Technology is constantly evolving in our electronic information age and students need to know that the act of easily accessing information comes with benefits and perils. Three things students must understand about being digital citizens have to do with on-line safety, digital etiquette and utilizing social networking to maximize learning and achievement.
Each area can be presented in an open dialogue with students. When talking about on-line safety, tie in the discussion to the background knowledge that students have on safety in general. Students have schema of procedures, policies , laws and regulations that are in place and followed daily to protect them and maintain their safety (i.e. driving, crossing the street). Anchor charts are always great visuals to record what students know about the subject. Start with the familiar and then move students to the digital community and what they think is necessary to be safe while on-line. The dialogue has to be teacher led with probing questions such as:Do you give your personal information (i.e. address, phone number) to whoever you are chatting to on-line? The teacher generates important points with the issue of safety at the heart of various scenarios.
The same teaching process can be used to discuss etiquette and acceptable social behavior and following copyright laws. The idea is to move students from the realities of their 3-D life to the realm of the digital world, highlighting the benefits and perils.
No comments:
Post a Comment