Play it Safe!

We are wrapping up anti-bulllying month this week! We had quite a few classrooms participate in our Anti-Cyberbullying Tic-Tac-Toe challenge. Whether it is during the month of October or not, it is important to find time to talk to students about how to be a good online citizen and what to do when they encounter those who are not. Common Sense Media for Education provides a wealth of information and ready made lessons to address this topic and so much more.  To access these lessons and resources, you will need to create an account. After that, go to the Scope and Sequence section of the site (as illustrated below) to find ready made lessons mapped out for K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 on topics such as "Cyberbullying and Internet Drama", "Privacy and Security", "Internet Safety " and more. They even have a whole section of their curriculum dedicated to "Creative Credit and Copyright" ; another important conversation to have with students as they producing and sharing digitally.  As our students become more and more digital literate as "producers with" and "consumers of" technology, let's makes sure the are equipped with the knowledge they need to "play it safe".

Start Small

The amount of technology that is available to us as educators is AWESOME and also... overwhelming. The fact is there are many tools out there that do exactly the same thing. There is no need to be a master of all things tech. The trick is finding the tools that are right for you, your curricular goals, and your students.  As you move forward with integrating technology in your classroom and using our new District 86 Tech Toolbox, start small!  Choose a tool that you feel will help your students meet their curricular goals and start there. 

Introduce this tool to your students with low rigor content.  Have them use the tool with content they already know. Perhaps using the tool to share information from a previous unit as a way of review, maybe using content that they have already recorded with pencil and paper, or even just using content about themselves are all low rigor ways to introduce a new productivity tool! The point is, having students learn a new tool AND construct new information at the same time can be  a recipe for disaster. At the bare minimum, be sure to give students time to explore the tool before assigning a task to accomplish with it.  Providing a 15 minute "explore" time and then giving students time to share their "discoveries" with the class can be a very effective way for students to learn a tool. Once students are comfortable with the tool, you are ready go! They can officially add that tool to their toolbox when they know how and when to use it. Take advantage of the fact that they have mastered the tool and provide them with multiple opportunities to utilize their new tech skills.