Digital Citizenship Education= the Key to Leaving a Positive Digital Footprint on the World

             In the 21^st century the neighborhoods our children once navigated on foot have evolved to now include virtual avenues housing individuals from all walks of life and cultures. The introduction of technology has in turn altered the way our students speak, share, and interact with those close to them, and those they may never meet in their lifetime.  Therefore, learning how to become respectful digital citizens in this virtual world becomes a vital skill our students must master to assure that the footprints they leave in their travels are safe and positive ones.

            It is well known fact that with each passing year, younger and younger students are gaining access to the Internet through their smartphones, tablets, and gaming systems.  In fact in the last month alone, I have lost count to the amount of times I have witnessed preschool age children in stores and restaurants plugged into their handheld devices, navigating between apps and websites like a pro, or been privy to watching young elementary age students taking and posting selfies with reckless abandonment.   Therefore, I believe that when it comes to introducing the concept of digital citizenship to students in the 21st century, sooner is better than later.

But whose responsibility is it to teach safe and ethical digital behavior to today’s students? Research has shown that today’s “learners are closely surrounded by those who influence their learning most; other students and peers, parents, family members, and teachers” (Trilling and Fadel, 2009).  As such when it comes to digital citizenship and assuring that today’s students grow up to become tomorrow’s contributing, respectful members of a society that has yet to be fully envisioned, the old adage still rains true; it will take a village.

            Therefore, the most important thing that we as educators, and Technology Integration Specialists can do to influence the actions of our student’s long term is to instill healthy online habits early by effectively modeling respectful use of technology into their daily learning process.  To accomplish this we will need to design a series of specific learning activities that will not only teach students how to properly communicate and share ideas with each other online, but also engage them in lessons on how to analyze, evaluate, and give proper credit to materials, images, and videos they find online to support their understanding of topics.  Equally important we as educators need to be honest with them about all facets of technology and not sugar coat the realities that come with navigating the World Wide Web.  Similar to a coin the Internet has two sides, and with all the benefits that technology has to offer, it also comes with an equal number of dangers.  Therefore, it falls on our shoulders to empower our 21st century students with the knowledge and tools necessary to allow them to make smart choices when they are online, while fully understanding the long-term consequences for themselves and others that could occur if they loose focus and slip up.

              In my school digital citizenship training begins in second grade, with introductory discussions about cyber bullying and basic lessons on finding and giving credit to the authors of online reference material and photos online. The digital citizenship training is ramped up to a higher level once students enter third and fourth grade, when they are enrolled in an online course called “ Digital Passport” produced by Common Sense Media.  This free program takes students through five weeks of in depth online and in class exercises that covers the topics of: cyber-bullying, proper cell phone use, Internet searches, copyright law, and digital citizenship.   For my elementary students their digital citizenship education concluding in fifth grade with students participating in an ambassadors program, in which they spread the message of what it means to be a respectful online citizens by creating posters, presentations, and skits that they share and act out to the Kindergarten and grade one students at the school.

What is important to remember is that teaching students about digital citizenship is not a one-time topic of discussion that only occurs at school but rather a complex multi-leveled subject requiring continuous time and attention in the classroom and at home. As mentioned before, it takes a village to raise a digitally responsible child, and as such an important key to this equation falls on the shoulders of the parents and guardians of our students.  Many of the adults in our students lives, are driven by what they have learned about technology through their personal experiences, online, and in the media, which we know from experience often leans more to highlighting the hazards that can happen from its use versus the benefits. Therefore, it is our responsible as teachers and leaders in our community to go the extra mile to educate the families of our students about technology, digital citizenship, and how to properly use the devices they have chosen to outfit their children with as a tool for learning, ensuring that the message students receive is a consistent positive one.

When it comes to using digital technology in my life, and reflecting upon the digital path I have walked over the last decade, I will admit the journey to get to where I am now has not been void of hurdles and hiccups. Mostly due to the fact that in the era in which I grew up there was no one really there to guide or educate me about technology.  Therefore, in moving forward as an educator of technology I have made it my mission to match my actions online to that of the message I send out in the real world to my students.  As such when it comes to interacting and sharing information online I pledge to act responsibly, and leave footprints in the virtual world that are both positive and will promote the educational benefits that the use of technology can offer now and long into the future.

References

Common Sense Media. (2013). Digital passport [Online Application]. Retrieved February 21, 2015 from: https://www.digitalpassport.org/educator-registration

Trilling B. & Fadel C. (2009). 21st century skills, learning for life in our times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

The Many Roles of a Technology Integration Specialist

          Through my coursework at SNHU and in my professional experiences as a teacher of technology in a public school setting, I have learned that the role of the Technology Integration Specialist is one that is multi-faceted and requires the wearing of many hats. The role of today’s Technology Integration Specialists not only centers on promoting the use of technologies to support student achievement in all pre-K- 12 classrooms, it is a role that is also tasked with providing leadership in the school community by assisting in the purchasing, development, and implementation of curriculum and technology integration based projects.  Other roles handled by the Technology Integration Specialist includes collaborating with administrators, teachers, staff, and other IT professionals to support, manage, and optimize the use of instructional software, interactive tools, and network resources required to support high quality teaching and learning. Finally and most importantly they serve to empower and educate today’s 21^st century learners to reach their fullest academic potential by teaching them how to use technology as a tool for expressing their creativity, understanding, and knowledge of core curriculum topics.

            But who are these 21^st century learners? The students sitting in our classrooms today are the first to have “grown up with a wealth of digital tools at their fingertips” (Solomon & Schrum, 2010). As a result they have become “highly rational and demand quick access to new knowledge,” and are “capable of engaging and learning at a whole new level” (Blair, 2012, February). In fact, according to Marc Prensky, today’s students or digital natives “think differently and therefore need to be taught differently” (2001, Schrum & Levin, 2009). It is not surprising then that today’s students thrive in interactive environments that allow them to share and be connected to the world around them.  Whenever they have the chance they are plugged in on their smart phones, computers, and tablets texting, tweeting, or skyping with friends.  In fact when asked “ today’s students preferred tool for learning outside of school is the Internet” (Schrum & Levin, 2009).  For them the ideal classroom is a learning environment that supports and reflects an understanding of what keeps them motivated and eager to pursue new knowledge and as such if “student performance is to approximate student potential, students need access to a constantly evolving array of technological tools and activities that demand problem-solving, decision making, teamwork, and innovation” (Blair, 2012, February).

Knowing this, how can educators shift their pedagogical practices to harness the motivational power of technology in their classrooms to meet the ever-changing needs of their students? It has become a well-documented fact that in the 21st century, to become thriving successful members of the society in which we now live and the one yet to be fully recognized “requires levels of information and technological literacy that go far beyond the basic knowledge that was sufficient in the past” (National Education Association, n.d). Therefore, “ new 21st century learners must master more than the core curriculum to succeed” (Blair, 2012, February).  The students of the 21^st century also need to “be inventive in their thinking, be able to communicate their ideas in published form and verbally, and to use the tools of the 21st century for learning, communication, and problem solving” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2003).  Therefore, in moving forward, to reach and engage these 21st century learners, educators today must make the conscious effort to change how they teach by embracing and re-envisioning technologies role in their classrooms.

But who are today’s educators?  Most of today’s educators, residing in classrooms today, unlike their students are digital immigrants, teetering between a society of face-to-face communication that once was, and the Internet based high tech revolution knocking at their classroom doors.  Some are traditionalists, comfortable with the old-school way of educating and instructing their students, seeing no fault in the tried and true methods that have served them well for years.  While others have become open to the idea of using technology in their personal lives however, have yet to embrace the concept of using these tools in their classrooms.

As such, educators today need to separate themselves from the past and accept technology as an integral part of the education of their students in the 21st century.  However, for many in the profession as mentioned above this is easier said then done, citing, out of date resources, and a lack support and quality training as a few of the reasons for why technology has not been instituted in their classrooms. However, an even bigger hurdle holding them back is fear that the efforts they put forth to use technology will fail and as such prove less beneficial in the long term, or simply that their students understand more than they do, and as such will not be able to support them with issues arise.

Therefore,  “to truly understand the benefits of technology use for learning, teachers need to first be able to acknowledge the benefits of technology as a tool for learning” (Morehead & LeBeau, 2005, April). They need to view the computers and other technology based tools that they have, as beneficial, enabling their students and themselves to perform their jobs more effectively. Teachers also need to “recognize and identify the learning processes that technology makes possible: the collection, organization, presenting, and communication of information in today’s informational society” (Morehead & LeBeau, 2005, April).

But who is responsible for helping both teachers navigate the complexities of technology and assist the students need to have access to the tools they are used to learning with? As mentioned above aiding both educators and students in this transition falls into the capable hands of the Technology Integration Specialist, who understands the educational needs of both the digital native and immigrants residing in schools today.  Technology Integration Specialist’s are masters of their craft, understanding not only the ins and outs of the technology-enriched devices placed in schools, but are also the key to making educational change happens as they have the vision and means to propagate the use of new technologies and methodologies in their school’s classrooms. As such Technology Integration Specialists are the vital member of the staff who through professional development training offerings and modeling technology infused lessons can “assist both teachers and students in understanding technology as a tool for connecting curriculum content to the learning processes ” they already implement (Morehead & LaBeau, 2005, April). Justifying why this position is so important in schools and districts nationwide.

References

Blair, N. (2012, January/February). Technology integration for the new 21st century learner. Principal, 8-13. Retrieved February 8, 2015, from: http://www.naesp.org/sites/
default/files/Blair_JF12.pdf

Morehead, P., & LeBeau, B. (2005, April). The continuing challenges of technology integration for teachers. Retrieved February 12, 2015 from: http://www.usca.edu/essays/vol152005/moreheadrev.pdf

National Education Association (n.d.) Preparing 21st century students for a global society: An educator’s guide to the “four cs”. Retrieved February 13, 2015 from:

Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2003). Learning for the 21st century. Washington, D.C.: Author. Retrieved April 23 from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/downloads/P21_Report.pdf.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved February 13, 2015 from: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/

Schrum, L. & Levin, B. (2009). Leading 21^st-century schools: harnessing technology for engagement and achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Solomon, G. & Schrum, L. (2010). Web 2.0 how-to for educators. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.