Overview of Blake's Digital Citizenry Pilot

With our Middle School going entirely 1:1 iPad this past year, a big focus was to pair it with a strong implementation of a Digital Citizenship curriculum. Last summer, the planning process began by building a core lead DigCit Team of a grade level representative from 6th grade (Marjorie Heim), 7th grade (Sara Donovan), 8th grade (Seth Hellerstein), our principal (Nat Vaughn), Library Media Specialist (Jon Haycock) and myself, the Technology Integration Specialist with the task to begin developing a model/implementation structure and DigCit curriculum from the Common Sense Media organization. 

Our structure took advantage of the Cluster Model using Advisory times during a selected week to deliver a direct lesson facilitated by the GL representative, an extension activity and a student discussion panel by cluster. Our two main topics involved lessons: Cyberbully-Be UPstanding and Understanding your Digital Footprint- The Trillion Dollar Footprint.

However, beyond the lessons, students learned best when they heard directly from their peers. The Common Sense Media curriculum promotes the Student Discussion Panel venue to give students this opportunity. At the conclusion of the Digit Cit week, each cluster would select 4-5 students to be on a panel, also joined by a teacher and the principal to answer questions and to further discuss the topic. The power in listening & sharing their own experiences, thoughts, and giving advice to each other was quite evident. We plan to continue and expand this with real-time topics.

Digital Footprint - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

And then below, you'll find the Google Slideshow which was presented at a Parent Workshop last week to provide an overview of the who, how, and what content was covered throughout the year as well as plans to push towards a fuller integration into the classrooms and opportunities for parents and the community to learn too.

   

Parents should bookmark the CommonSense Media website as a tremendous resource with parent tips sheets that are paired with each lesson, app reviews, a Connecting Families Program and much more.

Overall, we leave this school year on a good DigCit note and a good direction and vision for where we would like to be as a school next year! Please feel free to give Nat or any members of the DigCit Team feedback.