Participate 4.1.1 Digital Rights and Responsibilities Quest

Digital Rights & Responsibilities

As Uncle Ben from the Spiderman series states, "With great power comes great responsibility."

I believe this quote to be true for our Digital Rights & Responsibilities in today's world.

Creating a positive and productive digital learning community can be a daunting task, but even more daunting can be keeping it a safe and positive place for learners to interact. Having clear rights and responsibilities are crucial to the long term success and balance of a digital learning community. I see a definite trend of educating and guiding instead of just banning sites and limiting access, unless absolutely necessary.

The following are crucial to the long term growth and success of a digital learning community:

• Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

An Acceptable Use Policy is defined as:  "a written agreement, signed by students, their parents, and teachers, outlining the terms and conditions of Internet use. It specifically sets out acceptable uses, rules of on-line behavior, and access privileges. Also covered are penalties for violations of the policy, including security violations and vandalism of the system. Anyone using a school's Internet connection should be required to sign an AUP, and know that it will be kept on file as a legal, binding document." (Classroom Connect, December 1994-January, 1995 issue). 

The AUP should:

• provide a definition for the public at large to access
• clear & concise
• internet use outlined - detailing for specific age groups or environments what is allowed/not allowed
• written with the input of all stakeholders/participants
• shared responsibility
• limits of any liability for the host
• importance of safety & privacy
• consequences of violation
• required signatures from all participants

• Copyright Laws& Fair Use - a responsible digital learner must have an understanding and awareness of copyright laws and be vigilant in ensuring that these laws are not broken when researching or using the work of others. 

Participate 3.1.2 Digital Resources and Netiquette Quest

Digital Do's & Dont's - Netiquette Musts...

Digital citizens come in all ages, backgrounds, shapes, and sizes. These users many times have varied reasons and needs for digital learning, however some things remain constant. Courtesy and respect are the foundation of digital citizenship.

A responsible digital citizen in the school environment must adhere to the following code of behavior

Click HERE for my list of Do's & Dont's

From edtechreview.com

Participate 3.1.1 Access to the Digital Community Quest

Access to the Digital Learning Community - Resources & Barriers

From personal experience with my students and their families, I have seen over the years the disparity between individual students and their ability to access technology while at home. As an educator, I want my students using technology as a tool to remediate, to extend, and in general to support learning. However, my students are not able to always have this opportunity outside of school hours. The barriers that prevent this primarily are either geography or socio-economic status. While most of my students do have personal cell phones, access to an actual computer is limited in many homes. In some cases, I see parents who make the active choice to not allow their children to access the internet - out of fear of exposure to potential negative posts/images, etc... Less likely, but still an issue, are access issues due to disability. While this does still occur, in my experience this is rare due to the amazing opportunities that are now available for students with either visual,hearing, or motor skill disabilities. 

I personally feel so fortunate that I do live and work in an area where appropriate access is readily available - it is amazing the ways in which I am able to harness digital resources in order to be more productive in my job as a school counselor. By having this opportunity, I am able to work more efficiently which only help the teachers, students, and parents with whom I support. Furthermore, our local public library is a great access point, and the high school in which I work has technology readily available in EVERY academic classroom. When looking at ranking on the broadbandmap.gov site, Gwinnett County (where I reside and work) ranks #2 in the state with 100% access.

As we look at ways to eliminate barriers, I think we have to continue communicating and acting in the following ways:

• Educating parents/students on the positive benefits of incorporating technology with learning
• Providing affordable internet options for those families who struggle financially.
• Advertising the when/where/how of how students can have access to digital resources if these are not readily available in the home

Participate 2.1.1 Collecting Reputable Digital Resources Quest

Collecting Reputable Digital Resources:

I do strongly believe that the benefits far outweigh the consequences of using digital resources as an integral part of our teaching and learning. In our current era, it is crucial, however, that as educators were are vigilant as we work with students to ensure that the exposure and level of access remains in the acceptable range with reliable resources to the best of our ability. Our young people literally have the world at their fingertips! I know that I am constantly learning new ways to reach my students with the use of digital resources.

• What were the three most useful tools or resources resulting from the web walkabout? 
• Wikiversity (https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page):  I love that this site has a variety of timely options/posts to grab the attention of students as they may be visiting this site for a variety of needs/reasons
• Open Education Consortium ( http://www.oeconsortium.org/about-oec/) I am attracted to the variety of resources here that are open and free to all.
• Cengage Learning (http://www.cengage.com/us/) This seems to be a great resource to help students supplement and support their learning!
• How can students be taught to safely collect tools and resources that can help them maximize their learning? 
• Informed about what negative viruses, etc... can be on their devices if appropriate steps are not taken - this is no different than teaching our students to care for their school supplies or personal property
• Informed of what the acceptable sites/resources are - we must make sure as educators that we are structuring our lessons and expectations in a fashion so that students are clear on how to access appropriate resources - this does not necessarily come natural to our students
• Informed (even though this is very difficult in my experience for students to grasp) about the potential negative impact of posts/shares/etc... that are always then accessible by future colleges, jobs, etc... In other words, things don't just "go away" and potential employers, coaches, or college admissions counselors do care!
• What policies or procedures might need to be in place to make this possible?
• Pro-active structure on the part of the school to block or limit specific websites/resources that students may be able to use/access in a negative way
• Pro-active steps by teachers to ensure that we are first vetting any potential resource/website that we will be asking students to potentially access in their learning

Participate 1.1.3 Ideal Digital Learning Community Quest

If I were to imagine an ideal digital learning community it....

• is a closed group that is monitored for membership
• is easy to find/access/navigate once you are a member from a variety of devices
• is composed of like-minded individuals who are focused on a similar goal/path/interest area
• is positive in nature 
• is composed of individuals who want to build each other up, not compete against one another
• is sharing focused
• is less words and more "doing" - videos, checklists, discussion posts, etc...
• is applicable to real world needs/issues
• is driven towards accepting feedback for continual improvement

Participate 1.1.2 Joining a Digital Learning Community Quest

Exploration and Joining of Digital Learning Communities

I explored multiple digital learning communities in an effort to educate myself on options available in addition to those that I am already a participate in. From the options, I was able to decide which sites seem to be the most user friendly, applicable, and engaging for students and for me as a lifelong learner.

The digital learning communities that I explored are:

• Georgia School Counselors Association (GSCA) (I am already a member, here but looked deeper into what I can utilize from this great resource)
• Barth Syndrome Foundation Listserv (I am already a member and use this extensively as support and education for the genetic disorder that my son has)
• Khan Academy (I explored here because I have so many students who use this as a resource for math support)
• Pinterest (I created a board for digital learning communities and pinned multiple resources and followed several others)
• I joined a closed Facebook group entitled "High School Counselors' Network - I am excited to learn more about what resources and discussion topics are here that can better support me as I support my students!

Participate 1.1.1 Character Traits Quest

What are the three most impressive character traits of an exemplary citizen within a digital learning community?

As an educator, it is important for me to be able to effectively define, communicate, and most importantly model appropriate character traits of digital citizenship. As with other ways in which I impact my students, the way in which I conduct myself in the ever-changing online world is crucial for future generations of learners. 

The 3 Most Important Character Traits Are:

• Respect- respect for self, for others, and for any content posted/shared. This includes keeping personal information private and knowing what is appropriate to share via the digital learning community.
• Honesty - using digital property in an honest fashion- not stealing the work of others, not damaging the property of others, and not claiming the identity of others. Also, making sure as a digital learner that appropriate measures are taken to protect yourself and the work that you create.
• Educate - educating yourself on effective ways of communicating with others, learning new technology as it becomes available, sharing your learning in the digital world, and overall working to be a literate digital citizen.

Image taken from ISTE.org

In the beginning.....

I am excited about beginning this journey through Ga Virtual Teacher Training!  I look forward to learning more about my skills and areas that I can become a stronger online educator for students!