Tool 10: Digital Citizenship

1. Three Things I would ensure my students understand about being good digital citizens:

• selecting credible sources; knowing how to conduct research and use information properly
• Communicate and collaborate with peers/teachers in a productive way
• navigating the Internet in a safe way
• respecting boundaries: plagiarism and system blocks

2.  I think I would use Atomic Learning to teach students about digital citizenship.  These videos clearly explain ideas presented and they would be easy for students to follow. 

3. Model, Model, Model.  One of the things that I appreciated on the Cool Cat Teacher blog was quote from another colleague: "We have to practice what we preach, and we have to practice it out loud."
We can not assume that our students "know" how to navigate through the web in a safe and respectful way, they have to be shown that.  Before diving into the web for anything, I would spend time showing students my thinking process and how one should navigate the web in a courteous way.

4.  Not only is it important for students to be good digital citizens, it's important for parents to know!  Letting my parents in on what their students are learning is very important.  I would like to share this through a classroom news letter and through my classroom website.  I would love to post the Atomic Learning videos on my site, therefore making them accessible for parents.

Ciao!