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๐ Trick or Treat? Resources to Help Students Navigate Online Safety
Published 2 months agoย โขย 5 min read
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October is filled with important celebrations like Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Digital Citizenship Week, and Media Literacy Week - each offering opportunities to teach students how to navigate the digital world responsibly. With Halloween around the corner, it's a perfect time to remind your students that the internet can be full of tricks, but with the right guidance, theyโll find the digital treats!
This year, my district is excited to connect these lessons to our new HAWKS pledge, which stands for Honest, Accountable, Wholehearted, Kind, and Safe. Our PBIS initiative aligns perfectly with these digital citizenship principles, helping students develop positive habits both online and offline.
As technology continues to weave itself into our classrooms, we must equip students with the skills to be safe, respectful, and responsible digital citizens. Whether they are engaging in social media, research, or online gaming, we want our students to uphold the values of the HAWKS pledge in everything they do. These digital skills are crucial not just in school, but in their personal lives and beyond.
Digital Citizenship Week ๐ป๐ค
October 14-18, 2024
Digital citizenship refers to the responsible and ethical use of technology. Just as good citizens contribute positively to their communities, digital citizens should contribute positively to the online communities they engage with. We should treat people online with kindness and respect, just like (I hope) we would in real life. Before sharing content online, consider its impact on others. Is it respectful and constructive, or could it harm someone? Remember that real people are behind screens, and your words and actions can affect them deeply.
Media literacy is the ability to critically analyze and interpret the media content we encounter on a daily basis. In an age where information can be overwhelming, it's essential to develop the skills needed to distinguish credible sources from unreliable ones, identify misinformation, and make informed choices about the media we consume, which will ultimately inform our opinions.
AI CITATION GUIDES! In The Generative Age - just when you thought you were getting away with an AI-free edition ๐ - where information is readily accessible at our fingertips, it is imperative that we educate our students to attribute proper credit to all sources, including those powered by AI. This will foster academic integrity and nurture responsible research practices.
Cybersecurity is not just for experts; it's for everyone! Itโs the practice of safeguarding your digital life from a wide range of threats and attacks. In an era where technology is deeply embedded in our daily lives, understanding and protecting your digital presence is vital. Use strong, unique passwords for each account, enable two-factor authentication where possible, and be cautious of sharing sensitive or personal information.
โBook Creator โ 15-minute activity books for K-5. You can read and remix these templates and weave them into the wider Common Sense Education lesson plans for the week. Additionally, check out the ISTE Student Standards and Book Creator resource.
โBookWidgets - The ultimate teacher guide to teaching students digital citizenship
โCode.orgโs Cybersecurity and Global Impacts - teach your students how data can pose a threat to our privacy and security and the ways that encryption and other techniques are used to protect it.
โCommon Sense Education โ a collection of lessons, activities, videos, games, and activities that introduce learners to the basics of digital citizenship, such as device care, online safety, and digital etiquette. Grade bands are provided, along with a calendar of a full weekโs worth of content.
โEverfi โ List of five interactive digital citizenship activities.
โGoogleโs Be Internet Awesome โ curriculum, lessons, interactive lessons, games, and quizzes that teach students how to be smart, alert, strong, kind, and brave online.
โISTEโs Digitial Citizenship in Education - resources to help you help students become thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who know how to use technology to learn and solve problems in their digital and physical communities.
Minecraft Cybersecurity Resources
โCyber and Digital Safety โ a progression of standards-aligned lessons to help learners of all ages learn to protect their data, use the internet safely, and model digital citizenship.
โCyberSecurity Live Classroom Workshops - register your class to attend one or multiple live, virtual classroom workshops, where a virtual guest teacher will lead classes all around the world virtually through the Network Heroes world.
โISTEโs Digital Citizenship in Action - this course will guide you in how to bring digital citizenship to your classroom in meaningful ways and across various content areas. The 15-hour, self-paced course includes ongoing instructor support and is eligible for graduate credit.
โMicrosoftโs cybersecurity online course โ this course defines cybersecurity and cybercriminals, explains how to defend against cyberattacks, describes the principles of Zero Trust, explains types of attacks, attack vectors, and the threat landscape, and identifies mitigation strategies.
โMicrosoft Cybersecurity Virtual Training Academy for Teachers โ provides educators with training to lead the Minecraft education lessons on their own. If youโre not comfy yet, check out the classroom workshops mentioned in the section above.
โNYSCATE's Cybersecurity Online Course - explore the three subconcept areas (risk, safeguards, and response) within NYSED's computer science and digital fluency standards around the concept area of Cybersecurity.
โNYSCATE's Digital Literacy Online Course - explore the two subconcept areas (digital use and digital citizenship) within the NYSED's computer science and digital fluency standards around the concept area of Digital Literacy.
โLightspeed Systems- Free downloadable PDF guide districts can give out to parents to help them understand what digital citizenship is, why it matters, and how to teach it to their kids.
As you can see, these are not passive concepts; they are active practices that require constant vigilance and ethical consideration. As citizens of the digital world, itโs up to all of us to make it a better place. Letโs make this month impactful and enriching for your students, helping them grow into mindful digital citizens ready to navigate the world theyโre shaping.
Spotlight ๐ฆ
From Vision to Reality: Turning Ambitious Ed Tech Goals into Tangible Outcomes
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The School Administrators Association of NYS (SAANYS) recently released its latest magazine titled, โIntentional and Strategic Leadership - check it out!
Catch me if you can ๐๏ธ
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10/20 - ASCD Leadership Summit - From Chalkboards to Chatbots: Rolling out AI professional development
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11/1 - Canadian EdTech Summit - Navigating the Future of Education in an AI-Inspired World
My book The Generative Age: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education is available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobel! If you've already bought a copy, thank you! If you're interested in a bulk discount, reach out or reply to this email.
If you're interested in having me work with your teachers or administrative team, please reach out or reply to this email. Here are some of the topics I've been booked for recently:
Empowering Leaders/Educators to Adapt to the AI-driven future: Exploring the role of AI in education, its applications in administrative tasks, and methods for evaluating AI use in teacher observations.
The Future of Teaching, Learning, and Assessments: Adapting to a world with AI in education.
Breaking Bias: Addressing (and teaching about) AI bias and discrimination.
Debugging Creativity and Imagination: The intersection of AI and creative writing.
...and much more!
Feel free to contact me to discuss how I can support you and your team!
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