Things to do.....model and promote digital citizenship and responsibility....check!

Being a good citizen, both in real time and digitally,  is one area where teachers are being asked to be role models and leaders for students. In many cases, educators need to learn what it means to be a digital citizen and to be digitally literate so that we can pass that information onto the students we work with. This week we were asked to do just that....learn it and then show what we know and how we will teach it. It is challenging to pick ONE area to focus on, but we are lucky that we work in a community of collaborative educators, so what we could not or did not pick, was picked by someone else and can be shared. 

The International Society for Technology in Education has developed standards for teachers to use in this digital age (ISTE - Standards for Teachers). One of those standards asks us to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility.

Standard 4.a requires that we model and teach ethical use of digital information. I would like to help my teachers with this important standard by creating a presentation, or finding ready to use resources that they can use with students about documenting sources found on the internet. 

Standard 4.b asks that we address the needs of all learners. Some of the educators that I work with are reluctant users of technology. My goal is to mentor two such teachers and model one way that even limited technology can be easily used to address technology teaching in their rooms.

Standard 4.c implores us to promote and use digital etiquette and responsibility in our own use of technology and information. I would like to share my blog with several educators and post an etiquette strategy or "nugget" they can use with their classes weekly. 

Standard 4.d encourages us to collaborate and become more globally aware. I know that many districts have people in my position. I would like to find a "coach" from another area and become "pen pals" as a way to share information and ideas. 

I really like that these standards exist and that we can find ways to use them!