As the government begins its roll out of computers for every child it would be prudent to stop and consider what expectations regarding ‘online’ class behaviour we might have as teachers. We need to think about the management of computers (they are far more interesting than us for many students – imagine that!), for example how will you get students attention? Will there be key phrases you will use to signal expected actions? What will the consequence be if a student misuses one? What if they don’t bring them to class etc?
What we also need to consider is how we will teach students to be good digital citizens. Obviously much of what we teach in class now is aimed at preparing students for ‘the real world’ and while it might be done indirectly we are teaching them good ‘social behaviours’. The online world has its own set of rules and expectations – its own set of ethics – that students must be made aware of and, in a lot of cases, directly taught. Plagiarism is a prime example. We all know that ‘cut and paste’ is the answer for many students when you set them a research assignment. It is up to teachers to consider what aspects of being a good digital citizen we need to teach.
Not sure where to start? Glad you asked – http://www.digizen.org/
This site has sections for teachers, parents and kids. A search under the teachers link reveals good lesson plans that include all the handouts and resources you will need. Examples of lesson plans include Digital Values and a good one on plagiarism. It is a UK site but still highly relevent to our schools.
It will also be useful for staff who need a place to start getting a handle on what digital citizenship is all about – start by viewing the short film that explains what it is (hint – use the link for medium quality version to get it to play).
Well worth thinking about and well worth a visit.
theresourcehound 