Digital Citizenship at School
FCPS Shared Responsibility Model
All students need digital citizenship skills to participate fully in their communities and make smart choices online and in life. Digital Citizenship Week is a time to refocus on what you can do to support children in developing these skills.
Consider the following:
- What do the parents of your students need from you to feel confident and positive about their children’s use of technology at school?
- How can you involve students in collaboratively creating a positive culture for online learning that is safe, respectful, and meaningful?
- How does technology use at school provide authentic opportunities for students to learn about and demonstrate positive digital citizenship?
Healthy Habits for Technology Use at School
How are you helping your students cultivate healthy habits for technology use in your classroom?
- Planning for ACTIVE use of technology for creation,communication, and collaboration provides opportunities for students to develop Portrait of a Graduate attributes both on- and offline.
- When using technology, teach students healthy habits for technology use by taking routine breaks to stretch,blink and move. Commit to working wellness breaks into your daily classroom instruction. For every 15-20 minutes of technology use, have students take a moment to scan their bodies and take breaks accordingly.
- Ensure students have both face to face collaboration and online collaboration to practice social skills in both environments.
Using Media to Build Character at School
Our students are facing a future full of big problems to solve. Empathy, ethics and a sense of civic responsibility is more important than ever. Digital tools, books, movies, information, and apps - while not the answer to inspiring empathy and ethics - can help students gain another perspective, collaborate with others, and design solutions to meet the needs of today’s world.
Are we speaking the same language?
When school staff and parents speak the same language, it makes a strong impression on kids. Here’s a simple strategy that both parents and school staff can use to help students think through their actions online and consider the impact on themselves, others, and your family or school.
View it:
The Spectrum Strategy
Try it:
The next time your child or student is facing a digital dilemma and doesn’t know what to do or has undesirable behavior in relation to their online activity, give the Spectrum Strategy a try.
Reflect:
How did using this strategy change how this conversation might have gone?
How does this strategy honor the complexity of choices children face and how did it support the child's thinking?
Handling Haters, Trolls and Cyberbullies
Have you ever heard kids say “I don’t want to be a snitch?” You might also know children who go straight to an adult to resolve their conflicts with peers instead of problem solving for themselves. Others stay silent and fearful when being treated in an unkind way.
How can adults support children in knowing when digital drama rises to a level that should be reported?
These resources and strategies can help students understand how online haters, trolls and cyberbullies might be impacting them and provides action steps for students to take accordingly.
Check out these video links to learn more.