Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship
As a teacher the number one priority is keeping children safe. Weather that is on the playground, in the classroom or online student safety come first. Technology has allowed us to expand education beyond our walls and expose students to places, things and opportunities they would not be able to experience if it did not exist. However, it also adds additional security threat to students that teachers must be aware of and address.
Before introducing technology in the classroom, teachers need to be aware of safety measures that can be taken to protect students. The first strategy for teachers to keep students safe on the internet is, Research. Teachers should become familiar with the websites they would like to use and determine if these sites are safe for students by checking to see if they have a privacy policy. Another quick check is looking to see if the uniform resource locator (URL) includes an “s” after the http. Finally if you are not sure if a site is safe and protects the privacy of your students contact the tech expert at your school (YOUTUBE).
There are several games that are geared towards engaging students in a game while learning about digital literacy and internet safety. NetSmartzKids is a website dedicated to helping students learn internet safety while doing one of their favorite things, playing game. This site is geared toward k-5 students and most games have an easy and difficult level. Another game that is well done by AT&T and is called Safety Land. Safety Land is a little more advanced and requires 2nd grade or higher reading skills.
Global Collaboration Projects (GCPs)
With tools like Google Earth students have the ability to become more globally aware. This is especially true for students from low SES backgrounds who do not have as many opportunities to see the world outside of their own state and sometimes city. Google Earth and other tools allow the gap of student exposure to be bridged. The internet has also given us the opportunity to develop cultural awareness. Creative teachers and developers have designed programs and lessons that allow students to collaborate with student from around the globe. Lessons like the Amazing Race Project and This is My Country, encourage students to connect with other students around the world. The Amazing Race Project allows students to collaborate with others by visiting pit stops which leads visitors to presentations of a country or city. After viewing the presentation student can take a quiz through Quizlet and produce data for presenters. The project also invites students and teachers to share highlights on the project padlet and Tweet about your travels through Twitter using their hashtag #globaled16.
References
Clement, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from Global students-global perspectives: https://sites.google.com/a/mytools2go.ca/globalstudentsglobalperspectives/amazing-race---global-project
Educators Technology. (2013, October 26). Retrieved from Educational technology and mobil learning: https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/10/5-excellent-videos-to-teach-your.html
Hertz, M. B. (2017, September 28). How to teach internet safety to younger elementary students. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from eduTopia: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/internet-safety-younger-elementary-mary-beth-hertz
Internet safety for children bingo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://binged.it/2PiOsHi
Spencer, J. (2016, September 30). John Spencer . Retrieved April 8, 2019, from 10 Tips for global collaboration projects: http://www.spencerauthor.com/10-tips-for-global-collaboration-projects/