curriculum & edtech consultant. Visit her site ClassTechTips.com for more ideas on how to become a tech-savvy teacher.

Kevin Hogan stopped by the Netsupport booth at ISTE 2018 to discuss their school-wide IT management system. Managing director Marcus Kingsley highlighted the system’s ability to manage a wide-array of ed-tech but emphasized a focus on digital citizenship and a changing narrative in online student safety.

Impero Software today announced the latest version of Impero Education Pro V7. The software has been updated to include a new mental health keyword library, google authentication, and improved scalability to support larger school districts, among other features. The company will showcase the new features this week at ISTE 2018 in booth #630.

Impero Education Pro alerts instructors or administrators if it detects students typing or searching certain keywords or phrases related to sexting, cyberbullying, radicalization, self-harm, mental health issues and more.

[Make the Most of Your Budget with These Great Products: Makerspace Product Roundup 2018]

Features of Impero Education Pro V7 include:

· A new mental health keyword library developed in partnership with Mental Health America, No Panic and Harmless

· Additional feature enhancements to the browser-based console

· Google authentication

· Keyword policy management allowing districts to select keyword libraries for individual schools

· Improved scalability to support larger school districts

· MAC enhancements

· SIS integration improvements

One conversation that kept popping up during our latest Tech&Learning Live event in Boston last week was the role of parents in teaching students proper behaviors when it comes to the use of devices and access to the Internet. District showings of Screenagers seems to be a consensus first step in engaging families in understanding the importance of digital citizenship. Other tactics included more detailed acceptable use policies, back-to-school training nights, and the good old-fashioned phone ban. One thing that was painfully clear—there is a real problem and that schools alone are not equipped to handle it. Any suggestions? Let’s start the dialogue. Email me at kevin.hogan@futurenet.com
—Kevin Hogan, Director of Content

[Digital Citizenship Resources]

Gaggle announced today the release of an add-on to its Safety Management for G Suite solution and support for the Canvas learning management system.

School districts that use G Suite for Education from Google now can safely allow their students to use Hangouts. Gaggle’s algorithms reveal potentially harmful content in Hangouts Chat, and trained professionals evaluate suspicious content, alerting school officials of unsafe situations even contacting local law enforcement when time is of the essence.

[PikMyKid Offers 1,000 Free School Licenses for Panic Button App]

Students can safely use Hangouts for project collaboration, live class discussions, peer mentoring, virtual office hours, foreign language practice and online study groups. Also, Google Hangouts provides a way for coaches and teachers to direct message their players and students, eliminating the need to share personal phone numbers.

In addition to announcing support for Google Hangouts Chat, Gaggle now offers Safety Management for the Canvas learning management system (LMS). Safety Management for Canvas supports Conversations, Discussions, Files and Pages.

QwertyTown

Fabulous keyboarding lessons entice kids with social rewards

[Encourage Writing and Strengthen Skills with Today's App]

Pros: A thorough keyboarding curriculum, along with social communication and competitive features, keep students' interest.

Cons: The color system makes it difficult to tell when students make a typing mistake, and there's little flexibility for individualized instruction.

Bottom Line: Fun, charming typing lessons get keyboarding students started on the right foot and keep them developing their skills.

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

Editor’s Note: Welcome to NewBay’s inaugural edition of Need to Know, where we explain complex topics and how they apply to each industry we serve, on our websites and in our magazines. Keep coming back for future topics, to include 5G, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and more.

“This will go down on your permanent record!” It’s a phrase that could strike fear into many a student. And if blockchain technology emerges as proponents hope, it could reshape the way institutions create, save, and distribute student information.

As it stands, “blockchain” may very well be the first edtech buzzword of 2018, quickly becoming that term that everybody hears about but nobody knows quite what it is. To help explain, Tech & Learning asked Steve Chen, Industry co-lead at the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology at the the University of California, Berkeley: “Think of it like a notary public. The data being entered—student transcripts, graduation confirmations, recommendations, etc.—will be verified digitally, instead of the paper-based systems that still exist today.”

See our full Need to Know for more facts about blockchain.

• Blockchain and Media [Multichannel News]
• Blockchain and Video Production [Creative Planet Network]
• Blockchain and Television [TV Technology]
• Blockchain and Radio [Radio World]
• Blockchain and AV [AVNetwork.com]
• Blockchain and Residential Integration [Residential Systems]
• Blockchain and Pro Audio [Pro Sound News]
• Blockchain and Retail [TWICE]

Kids today! If you believed the headlines, you'd think that technology has created a generation of kids who are impatient, bored, and entitled. While that could be true, don't blame the kids or the tech. It is up to the adults in their worlds to ensure we raise kids who know how to be safe and responsible digital citizens.Educators do this by following the curriculum from providers like Common Sense Education, Google’s “Be Internet Awesome,” and EverFi’s “Ignition.”

I asked a group of Common Sense Educators which sites they recommend for parents.

Below are the resources they suggested schools can share to support parents in keeping their children safe online.

5 Digital Citizenship Resources for Parents

• Social Media Guidelines - NYC
  These are the student guidelines schools share with parents. There are also guides for parents, infographics, and an activity book that go along with the guidelines.
• Digital Citizenship Responsibilities - NYC
  New York City Schools educators created plain language guidance to advice for supporting good digital citizenship with students and infographics to accompany this advice.

I’ve spoken with parents from all over the country. One item that constantly comes up is “how do I know what I don’t know?” when it comes to raising kids in the digital age. While I always emphasize that tech or no-tech, parenting is still largely about relationships, communication, honesty, feedback, rewards and consequences. When you add a layer of technology to parenting, there are some additional items to be aware of and some “tools” you should have in your digital parenting toolkit. I created the Digital Parenting Bingo card as a way to easily show some talking points for parents that are dealing with either school-issued devices and/or personal mobile devices. Listed below are the talking points listed out in greater detail. Feel free to use and share with your community!

Devices in a common space – whenever possible, try and keep devices in an open, common, shared space. Even with the best filters, it’s a good idea to not allow devices behind closed doors.

Check filter settings – While devices are filtered on campus, they are on your network at home. Check your filter settings with your Internet Service Provider. Many provide free filtering software or you could use a service like OpenDNS or Disney’s Circle to help monitor and regulate activity on your home network.

Turn off devices 30 minutes before bed – The brain comes equipped with a circadian rhythm that adjusts based on the day-night cycle of the sun. In his TED Talk, Dr. Russell Foster suggests that ideally, you should turn off bright lights and screens at least 30 minutes before bed to get a better night’s sleep.

Use Guided Access for focus – In the settings of your iOS device, scroll to General->Accessibility. There you find a tool called “Guided Access”. Once enabled, it will lock the user into an app until unlocked. The code used for take the device out of Guided Access is different from the one used to unlock the device. For more information, check this support page.

Charge the device nightly – One of the most common issues that affects learning with mobile devices, is forgetting to charge the device at night. Investigate setting up a centralized charging station in your home and try to avoid having your kids charge their devices in their bedrooms.

Rules at a friend’s house – A new variable when sending your child to a friend’s or neighbor’s house are reviewing what their policies are when it comes to the internet and mobile device use. Review these rules with your child and, if possible, with the family he/she is visiting.

Know their account information – You should have access to all your child’s accounts and passwords. This shouldn’t be set up as a way to “spy” on your kids as much as it is to help with openness and transparency about what your child is doing and posting online.

Be a good role model – Do you tell your kids how to act with their mobile device, but then you demonstrate the opposite? Imparting wisdom on your kids is important and much of that comes with how you model those best practices when it comes to your own mobile device.

No devices at dinner table – With our virtual world continually intermingling with our face-to-face world, many families use dinner as a sacred “no tech” time. A time to have conversation, reflect and discuss the happenings of members in the family.

Spot check the photo roll – Many of today’s social media apps are very photo-driven. Periodically, spot check items in the photo roll and also which apps are accessing the camera on the device.

What happens if they come across inappropriate content – Even the best filters fail. If your child comes across something inappropriate online, discuss what steps they should take to communicate this to parents. Sometimes these can turn into teachable moments, but not if your child is hiding it from you.

Discuss how the device is being used – Ask your child to share examples of how he/she uses the device in and out of school. Doing this allows you to switch roles with your child as you become the learner and he/she becomes the teacher.

Who are they sharing their data with? – Even as adults, we often quickly read through the ToS (terms of service) agreements with companies that access our data. Be sure to review which apps have access to your child’s personal information. Also, make sure they are not sharing their account information with friends or people they meet online.

Balance entertainment with educational screen time – While there needs to be a balance of screen time versus non-screen time, you should investigate how they are using their screen time as well. Educational, interactive screen time has a more positive effect on the brain versus passive entertainment-based screen time.

Check battery usage for which apps they are using – If your device’s battery is draining too fast, or you want to “see” what apps your child is using regularly on their device, look at the battery usage under settings. It will detail which apps have been on the screen the past 24 hours and 7 days.

Set limits – The average person spends over 4 hours on their mobile phone. At times, kids will need help monitoring both how and how often they use technology. Work with them on setting realistic limits as to how much time they spend on their mobile device.

Check browser history – If you suspect your child may be visiting inappropriate sites, check the browser history in either Chrome or Safari. If you notice the history is blank or they have been surfing in “private” or “incognito” mode, you might want to have a conversation with them about what sites they are visiting and why they would want to hide those from you.

Create a techie agreement with your child— Rather than come up with a set of rules and limits for you child, work with them to create a tech or media use agreement. There are several examples of these on the internet that you can start with, but it’s important your child takes ownership in creating the agreement.

Enable restrictions if necessary— If your child is having a hard time focusing or using the device appropriately, you have the ability to set additional restrictions on the device. Here are steps on how to set up parental restrictions on an iOS device.

Balance between tech and non-tech times— Too much continuous screen time and sedentary behavior can be unhealthy for people. Part of being a responsible user of technology is knowing when to take breaks throughout the day.

Encourage problem-solving— We want our children to ultimately be self-sufficient. There are times when a website or app isn’t work they way it should on your child’s device. Before running to a parent or teacher, encourage your child to troubleshoot first and try to solve the problem on their own.

Keep device protected— The majority of device damage comes during transport between classes or between home and school. Use the district-provided protected case whenever in transit and be careful when tossing backpacks on the ground as the impact could damage the device inside.

What happens when they come across an online stranger?— Just like when coming across inappropriate content, you want to encourage your child to share with you if they are ever approached by someone online that they don’t know.

Spot check email and social media accounts— Having access to their accounts is one step, but also occasionally spot-checking email, text messages and social media accounts can help keep you informed of what your child is posting. Ideally, this would also involve a conversation with your child about transparency and not necessarily involve you “spying” on their accounts.

The above list and bingo card are NOT meant to be a substitute for parenting. While some of the tools allow you to check-in or “spy” on what your kids are doing, I would always encourage you to have a conversation with your child on being transparent about what they are doing and saying online and on their devices.

cross posted at http://hookedoninnovation.com

Carl Hooker has been a part of a strong educational shift with technology integration since becoming an educator. As Director of Innovation & Digital Learning at Eanes ISD, he has helped spearhead the LEAP program, which put one-to-one iPads in the hands of all K-12 students in his 8000-student district. He is also the founder of “iPadpalooza”- a three-day “learning festival” held in Austin annually. He's also the author of the six-book series titled Mobile Learning Mindset, a guide for teachers, administrators, parents and others to support and embrace mobile learning in our schools. Read more at Hooked on Innovation.

“Great classrooms are characterized by positive, open relationships, mutual respect, and a shared responsibility for the learning process.”- Robert John Meehan

School tragedies occur way too often nowadays. Often we find the students at the center of these tragedies didn’t feel they fit in. I know a bigger issue lies in dealing with mental health, but I also know too many classrooms do not help their students build relationships with each other and the teacher. Relationship building is an ongoing process. It means taking the time to engage all students in fun activities where students get to know each other. It also means pairing and grouping students effectively to accomplish meaningful activities where they can appreciate each other’s skills.

In my classes we do this by doing the following:

• Several fun get-to-know you activities
• Regular online discussions and backchannel chats
• Cooperative Learning activities such as expert groups and the Frayer model of students teaching each other
• Peer feedback and evaluation of each other’s work
• Publishing student work and getting them to comment on each other
• Ongoing community activities in our online classroom to support the community building activities in our physical classroom
• Effective pair work and group work

I tell my students at the beginning of the year we are a community and not a classroom. I also tell them that chances are they won’t succeed in college without friends and peers who support them and motivate them when it gets tough and it will get tough. This past week in my students’ journals several wrote about the friends they meet with and study with in our English class. I was so happy to read this, because I know that the effort to build a community is working.

Building a community and working on relationships is the “extra” I do. It isn’t part of my curriculum and not many professors take the time to do this. I feel it’s important and I’ve seen struggling learners exceed time and time again because they have the support of their peers. Part of the learning journey is ensuring our students have the support they need. I’m one teacher with hundreds of students each year. There is no way I can provide each the support and feedback to help them throughout their journey. If my learners can help each other then they have helped me be a much better teacher.

In my blog and in my books I continually share lessons, templates, activities, and resources to help you transform your classes into communities. Make it a goal to make room for relationship building. Cyberbulling and bullying has definitely impacted our learners. It’s time every student no longer feels alone.

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is an education consultant, technology trainer, and author. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

Schoology today announced the launch of the inaugural “Global Digital Citizenship Challenge,” designed to rally the global community of educators around the topic of digital citizenship.

Schoology is asking educators to participate in a 30-day challenge for which they submit a resource that will help teach or promote better digital citizenship among students. Participants can also browse through submissions and “commit” to implementing these ideas in their own schools or districts. The submission that best addresses the Challenge and promotes awareness of digital citizenship will win an all-expenses paid trip to Schoology NEXT to present their idea for addressing digital citizenship.

The Global Digital Citizenship Challenge invites educators and administrators to share resources and insights from Feb. 14 to March 16, at www.schoology.com/digcit

“Don’t think outside the box. Think without a box.” That quote by opening panelist Chris Budzynski (@chrisbudzynski) really summed up much of what was discovered and discussed at the recent School CIO summit hosted by Tech & Learning magazine (@techlearning). These summits provide excellent opportunities to connect with other leaders across the country as well as provide resources and tools to help districts continue to lead and innovate. This post is a reflection of some of the things I discovered and a couple of wishful thoughts on things I hope we get to do in my district.

DESIGN TECH HIGH SCHOOL VISIT

Imagine if you found an abandoned warehouse and threw a bunch of tools, whiteboards, technology, and high school kids in it. What do you think might happen? The “DTech” high school is just that. Students don’t have a bell schedule or a series of classes to sit through. Instead, they are working on design projects that incorporate the core content areas as well as some serious soft skills that they’ll need in the future.

“Principal” Ken Montgomery took us through a tour of his facility and their day-today schedule. I put the word principal in quotes, because he’s really part principal, part passion-driven student advocate, and part crazy (in a good way). This school is based somewhat on the Stanford DSchool concept and has been built out of a partnership with local tech giant Oracle and its Education Foundation.

Although classes were over for the day when we walked up, I noticed quite a few students hanging out on a Friday, not ready to leave. What does that say about the school when kids are running to the weekend? I stopped to ask one of the students what they thought about the place and concept. He replied, “I love it.” When I asked him why he said, “The people. They love it here and they care about us and our learning. It shows.”

I think that quote could be shared about any great teacher, but it was clear that for this young man, the school provided him with an opportunity that he might not have received in a more traditional setting. The few students still milling about inside the building/warehouse were finishing a robotics project or studying Mandarin just….because. Next year, the students of DTech will move into a brand new innovative building on Oracle’s campus, but I really loved the messy feeling of this old warehouse. The imperfections and griminess left me with the impression that this building (and program) are very much loved.

OPENING PANEL ON BLENDED LEARNING

The following day, we were treated to an opening panel that featured three school leaders from very different places. Emily Garrison (@ emilyagarrison) from Palo Alto Unified School District was up first. Her school district is considered a “sister” school district of Eanes ISD, so I was curious to hear her thoughts on how to make things more blended for students. Their program began with one teacher several years ago and was built on the iNACOL framework for blended learning. While there were various models presented, from in-house to twilight (after-hours), the program’s growth and success was largely due to the focus on mindset and strong professional learning for staff. Their mantra for the program of “Time, place, path, and pace” helps guide students towards different opportunities for learning success.

Next up was Chris Budzynski, who I mentioned in the opening paragraph. Chris’s district, just outside of Chicago, has also purposefully grown a blended learning model where students have multiple periods a day to learn in a blended setting (usually first or last period). Additionally, with the opening of a new hospital near their high school, they partnered with the doctors in providing the first of its kind high school hospital internship program. A group of students spend part of their school day shadowing and helping staff in the hospital while still taking a full course load—an incredible opportunity to any young person thinking of working for the medical industry.

The final panelist was Bryant Wong from Summit Public Schools. Summit is a blended charter that has over 100 schools all over the country and is focused on both diversity and success after college. Its format provides a playlist of learning options for each student, creating a personalized approach for its learners. With help from Khan Academy and Facebook, Summit has been able to freely provide opportunities to kids that might not exist where they live. While I’m a fierce advocate for public schools, this charter seems to have its heart in the right place.

WORKING GROUPS

Besides site visits and hearing from innovative leaders in the K-12 space, the summit also provides time throughout the day to share best practices in working group meetings. I presented some of the ways we have tried to educate both parents and students on digital citizenship. In talking with the others in the group, Common Sense Media continues to be a national leader on the subject through their freely provided content.

For the second working group on learning spaces, I got to play the role of learner. One of the main presenters was Michael Morrison (@ mytakeontech) from Laguna Beach USD. He shared their “4CLE” project that focused on furniture, lighting, and color as part of a positive student learning environment. One thing that really stuck with me, besides the super-cool use of Hue bulbs to change classroom color digitally, was that they used a lot of flat screen TVs in their rooms. Many of the rooms had two or more TVs that Michael mentioned could cost around $150 (for a 32-inch screen)—an interesting idea and a break from the single expensive projector at the front of the room approach that we usually take in classrooms. The TVs all connect via a hub and teachers or students can project their work on the screens.

TAKE-AWAYS

It’s clear to me that there is a lot of good happening in education around the country, despite what some news articles may say. These school leaders shared many valuable resources and research in their efforts to help each student along their own personal learning journey. For me, I want to take back the idea of really examining our school schedule and the limitations it might be having on learning for some students. I know many of our kids excel at playing the “game of school” but for some, as witnessed by early success of our WHS Incubator class, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to student learning. Giving more of our students agency in their learning needs to continue to be a focus of ours as we travel into the second iteration of our 1:1 mobile device program and flexible furniture pilots.

Carl Hooker is the Director of Innovation and Digital Learning, Eanes I.S.D., the founder of “iPadpalooza,” and author of the Mobile Mindset series. Read more at Hooked on Innovation (hookedoninnovation.com).

Most of us can’t imagine what we did before, or what we’d do without, 24/7 access. We’re constantly connected to a vast mine of resources and information involving every area of our lives. Neither can we imagine what it must be like for the 60 million Americans, a disproportionate number of whom are Black and Hispanic, without home Internet access.

Digital equity is a complex issue that by its very nature reflects other inequities—from socio-economic concerns to the fact that all devices and Internet connections are not created equal. Digital equity also carries a huge price tag. But thanks to the efforts of those working in many different quarters—at the state and district levels, in the private sector, as well as through organizations like EveryoneOn—the divide seems to be slowly but surely narrowing. Since the first part of this series was published in April, for example, the FCC has modernized and reformed its Lifeline program to help low-income consumers afford Internet access with improved service, availability, and consumer choice.

The stories in this third and final installment of Tech & Learning’s series on this important topic emphasize the power of determination and the thoughtful and creative allocation of limited resources for students in classrooms today, even as these districts work with stakeholders in their contexts towards the larger goal of digital equity. Ultimately connectivity is not just about the tech—it’s about family partnerships, community awareness and involvement, and a commitment to bridging the gap to provide new pathways to learning.

A GAME-CHANGING GRANT

West Middle School students utilizing the newly installed wi-fi on their school buses.

A $3.5 million i3 (Investing in Innovation) grant awarded by the US DOE to Montgomery County (NC) Schools (MCS) in 2014 made it possible for over 4,000 students in this economically distressed rural district to cross the digital divide. “Providing technology access and a dedicated learning platform through the focused use of grant funding has allowed us to transform education,” says superintendent Dale Ellis. Although poor districts are often the last to have the latest technology, the impact of this grant will be felt here for generations. As Ellis says, “Our students deserve the best.”

The i3 grant enabled MCS to update the school’s wireless infrastructure, begin to provide 1:1 devices, and outfit school buses with wireless access. In addition, thanks to a Golden LEAF grant and a Z. Smith Reynolds grant, the district has been able to partner with The Friday Institute to offer an intensive 33-month training initiative for staff and administrators to equip them to move to a digital learning environment.

OUTSIDE THE BOX

Grant money only goes so far, though. “As leaders, it is our job to focus our resources in a way that will bring the greatest benefit for our students,” says Ellis. As assistant superintendent Jeff James says, it’s important to “think outside the box, because this is the only way small districts have a chance of competing.” Not only are districts like MCS competing—they’re also innovating in ways large and small that are being replicated all over the country.

Candor Elementary School first graders learning how to use devices and log in with their usernames and passwords.

Many MCS students spend three or four hours on the bus every day—time they’re now able to devote to learning with i-Ready instructional materials. One of the bus drivers notes that behavior issues have all but disappeared, and Griselda Alvarez-Cruz, an eighth grader, says being able to work during her long commutes is a major plus. “The Internet helps a lot. It has a lot of benefits for everyone, including me,” she says.

James also stresses the importance of researching and learning from others who have gone before and of developing partnerships and “a strong governing team that consists of multiple stakeholders.” Communication with students, parents, staff, and the community is crucial, he says, because “it takes the entire community to make it successful, not just the school district.”

ORGANIC AND STRATEGIC

“Students First, Technology Second” is the technology department’s motto at Kennett (PA) Consolidated School District (KCSD). Dan Maguire, supervisor of technology services, emphasizes that KCSD’s commitment to meeting the needs of each of the district’s 4,400 students drives everything they do—from device acquisition to program use to bridging the digital divide. Southern Chester County’s mushroom-growing industry has brought a significant population of Hispanic families and migrant workers to the area. And, although about a third of the district’s students qualify for free or reduced lunch, Maguire prefers not to divide the haves from the have-nots but to focus instead on the bigger picture—for the district as a whole and for the community.

LOANER LAPTOPS

All students need targeted, personalized learning goals as well as increased access, Maguire says. So when KCSD piloted a loaner program with refurbished laptops in one of their elementary schools two years ago, staff worked with both students and parents to provide training and set learning objectives. “Parents aren’t always sure what to look for, how to help their student, or how to monitor utilization,” Maguire says, “so we give them support and tips as well.” A focus for next year will be monthly community workshops addressing topics raised by parents and others.

Teachers can monitor student progress online and students use device-agnostic programs like Accelerated Reader and Study Island on the borrowed devices. Maguire notes that the shift to online content gives these devices increased longevity.

As Maguire, a former classroom teacher, says, “It’s an instructional initiative, and not so much a technology initiative.” KCSD now operates the popular loaner program in all of its schools and there’s an informal network of hotspots throughout local businesses and community centers offering free, “no purchase necessary,” wi-fi access to students.

At the other end of the K–12 technology spectrum, Maguire recently worked with a reseller to purchase refurbished equipment to meet the growing and sophisticated demands of the high-school STEM students.

Maguire describes KSCD’s approach as organic and strategic, growing the technology program to stay just ahead of student demand while maintaining an ongoing dialogue with the community and taxpayers to educate and cultivate buy-in. Transparency and open doors are important, especially when there are such significant financial implications. “We’re working together to benefit the entire community,” he says, towards the ultimate goal of municipal access.

AHA!

When a fifth-grade class at Bancroft Elementary School recently took a virtual field trip to Longwood Gardens, it was all about the experience and the tech faded into the background. It’s ironic, Maguire admits, but “that’s the way it should be.” He listened to the students’ exclamations of delight and surprise as they toured the legendary gardens and knew he had once again created an authentic experience the students won’t soon forget.

PROVIDING PATHWAYS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Students in Lufkin (TX) ISD using technology for learning.

While 87% of Lukfin (TX) ISD students have home Internet access, fewer have access to a computer or tablet and a majority access information through a mobile device. Rafranz Davis, executive director of professional and digital learning, also notes that “we do not have immediate access in every classroom … So, even if our students bring devices to class, there’s no guarantee that they can connect.” Davis also stresses the significance of the digital use divide.

On the way to realizing Davis’s vision of all students and teachers having “anytime, everywhere access,” this diverse district, with a majority of economically disadvantaged students, has completed a district assessment, gathered BrightBytes data, and begun some ambitious initiatives.

These include creating a Digital Ambassador program with 50 teacher leaders, expanding access points thanks to E-Rate, piloting devices, building a library of lessons, and making PD more flexible and embedded. Davis says they’re also “actively pursuing ways to sustain and provide more home access” and finalizing a device plan, which will probably be a combination of BYOD with district-provided tools to ensure equity. As Davis emphasizes, though, it’s not about devices but about providing “experiences and pathways through technology.”

AN ACT OF COURAGE

Last fall, two second-grade teachers who wanted to individualize learning dug some six-year-old mini laptops, complete with missing keys and technical issues, from a closet. After removing all programs and loading only the Chrome browser, they used tools like Padlet and blogging—and students began communicating in ways they never had. Davis says, “This act of courage became our district’s first unofficial elementary 1:1 environment.” Now, with an access point, these students are doing projects involving collaborative research and data analysis.

Including students as well as teachers in decision-making, Davis says, is critical. After all, the students “are the ones that need these tools for learning and if we aren’t serving their needs, we aren’t serving.”

Click here to read Part 2 and here to read Part 1 in this series.