This week I began one of my last courses for graduate school- Digital Citizenship. At the same time, our district kicked off the first days of professional learning for our teachers on blended learning and Schoology. These two things may not seem to be related but in actuality they are.
In several of the professional learning sessions, teachers biggest concern was: who is going to train the students on these tools? That question sparked a couple of things for me:
The next question helped me see that some of our teachers are not comfortable when it comes to educating their students about how to use technology. Some of that is because technology has been moving at a pace that makes it hard for them to keep up. As a Professional Learning Specialist, I am inspired to design and facilitate some professional learning for teachers to educate them on the elements of digital citizenship that most relate to their role as facilitators in blended learning environments. Dr. Ribble gives several suggestions for educator professional development when it comes to digital citizenship: appreciation blogs and Twitter for gathering information. I already have ideas for the Twitter one! It even comes with our own hashtag!
I could talk about the ideas I have for the "what can I do about it" question, but I'll leave those for another post. Stay tuned.
References:
Ajayi, L. (2017, June 7). How to Keep Your College Admission Offer: Start with Digital Literacy. Retrieved from New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/opinion/how-to-keep-your-college-admission-offer-start-with-digital-literacy.html?mwrsm=Twitter&_r=0
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital Citizenship in Schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
In several of the professional learning sessions, teachers biggest concern was: who is going to train the students on these tools? That question sparked a couple of things for me:
- Do our students, digital natives, need to be trained on how to use a learning management system?
- Do our teachers know how to educate students when it comes to digital literacy?
- What can I do about it?
The next question helped me see that some of our teachers are not comfortable when it comes to educating their students about how to use technology. Some of that is because technology has been moving at a pace that makes it hard for them to keep up. As a Professional Learning Specialist, I am inspired to design and facilitate some professional learning for teachers to educate them on the elements of digital citizenship that most relate to their role as facilitators in blended learning environments. Dr. Ribble gives several suggestions for educator professional development when it comes to digital citizenship: appreciation blogs and Twitter for gathering information. I already have ideas for the Twitter one! It even comes with our own hashtag!
I could talk about the ideas I have for the "what can I do about it" question, but I'll leave those for another post. Stay tuned.
References:
Ajayi, L. (2017, June 7). How to Keep Your College Admission Offer: Start with Digital Literacy. Retrieved from New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/opinion/how-to-keep-your-college-admission-offer-start-with-digital-literacy.html?mwrsm=Twitter&_r=0
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital Citizenship in Schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.