Journal #6

Greenhow, C. (2010). A New concept of citizenship for the digital age. Learning & Leading with Technology March/April, No.6. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4516&ContentID=25564&DirectListComboInd=D

This article discusses the concept of digital citizenship in the 21st century. The author describes how this idea "is the least likely to be discussed in the educational research literature" leaving educators and administrators with little information or direction. The definition of digital citizenship has evolved as new technologies have emerged such as social networking sites and Web 2.0 tools. With these new technologies opening up a whole new debate about online behavior and privacy it has become even more critical to educate youth to "uphold standards for legal, ethical, safe, responsible, and respectful uses of technology." The issue of cyberbullying is at the forefront of discussion when talking about digital citizenship. New programs have started to educate students about this topic through simulations within Second Life.  It is critical for educators to "ensur(e) students' ability to understand and embody digital citizenship" as educational and professional networking become more prevalent in the online space.

1) Is it ethical for teachers to have jurisdiction over students for information they uncovered online in a social media setting?

The definitions of on-line citizen behavior vary based on different school systems.  It is difficult to monitor students behavior on the Internet since so much of what they do is outside of the classroom.  Most schools don't have the ability to take illegal or un-ethical on-line situations into their own hands because it is outside of their jurisdiction.  What schools do have control over is the education they provide about digital citizenship.  Teachers are encouraged to integrate Wed 2.0 technologies and social media into the curriculum so they can model appropriate digital citizenship.  The more experience students have in the classroom using these tools in a positive way, they will be less likely to abuse them at home.  This process also involves providing more definitive guidelines for teachers to navigate issues such as privacy when incorporating these technologies into the classroom.

2) How can educators help to stop cyberbullying?

Educators can help to stop cyberbullying by raising awareness to identify the characteristics.  A research study showed that when they created educational scenarios and simulations using Second Life, a 3d virtual world, it proved to be a useful tool in helping students recognize the signs of cyberbullying and how to prevent it. This also involves reinforcing the ideals of digital citizenship including "knowing how to adjust privacy settings, download music and other media files legally, post messages that are respectful to the online community, and encourage others to practice responsible online behaviors."  Promoting good digital citizenship in combination with raising awareness about the signs of cyberbullying can help to prevent students engaging in this behavior.

iMovie PSA NETS I,II,III

Using iMovie, I created a short film about CSU San Marcos. After uploading video footage, pictures and music into iMovie, I modified the clips in the event library. I added a title, text, ending credits and voiceover along with music throughout the duration of the movie using Inspector. On several slides I also added transitions and screen effects. Once the movie was complete, I exported it using Quicktime format.

Inspiration NETS I,II,III

Using the Inspiration application I created an Inspiration web about the NETS for Teachers. I listed all 5 NETS-T on the Inspiration page in it's own bubble with an appropriate graphic for each one. Each NETS has 2 artifacts that represent the standard along with the proficiency that best describes the relationship. I also included a hyperlink to the NETS-T in the main bubble. Once my Inspiration web was finished, I converted it to JPEG format so everyone can view it without having the application.

Journal #7

Technology Tool: Social Networking

Social networking is a way for groups of people with a common interest to stay in touch online.  Common social networking sites include Facebook and Myspace which allow people to develop profiles and interact with other members building an on-line community.

Discussion #1: Ning for Students
This discussion followed the positives and negatives of using Ning in the classroom.  The positive aspects Ning provides is a social site appearance where students can create their own personalized page.  They can add music, photos and even podcasts along with interacting across other Ning users.  Using this type of site in the classroom can also be a valuable tool for the teacher because it provides a platform to teach students about safety and ethics in the social networking space.  Some of the negative aspects of Ning are that it is an open system and may cause concern for safety in addition to the fact that there are ads on the site which may contain inappropriate content.  There is also a typical age requirement of 13+ and it requires an e-mail address to sign up which all students may not have.  There were some solutions listed in the thread to address these concerns such as setting the Ning to a privacy setting for a more controlled environment or opting out of the ads for free if you sign up as an educator. The discussion also mentioned some alternatives to Ning such as Moodle, Elgg and Think.com.  Each of these sites had their own positives and negatives such as user friendliness and cost.  From what I gathered, teachers prefer a system that is more closed such as Moodle, while the students prefer Ning due to it's user friendly interface and ability to use it outside of the classroom as a social networking tool.

Discussion #2  How do you use blogs, wikis, etc., in your postsecondary setting?
This discussion talked about the benefits of using a blog and/or wiki in the classroom.  Teachers found these tools helpful in, "seeing a more personal side" of their students along with the ability to provide prompt feedback.  Wikis are a great course management tool that allow teachers to organize their class content in one place with a home page for each class that can be accessed on the sidebar.  Teachers also found these tools helpful to stay in the "loop" on what their students are writing about to tailor the lessons to better fit their needs. The discussion mentioned that it is helpful to have an RSS such as Bloglines or Google Reader to feed all updates from the student blogs/wikis into one place. Some of the obstacles teachers came across were a few technical issues with having students post on the blog, some may take time to get accustom to the process.  Students did find blogs helpful in reflecting on class content and having the ability to read other classmates posts for reassurance.

Excel Crossword Puzzle NETS I,II

Excel Crossword Puzzle


Using excel I created a crossword puzzle. I first learned about how to do this by watching an instructional video through Atomic Learning. After watching the video, I created my own excel crossword puzzle by formatting various cells including adding comments, color and changing font. I then added the crossword clues on the second page of the spreadsheet.

NETS-S PowerPoint Presentation NETS I,II,III

Using PowerPoint I created a slideshow about The NETS for Students grade levels 9-12. Each slide included a title pertaining to the performance indicator being addressed along with a hyperlink. In the content of the slides, I proposed an activity that can be done with the students that addresses the specific NETS indicator. Throughout the presentation I also included images, animation and transitions.

NETS-S PowerPoint Rubric II,III

I signed up and used the website Rcampus to create a grading rubric for the PowerPoint presentation assignment. The content of the rubric includes the lesson objective, a set of observable, measurable criteria, 3 different levels of success, and examples for each criteria. I then used the rubric to actually grade my peers assignments.