Digital Footprint

Common Sense Media has some great resources for teaching digital citizenship.  My daughter is in middle school.  I often look at the feeds belonging to her social media accounts to make sure she is posting appropriately, but also to see what her peers are posting.  It amazes me some of the poor decisions the middle school kids make when they post.  So, I spent this week focused on digital footprints. 

Here is a basic outline of the week:
Intro Video (kids loved that it said BUTTS!)

Common Sense Media Trillion Dollar Footprint Lesson-  The kids were very engaged when discussing the digital footprint of the two candidates.  They really picked up on the flaws in their profiles and posts, and were torn about who to pick. Several said they wouldn't pick either (which is the final decision of the producers.)  The only thing I would do differently next time--- I would show them the candidates letters first, without the other items, and have them make a preliminary decision about who they would pick based on those letters. Then, I'd show them the social media information that the private investigator found, and would see how that information would change their decision.  I think this would make a bigger impression on how important your digital footprint is to you in many areas of your life.

After discussing and sharing their decision about who would be the host, I had the kids use Microsoft Word to create a footprint using inserted shapes.  Then, they added words to their footprint telling what they wanted their digital footprint to look like in 10-15 years (see example below).  I encouraged them to dream big.  They did a great job with the activity.



I wrapped up the lesson with parts of this video talking about their digital dossier.  (Because of time constraints, we watched 2:00-3:45, and 4:50 to the end).  I think the impact here was that their footprint is created by more than just themselves and has been growing since before they were born!

Again, I'm sure there will still be some kids not making good posting choices, but I figure if I made an impact on at least a few then the lesson was a success!

So, whew!, I've made it through another week. One of my biggest challenges is finding meaningful technology lessons that I can tie to our curriculum.  I wonder... what is your favorite resource for finding technology lessons?

Skype in the Classroom

Skype in the Classroom

Last year, I discovered Skype in the Classroom. (What an AWESOME experience!) Recently our 2nd graders read a story about an astronaut's day in space. We skyped with the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and it was a fabulous experience. The leader of the skype talked on the kids level and showed them the Intrepid ship, models of the space modules, and the model of the  Space Shuttle Enterprise.  It was great and really held our 2nd graders' attention!   Last year, we skyped with the Turtle Hospital and with a shark expert. Both of those trips were equally as amazing!  I still have yet to try a mystery skype (I haven't seen one in person so am a little uncomfortable with the unknown!), but have read that those are also great experiences.  Any suggestions to making a mystery skype successful would be appreciated!

Google Classroom Success

Google Classroom... go!  One thing our local high school asked us to focus on with our 8th graders was using an online classroom platform.  So, I spent a bunch of time this summer learning the ins and outs of Google Classroom (and even became a Google certified Educator!).  However, just like learning to be a teacher in college, nothing prepares you for actually using it until you actually use it! Overall, we were successful in logging in, changing passwords, and using Classroom.  I kept it simple this week: started with a question, had them complete a google form that told me their thoughts on computer use, and used a few shared documents to make them think about social media posting.

I found a great video by Josh Shipp about Internet Safety for Teens.  I played that for the kids, then had them answer a few questions about the video before turning it in.  (Are you guilty of oversharing?  What surprised you from the video? What would be an example of something your grandma wouldn't approve of you posting?)   Their reactions were honest, and they thought he was funny.  The next day, I had them write fake social media posts that were "rule breakers". For example, what might someone who is sharing TMI say?, what would a bragging post look like?, what would a complaining post look like?  I'd love to be able to follow the kids on social media to see if it makes an impact, but I'm not interested in being "friends" with students. I guess I just have to hope that I've at least made them think before they post!