Learning and Leading - March/April 2010

The toughest waters often come at the beginning of this digital citizenship journey. Our biggest opposition and hardest questions came before the implementation.

same as using a social network to connect with friends and family.

We stress to our students and to the participants in our Flat Classroom projects that an educational network is a professional group of people coming together for the purpose of sharing experiences in a focused and monitored environment (see “Flat Classroom Projects” on page 13). All students and teachers should conduct themselves in a professional and culturally sensitive manner. This includes the types of avatars they choose, the styles of language they use, and the quality of material they upload.

Sometimes participants slip into a social-network mode of communicating. They may use textspeak or even inappropriate language, or they might upload pictures that are not acceptable in all global classrooms. This is where teachers must monitor in an engaged manner.

It is not enough to open the gate and let the sheep out to wander aimlessly. The role of the teacher is to gather, lead by example, and make sure students don’t cross the line. When misunderstandings happen, teachers must coach students about responsibility and sensitivity.

Have a plan. In Flat Classroom projects, teachers strictly moderate all online collaborative and networking sites for membership and content. When students step over the line, all teachers understand the process to deal with it.

The person who discovers the of-
fensive material makes a screenshot
of the item, such as a picture or com-
ment, shares it with the student’s
classroom teacher, and reports it to
space administrators, who remove it.
The classroom teacher decides the ap-
propriate action, which may include
asking the student to apologize to the
educational network or, in some cases,
suspending or even banning the stu-
dent from the network.

Overcoming the fear factor. Testing the waters of digital citizenship can be turbulent—not unlike a rafting trip one of us took last summer with a group of kids, including two beginners, on a North Carolina river. Although the river has mostly Class 1 and Class 2 rapids (which are easier to navigate), the Class 3 rapids were right at the beginning. The two inexperienced students hit the first white-water and began to scream. As they yelled, they could not hear the guide coaching them about what to do, and they threw their paddles up in the air. Without paddles, their raft turned sideways and dumped them into the frigid water. They were pulled out five minutes later cursing and swearing that they’d never raft again.

We use this analogy to illustrate that the toughest waters often come at the beginning of this digital citizenship journey. Our biggest opposition and hardest questions came before the implementation. Sure, there are still rapids we must navigate, but we are more proficient now.

When you start out, realize that
you are not alone. Others have navi-
gated the waters of connecting their
classrooms and immersing their stu-
dents in authentic digital citizenship
experiences. Learn from them. They
can show you the way to go and alert
you to the pitfalls. You might just find
that it is an enjoyable experience.

Dealing with objections. Is “Internet safety” an oxymoron? How about “traffic safety” or “hunter’s safety”? Life is full of risk, which is why most new drivers are expected to take a driver education course. Unsafe drivers cause accidents, whereas educated drivers make the roads safer. Likewise, educating students makes the Internet a safer place.

When should we begin educating students? As soon as they start using digital tools for communication, collaboration, and creation through connections online or offline. A kindergartener can use Skype in the classroom and learn about virtual communications. A 6-year-old can create a Voice Thread project and collaborate globally using images and sound. A 9-year-old can create a digital portfolio and invite peers globally to respond via the discussion tab. Digital citizenship awareness can begin as soon as tiny fingers tap the keys.