Setting Digital Literacy Expectations at the Start of School
It's definitely too early to be thinking about the start of school again. I mean, school just ended a week or two ago for most educators. But the summer can be the best time to be thinking about changes we might need to incorporate in the classroom next year. And how we approach digital literacy with our students might be one of the main changes to address. Digital literacy describes the wide range of skills and knowledge needed by everyone who uses technology today, whether on a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, or some other device. It's about how we manage our digital lifestyles and not just about how to protect ourselves and our technology from attacks. And it's becoming a more critical component of everyday life than ever before. Classroom AUP Most teachers begin the digital literacy journey by asking students to read and sign the district's Acceptable Use Policy or a more modern version, the Responsible Use Policy. These policies are often filled with "don't's,", along with dire consequences for doing them. The students see the same forms each year, and so tend to tune them out after a while. While the AUP or RUP is a necessary tool, it is not the complete package. Instead, try asking students to create a classroom AUP this year that includes both their own devices and the school's. Make sure they discuss the following:
- Who owns their accounts and passwords and how can they be kept safe and confidential?
- What does responsible use of the technology look like on a day-to-day basis?
- What's a good password and how do we keep it secure?
- How can we effectively communicate on social media?
- Is there a right and a wrong time to use technology at school?
- Should there be limits on personal use of devices in the classroom?
These questions can be discussed in different ways with students of almost any age.
No Online Privacy
Once a class AUP is in place and posted prominently, it's time to help students understand online privacy and the very fundamental fact that nothing they do online is private. Understanding what is a potentially "bad" social media post and how what they do online can come back to haunt them later on in life are the very beginning steps of this important topic. Possible homework for this part of the lesson is having them do clean-up duties of their personal Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts. For younger students who may not yet have their own accounts, help them understand what should and shouldn't be shared by creating a fake
Twister or
Fakebook post.
Your Personal Brand
As a continuation of the discussion of the fact that nothing online is private, encourage students to Google themselves (or their parents, if they are younger, or a school leader - but check with them first). Discuss what the results might say about them. Were the results positive, negative, neutral? Then discuss how what they post contributes or takes away from their own personal brand and why this matters. A good tie-in here is the creation of an online portfolio to use in showcasing work they are proud of.
Evaluating Websites
Another important facet of digital literacy has to do with knowing what is true and what isn't on the Internet. There are a number of example websites to use with students on this topic, helping them to learn to evaluate what they see.
Classzone has an excellent unit on this topic that is appropriate for grades 5-12. A good site for students to use in evaluation is that of the
Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, a well-known but still believed hoax website. Ensure that students know what to look for to determine a site's authenticity and accuracy.
The Digital Use of Photos
A final topic is digital etiquette, especially with regards to the use of photos. What should and shouldn't students post of the many photos they take of each other? Should they have someone's permission before using a photo? Are they allowed to alter a photo they've taken of someone? Have the students establish some guidelines for the class to follow on this topic.
Once the ground rules are in place and clearly understood, the year will be much easier for both you and the students. So take some time this summer and think about how you'll help them develop strong digital literacy skills in the fall.
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Get Your Geek On with Raspberry Pi!
If you're an educator on the cutting edge, someone who likes to tinker with technology and share what you learn with others, you should attend the Raspberry EduPi workshop July 9-10 in Austin. This intensive, hands-on, two-day training focuses on discovering innovative ways that the Raspberry Pi can be used in the classroom.
The Raspberry Pi is an inexpensive, credit card-sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is an ingenious STEM tool for students of all ages that allows them to explore the programming languages Scratch and Python, create with Minecraft, and study sound with Sonic Pi. Raspberry Pi has dozens of cross-curricular applications in science, math, and music.
Day one of this innovative workshop is dedicated to becoming familiar with the Raspberry Pi and its included features such as: Sonic, Scratch GIO, and the Minecraft Pi Edition. Day two allows further discovery into the features, creation, and its implementation in the classroom. Attendees may bring their own Raspberry Pi's with them to use ($250 for members; $295 for non-members) or may purchase a kit from TCEA for $75. The kit includes:
- New Raspberry Pi 2 (RPi2) Quad-Core 900 MHz 1GB RAM with Quick-Start Guide
- 8 GB Samsung MicroSD Card - Raspberry Pi Foundation Recommended MicroSD Card pre-loaded with the new NOOBS (New Out Of Box Software)
- CanaKit WiFi Adapter
- CanaKit 2.5A USB Power Supply with Micro USB Cable specially designed for the Raspberry Pi 2 (UL Listed)
- High Quality Raspberry Pi 2 Case, Premium Quality HDMI Cable, Heat Sink, GPIO Quick Reference Card
This training will enable teachers to better prepare students for STEM careers and help them ramp up their lessons to the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Space is limited, so
register today.
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Tested and Reviewed Android Apps
If you're looking for the best Android apps for your devices, check out the list of recommended apps from TCEA. Each of these educational apps has been tested by an educator to make sure that it will meet classroom needs. Then it's added to a category, like Math or Science or Tools, and then to a specific sub-category like Energy or Space Science or Weather. Free apps are in shaded cells, and paid apps include the price. All apps are hot-linked to a complete description of the app.
When you arrive at the list, make sure you click on Go Fullscreen on the left-hand side of the page. This will allow you to easily scroll through all of the recommendations. If you're new to Android devices, the Must-Have Apps tab can help you load up quickly with the best apps.
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Discover OER (Open Educational Resources) with the SOS-SIG
Money is tight for all school districts these days. Some districts are saving funds by using Open Educational Resources in place of costly alternatives. OER are high-quality, openly licensed, online educational materials that offer an extraordinary opportunity for people everywhere to share, use, and reuse knowledge and save money.
The SOS-SIG (Strategic Open Source Special Interest Group) is a group of educators who are extremely knowledgeable about OER. They have an online community for sharing resources, as well as a yearly meeting at convention. Dues for the group are only $20 a year, well worth the cost. So if you're looking for free educational resources, consider joining the SOS-SIG.
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Provide Free Children's Books with the ICDL iPad App
The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) brings a worldwide collection of free children's books to the iPad with its free app. The largest collection of its kind, the ICDL spans the globe with thousands of children's books from over 60 countries, in a wide assortment of beautiful languages with captivating illustrations. And there is no advertising on the app. Help your students get excited about reading with this great resource!
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Internet Trends That May Impact the Classroom
A recent report from the venture capital firm of KCPB outlined some surprising trends in Internet usage that may have an effect in the classroom. Below are a few that caught my eye:
- In 1995, there were 35 million Internet users. In 2014, there are 2.8 billion.
- There were 80 million mobile phone users in 1995, but today, there are more than 5.2 billion. That represents a 73% population penetration.
- While the impact of the Internet has been extraordinary and broad on consumers and businesses, it has had little impact on government, healthcare, and education.
- The amount of time an average adult spends each day with digital media is now 5.6 hours.
- Messaging apps are the top global apps in use today.
- Notifications on mobile devices are growing rapidly and becoming increasingly interactive.
- User-generated content is growing exponentially.
- Users are increasingly the first source for news via Twitter. In other words, they break the big news stories before other sources do.
- 12 to 24 year olds remain the Internet trendsetters.
- 87% of Millennials say "my smartphone never leaves my side." 44% of Millennials use their smartphone camera/video daily.
- Consumer drone shipments are rising rapidly, increasing 167% this year alone.
- 84% of the U. S. population has Internet access today.
What are your thoughts about these statistics? What might they forecast for trends appearing in our classrooms soon? Let's have a discussion of these important points using the hashtag #TCEAtrends.
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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TCEA WILL SAVE YOU MONEY
Members of TCEA who are using iOS devices with their students are able to save big bucks on the cost of educational apps. How? TCEA emails a daily list of iOS apps that have gone free or on sale to each interested member. There are usually 10 to 15 new free apps listed each day, saving educators a lot of money over the year.
How can you receive this list of free and sale apps? Just become a member of TCEA for $45/year. You may join any time and begin reaping the many benefits of membership, including more than 80 hours of free online professional development to help you grow, quarterly magazine with innovative articles to empower you, and much, much more. Become a member today!
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TCEA PUBLICATIONS: SHARE YOUR STORY
TCEA publications keep educators up-to-date with the news, stories, tools, and techniques you need to stay ahead of the game in this time of unprecedented technology growth. We do this by sharing original content from educators and thought leaders, success stories that highlight the amazing things happening in our schools every day, and the lesson ideas, activities, and real-world tips you need to engage students and get them excited about learning. If your team is engaging students and getting them excited about learning, let us share your story in TechNotes or TechEdge.
TechNotes As a subscriber, you know that TCEA's bi-monthly online newsletter is packed with timely information, tips and tricks, and recommended tools that can save you time and enhance learning for your students. Share your top tips or news for TechNotes by contacting Lori Gracey. You can also search the TechNotes archive for the tech hacks that will make engaging your students and managing your workload easier. You can browse the archive here. TechEdge, TCEA's quarterly magazine, shares original content from educators and thought leaders on trending topics in each themed issue. The magazine serves up new ideas, recommendations, activities, and tips you can use right away to get students engaged and excited about learning. Consider contributing your expertise to support your colleagues as they integrate technology into their teaching and learning. The newly-released editorial calendar for 2016 appears below. Contact Alexis Cline with story ideas or for more information. 2016 TechEdge Editorial Calendar
- February 2016 - BYOD (submission deadline: November 1, 2015)
- May 2016 - Students as Creators (submission deadline: March 1, 2016)
- August 2016 - Teaching Complex Thinking (submission deadline: June 1, 2016)
- November 2016 - Safety and Security (submission deadline: August 31, 2016)
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