Digital Citizenship encompasses several different areas of information that many adults are not aware of not using appropriately. Point one: Digital literacy and safey - I can not tell you how many times I get emails from other adults - may of them teachers - frantic about something that got sent to them in their email. Because they got an email, it must be true. I have sent so many back with links to the urban legend sites that my fingers are tired. I even got one from the principal. Point two: There are so many times that adults do not understand the etiquette needed when posting or emailing. Language is certainly one of them - but simple things like not using ALL CAPS is also one. And finally - point three: How to use the internet available material for learning and the strategies for processing. First - this can not be done at once. It is an ongoing process. I start with my Kinder and 1st grade students telling them that everything they read, hear or see is not necessarily true. (Heck, I am doing this lesson with my 5th graders and my TEACHERS) and that is really what I am going to talk about here. You have to get this point through before you can move on.
I pull my books on Pluto. I show my kids the books. I ask them if the information in it is true and right. Oh, yes, she took them off the shelf, they are in the library, it is good stuff. Then I open one and read about Pluto being the 9th planet. I then open another one that says Pluto is not a planet. PROBLEM. Different info in different books. What is right and what is true. How do we solve this problem. So, I pull up my computer. Again, I find articles that say yes and others that say no. How to solve. I then talk to the students about where the information is coming from. We begin to look at the issue of Authority. Is this a competent scientific site, how old is it, etc. That is my first lesson. Each time we start to research something I remind them about the need to check the authority of the posting or website. We post the list of things to check by Kathy Schrock on a poster board for the students to use as a guide.
One of the other things that I do, I talk about what I am thinking outloud with my kids. I will mention that something sounds goofy. I then will take them to websites like the Pacific Tree Octopus. I will go through the list of things to check. I will act all excited like this is something new I just found. When I catch the kids - I stop. I say wait a minute. Does this really sound like it is even possible. Hmmmmmm. Then I go and try to search for other websites and find the hoax pages. This really makes an impact. I can not tell you how many kids start looking around for hoaxes. When they realize how many they are - it makes a impact. I finally show them some of the Urban Legend sites to use for checking things.
This is my intro to Digital Citizenship. It must be an ongoing, continuous propsition.
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