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Digital Citizenship

 

 

The following is my digital

citizenship unit plan. It is

intended for grades 6-9, but is

likely more appropriate for

grades 8-9. 

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Here is a concept map that also

displays some of the methods

utilized to address the indicated

concepts for my unit. The

image is clickable for a clearer

view. 

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Part 1- Digital Citizenship Tutorials

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The first part of this project consists

of teachers/parents setting up and

implementing an online series of

lessons that will ensure students

understand the basics of digital

citizenship. 

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Step 1 is for teachers to go to https://platform.everfi.net/login#m01-connections-and-community/impacting-others/p01 and register for a free account.

There are a number of online courses, but the new Ignite program is the most applicable for the purpose indicated. Name the class, indicate the class size, start date, and grade level, which is geared for students from grades 6-9. Select the course (Ignite) and then create the class. You will then receive a registration code in order for students to join your class. Once the code is shared, students have to go to https://platform.everfi.net/new_registration? to create their accounts. The only personal information they have to share is their birthday and grade. 

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After registering, students work through a total of six 

lessons that are approximately 20-25 minutes each. 

Here  is a screen recording of me working through the

first lesson to give you an idea of what they are like. 

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If you have created a class, there is downloadable content. I will highlight some of the more useful content, but once you create a class, I highly recommend that you check out the content by going to https://platform.everfi.net/teacher/courses and clicking on the resources link. 

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The first document that I'll highlight is the curriculum guide. As

expected, it provides an overview of each lesson, lesson objectives, and

ISTE standards alignment.

 

 

Next is the pre and post-lesson assessment. The questions

are identical to those that students have to answer within

the lessons; however, if they are provided pre-lesson, they

may serve as a catalyst for interesting class discussion. 

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There are lesson plans, which correspond to each

online lesson. They are quite comprehensive and feature a

number of suggested activities to complete with students. Although

the online component is 20-25 minutes per lesson, if a teacher chooses

to implement a number of the suggested activities, the required time

per lesson would be much longer.   

 

Here you can view the lesson plan for the first tutorial. The outlines

also indicate the terminology that will be covered in each lesson. 

For example, the first lesson entitled "Connections and Community", 

covers social comparison, emotional contagion, “alt” accounts, and

cyberbullying.  

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Last, there is a digital tips document that can be provided

to students. The content of the tutorials is reiterated by this

handout, which can serve as a helpful reminder of many of

the fundamentals of digital citizenship. 

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The lesson objectives for both the tutorials in part 1 and the corresponding group project in

part 2 can be viewed in the Ignition lesson plans for each  tutorial. 

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However, as there are 6 lessons and 5 group projects, the objectives correspond as follows:

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Lesson 1: Group project 1

Lesson 2: Group project 2

Lesson 3: Group project 1

Lesson 4: Group project 3

Lesson 5: Group project 4

Lesson 6: Group project 5

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The teacher's account allows one to view student progress, change passwords, etc. 

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Part 2- Collaborative, Creative Projects

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In terms of how the the teacher executes the following, I will leave it fairly open-ended in order to allow for freedom of choice that suits the educator's style and level of comfort. One method may be to execute this within one's own class or team up with another class within the building. Another option may be to collaborate with another class in another school, division, province, or country. The key terms that each group addresses are aligned with the tutorials in part 1. 

 

In terms of the formulation of groups, one method that I have used that seems to be effective is Peter Liljedahl's idea of visible random grouping (2015). The method involves greeting students at the door with a deck of cards. They randomly choose a card that determines their group. This could be done virtually or in person. It results in students feeling more empowered as they chose the card. They also know that the teacher did not organize the groups with any hidden agenda in mind. 

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Group 1

Key terms- Cyberbullying, social comparison, emotional contagion, positive and negative aspects of online communities

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  • Show/summarize the videos and explain the significance of the videos and apply the key terms to them. Present them to the class digitally​.

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  • Create an original scenario/video/skit that exemplifies the key terms. The digital product can be presented using a variety of digital media. Options include making a YouTube video, a Prezi, Google Slides, or any other means.

 

Group 2

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Key terms- Phishing, malware, identity theft, “alt” accounts

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  • Show/summarize the videos and article and explain the significance of the videos and apply the key terms to them. Present them to the class digitally​.

  • Create an original scenario/video/skit that exemplifies the key terms. The scenario can be presented using a variety of digital media. Options include making a YouTube video, a Prezi, Google Slides, or any other means.

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Group 3

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Key terms- Malware, privacy settings, terms of use

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Read the following article related to

the Zoom video conferencing app 

and watch the videos. 

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  • Show/summarize the video and article and explain the significance of the videos and apply the key terms to them. Present them to the class digitally​

 

  • Create an original scenario/video/skit that exemplifies the key terms. The digital product can be presented using a variety of digital media. Options include making a YouTube video, a Prezi, Google Slides, or any other means.

 

Group 4

 

Key terms- Freedom of expression, freedom of association

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Watch the following video regarding freedom of

association. Afterwards, read the following article and

watch the embedded video regarding: Should people

lose their jobs for expressing their opinions? Social media

expert weighs in

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  • Show/summarize the videos and article. Explain the significance of the videos and apply the key terms to them. Present them to the class digitally​.

  • Create an original scenario/video/skit that exemplifies the key terms. The digital product can be presented using a variety of digital media. Options include making a YouTube video, a Prezi, Google Slides, or any other means.

 

Group 5

 

Key terms- Curated content, sponsored content vs. accurate search results, bias

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  • Watch the following:

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  • Show/summarize the videos and explain the significance of the videos and apply the key terms to them. Present them to the class digitally​.

 

  • Create an original scenario/video/skit that exemplifies the key terms. The digital product can be presented using a variety of digital media. Options include making a YouTube video, a Prezi, Google Slides, or any other means.

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Assessment

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In terms of assessment, district policy disallows me from assigning

individual grades for group work. Pedagogically, I also disagree with 

that practice. As such, here is a rubric that teachers and students can

utilize to assess how the groups accomplished their goals through

communication and collaboration. 

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References

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Amnesty International [Rights1x]. (2015, Nov. 25). Freedom of Association [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/zjv4tHNBi3k

 

Brown, D. (2014, June 5). How to choose your news [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Y-z6HmRgI&feature=youtu.be

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Busfield, S. (2013, September 19). Chris 'Birdman' Andersen victim of internet catfish scheme. Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/sep/19/chris-birdman-andersen-catfish-hoax

 

Centerline Digital. (2015, May 11) What is Content Curation? [Video]. YouTube.

https://youtu.be/8Qzgj7Mk8As

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Culhane, L. (2016, Feb. 8). Cyber Bullying : Create No Hate [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/MV5v0m6pEMs

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Gunpowder & Sky. (2016, August 30). We The Voters - Mediaocracy [Video]. Vimeohttps://vimeo.com/180771524

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Infographics Show. (2019, Jan. 25). The Most Horrific Case Of Identity Theft [Video]. YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ40tAm8cTE

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Kreutz, L. (2018, April 6). Should people lose their jobs for expressing their opinions? Social media expert weighs in. Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/should-people-lose-their-jobs-for-expressing-their-opinions-social-media-expert-weighs-in/103-535806845

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Liljedahl, P. (2015). Building Thinking Classrooms: Conditions for Problem-Solving. Retrieved from http://peterliljedahl.com/wp-content/uploads/Building-Thinking-Classrooms-Feb-14-20151.pdf

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Paul, K. (2020, April 2). 'Zoom is malware': why experts worry about the video conferencing platform. Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/02/zoom-technology-security-coronavirus-video-conferencing

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Psych2Go. (2017, June 30). Social Media Anxiety [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw9phrtO-C8&feature=youtu.be

 

The Verge. (2018, June 25). How to read privacy policies like a lawyer [Video]YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZkY3MLBGh8&feature=youtu.be

 

Today. (2020, March 11). Beware Coronavirus Scams: What To Watch Out For [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcIAj6oZQCM&feature=youtu.be

 

War of Thought. (2016, Nov. 30). Stop Comparing Yourself to others on Social Media [Video]. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPThNmxF7JY&feature=youtu.be

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