It is very important that students in today’s classroom have the ability to use technology, a very powerful tool to further their own personal and professional life. It is our job as educators to make sure every student has the opportunity to stay current with technology. So that everyone can use technology without having to rely on someone else. This is necessary to increase communication, and open up the world to our students. We need to set rules to guide proper use of technology in our classroom and as future digital citizens. Further it is important in order to keep our nation on the cutting edge so we can stay competitive in the global economy.
• Describe some strategies you could implement at your grade levels in order to accomplish this huge task
I might just start out with the question of what citizenship means to the students and then turn the class towards a discussion of the differences between that and digital citizenship. The next thing that needs to be done is to discus and agree upon rules and guidelines that will guide the use of technology. I could use a constructivist model to discuss these guidelines by committee and make sure that the rules are put into a way that middle school age students can relate. I would make sure they are posted in the classroom for everyone to see. I would also discuss the laws regarding age restrictions and why these are important. I would also have a discussion to find out on what level my students where already using technology and who would need extra encouragement. I could pair these students with the more advanced students so that we could bridge the technology gap. Depending on the available equipment in the classroom I could either let the students play around with a few of the web 2.0 applications or give them a presentation, using some of the features on my computer. This could culminate in either individual, small group or a collaborative class project.
Barry, I am currently working on a digital citizenship lesson plan and would like to get your thoughts. Here is the link to the rough draft if you would care to take the time to look it over I would appreciate any input.
Josh --- TREMENDOUS reflection. Focusing on citizenship in general, then using the constructivist approach with Middle School kids to build a framework for technology --- awesome. And, your strategy to mix students with various tech abilities into groups is excellent!
ReplyDeleteWill look at your lesson plan and address separately.