Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Digital Citizenship -- Digital Health and Wellness

This post builds on the ideas shared in the article "Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship".

Theme 8 of 9 is about digital health and wellness. Anyone who uses technology on a regular basis needs to be aware that there are both physical and psychological risks that come with technology use.

Physical risks can include things like eye strain, neck, back, and shoulder pain, and repetitive use injury. Click here to read an article that talks about some of the physical injuries kids experience as a result of tech use. And then here's another article that outlines some really odd injuries you could sustain while using technology! But, just like there are risks associated with anything we do but we do those activities anyway, we continue to use technology -- it would be unrealistic to just stop! What can we do to minimize physical risks for our students?

  • Talk with kids about ergonomics -- explain to them and model for them how to sit in a chair while using a computer, how to position their hands, how to hold devices like an iPad or a mouse, and keep the screens far enough away from their faces.
  • Limit screen time in class to only that which is required to complete school work.
  • Give kids the opportunity to get up, walk around, look away from their screens, stretch their necks, backs, shoulders, or hands when having to work on an extended task on a computer.
  • Listen carefully for noise emanating from kids' headphones while they are listening to something on their computer, and ask kids to turn volume down and remove headphones when someone is talking.
  • Make sure kids have their devices closed when walking; looking at a screen while walking can lead to trips and falls or running into things like walls or other people -- not to mention potential damage to their Chromebooks!
  • Encourage students to dim their screens enough to reduce glare or over-exposure but not too low that they can't see their screen easily.
In addition to physical risks, there are psychological risks as well. There are some people who find themselves "addicted" to technology, finding themselves compulsively checking their tech devices, even when they shouldn't be (in class when they are not supposed to be using their devices) or when it could be dangerous (walking in the hallway). And technology can also be used for nefarious purposes, like sexting, identity theft, and cyberbullying, making victims of these online issues feel alone, scared, isolated, angry, depressed -- almost any negative emotion you can think of. Check out this article that discusses some ways that social media use can have a negative impact on mental health. What can we do for our students to help them stay mentally well in the digital age?
  • Be sure kids understand the emotional impact things like cyberbullying and online harassment can take on the victims. Helping kids develop empathy can go a long way!
  • Use teachable moments as they arise, being mindful of the age of your students. When stories come up in the news or in discussion during class, use them as a springboard for discussion (What can you do if you know someone is being bullied online? What kinds of information should you not share online to keep your identity from being stolen? How would you feel if someone posted an embarrassing picture of you online?).
  • Watch for the classic signs of trouble -- withdrawing socially, not wanting to be at school, being emotional or sensitive.
Having technology at kids' fingertips can make learning fun, engaging, and personally meaningful. But there is a possibility of too much of a good thing. Helping our students be aware of risks and helping them minimize risks when using technology is all just part of a day's work!

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Digital Citizenship -- Digital Rights and Responsibilities

This post builds on the ideas shared in the article "Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship".

Topic 7 of 9 focuses on digital rights and responsibilities. Just as citizens of our country, we have certain rights guaranteed to us, we also have some rights guaranteed to us online as well. We have a right to freedom of expression, privacy, etc. online as well as in our non-digital lives. And just like in real life, those rights also come with responsibilities to ourselves and others.

It's important for students to understand that yes, they do have rights online, but they need to also understand that exercising those rights can be tricky.

First of all, every service or site students use is governed by terms of service. Probably, most students (and adults, too, for that matter) don't bother reading the TOS when they sign up for Twitter or download Instagram or Snapchat on their phones. The problem with that is now they are not sure if they ever violate those TOS. For instance, cyberbullying or other kinds of electronic harassment is going to be a violation of the TOS. As teachers, we can help students understand the value in reviewing the TOS before using a site or a service. You could analyze, as a class, the TOS for something like iTunes or Snapchat or even Netflix and discuss with kids what some of those rules mean. I used to do this with the iTunes TOS when I taught computers and kids were always shocked to discover how many ways they were violating the rules :-)

Also, it is important to realize that the freedom kids have online does not exempt them from consequences. That is one of the topics Officer Lazzari and I try to cover with kids at the junior high in tech safety lessons, that sometimes they things you say and do online are appropriate, sometimes they're just being mean or rude, and sometimes they're illegal.

This also ties into the concept of the kids' digital footprint. Kids can make themselves look however they want to online. They can control their online reputation. Their posts on social media can and do have very real consequences -- students have lost college admission and scholarships, and adults have lost jobs and job offers because they were irresponsible online.

We can help kids understand all this by continuing to guide them in their online behaviors and interactions. When having kids send emails, take some time to teach them email etiquette. When collaborating on work, encourage kids to offer constructive feedback to their peers; maybe even model what constructive and unhelpful feedback looks like. When stories come up in current events, use them as teachable moments (obviously keeping things age appropriate); ask kids what would have been a better way to handle this or what was the problem with what the person did.

Essentially, all the etiquette we use to interact with our fellow humans in person are also in effect online. One of the most simple yet straightforward way to help kids understand this is to ask them, "What you are about to do or say online, would you also do or say that in person in front of your friends, family, teachers?" If it's not something they would do in person, they shouldn't do it online.

Need help coming up with ways to make digital rights and responsibilities clear? Reach out -- I;d love to come up with ideas for your kids!

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Digital Citizenship -- Digital Law

This post builds on the ideas shared in the article "Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship".

This week's topic, digital law, seems pretty obvious on the surface. Digital law deals with unethical use of technology, including things like

  • Hacking into others' accounts or information
  • Accessing other people's accounts or files without their consent
  • Illegal downloading of files (music, movies, images, etc.)
  • Plagiarism
  • Creating or disseminating destructive programs (worms, viruses, Trojan horses, etc.)
  • Sending spam messages
  • Identity theft


These are all things that you likely know are illegal, and the kids probably do, too. They might not realize that things like plagiarism are also legal issues, though, so it is worth discussing these topics with kids so they understand what digital law entails.

What is not so clear with digital law, though, are questions like
  • When does cyberbullying become a crime?
  • When does free expression online become a crime?
  • When does sharing images or information online become a crime?
One way to help students understand aspects of digital law is to involve the experts: the local police. Technology safety lessons in grades 5 - 8 cover topics such as sexting, cyberbullying, and digital footprint and the legal aspects of those topics. When those lessons are taught. our school resource officer helps present the lessons by bringing in copies of laws to share with students as well as share what he has learned on the job that can helpful for kids to make good digital decisions.



One of my favorite go-to cyberbullying resources is the Cyberbullying Resource Center. Their website contains
  • Current research on cyberbullying
  • A database of laws related to cyberbullying by state
  • Blog posts with discussions of timely topics related to cyberbullying and technology safety  (like this one on Sarahah, which exploded in popularity tight at the start of this school year)
  • Resources for teachers, students, parents, and communities
In addition, other technology safety websites offer resources that address different digital law topics for different age groups, including
Feel free to browse these resources to find timely lessons to reinforce what you are already doing in your class with your kids. And as always, let me know if I can come in and help you with this or if I can assist with lessons, too!

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Digital Citizenship -- Digital Etiquette

This post builds on the ideas shared in the article "Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship".

Today's topic is number 5 of 9 -- digital etiquette, sometimes referred to as "netiquette". Digital etiquette is exactly what it sounds like -- proper conduct when using digital tools. In fact, when people think of digital citizenship, etiquette tends to be the first thing they think of. Sometimes digital etiquette is thought of as a list of "don'ts":
  • Don't share personal information online.
  • Don't talk to strangers online.
  • Don't meet someone in person that you've only previously met online.
  • Don't share passwords.
  • Don't use inappropriate language.
  • Don't be a cyberbully.
Often, those "don'ts" are shared after an incident has occurred. It might be better to start with a list of "do's" as soon as kids start to use digital tools -- which can be pretty young!
  • Keep personally identifiable information to yourself online.
  • Only interact with people you know personally.
  • Keep passwords confidential.
  • Interact with people respectfully.
A common knee-jerk reaction to an incident of improper digital etiquette is to ban the use of the technology -- take away the phone or computer, stop someone from using an account, or close/deactivate an account. Sometimes, these kinds of punishments are necessary, ultimately, what should be done is use the incident as a teachable moment by reinforcing the learning about digital etiquette -- help the child understand what he or she did wrong and what the proper way to behave actually is.

One easy way to reinforce digital etiquette in the classroom is to give kids the opportunity to use digital tools and remind them of the expected behavior before and during use. There are also plenty of online resources. A simple Google search of "digital etiquette lessons" will return many results, including some from familiar resources:

If you're interested in planning any digital etiquette lessons for your students, let me know if you want any help! I can help you find resources, develop lessons, even come facilitate lessons with you!