Monday, September 08, 2008

Being a good digital citizen

I am in Melbourne at the moment participating in a two day induction program with 20 other teacher participants. We have all been selected to do a range of projects around web2.0 Collaborative learning and research. The streams of interest are around social networking or streaming media. How exciting it is to be at the cutting edge. A day of listening to what others are planning is a great way to get the juices flowing.
I want to explore the responsibilities of young people when they interact with technology. I want my students to explore how they can make a difference to themselves and others by learning more and by teaching others. I also want them to interact with other students to hopefully recognise what it is that they all have in common regarding their use of technology.
Our Grade 5/6 students at Wedderburn have recently joined up with SuperclubPlus which provides very clear guidelines and expectations for students when they are online. They receive immediate feedback if they break the rules.
In planning for this project I have been emailing Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay who have already been working in this area with their students. Julie and Vicki have established a Digiteen ning and a Digiteen wiki . Their ideas and the online resources that they have created are a source of amazing ideas and thinking. I have also come across this wiki created by many like minded teachers who are committed to educating and empowering students who use the internet rather than sticking our heads in the sand, blocking sites and jumping on the alarmist bandwagon that so often follows these issues. Let's empower our students and be proactive in educating our students and their parents how to be good digital citizens. Can't wait to get started.