Common Sense Privacy Evaluations

WEBSITE ↬ Common Sense Privacy Evaluations

AUDIENCE ↬ parents, teachers & admins

CONTENT ↬ technology

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I have become more and more aware the last several years of the risks we are taking with all of the programs we have our students and our own children using. Unfortunately, not all companies have our kids best interests at heart and I want to make you aware of a resource I have often used before allowing my own daughters use an app or program and I have used to check out programs for use with my students at school. Please do not just say "yes" to everything. Our kids want the latest and the flashy and what everyone else has ... but that opens doors to risks that you may not want for them.

The evaluations are simple and clear. Super easy to understand and then if you decide it's ok, you will be better informed as to why you've chosen to allow it.

HOW CAN PARENTS and TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see parents using this resource when their kids ask about a new app for their device. We don't know what we don't know ... and sometimes the "fun" apps open our kids up to security risks. 

And I see teachers using this resource when they want to try a new website or app with their students. We take the place of parents at school in making these decisions, so we need to be just as cautious when making these choices.

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Civic Online Reasoning

WEBSITE ↬ Civic Online Reasoning

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ all things digital citizenship & evaluating sources; ELA, Science, History, etc

GRADE LEVELS ↬ middle & high school

This site is amazing! There is a mind boggling amount of information available at our students fingertips ... how do we help them decide what is credible or not ... valuable or not ... real or fake? I know I struggle at times. I also know that we can't afford to NOT help our students learn how to properly fact check and verify. As they state on their homepage, "The COR curriculum provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world."

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this in ALL classrooms. Especially ones that focus on research and evaluation of sources. The lessons are freely available - once you create your account - and they are high quality. Organized in collections, it helps you provide a consistent approach.

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Media Smarts: Educational Games

WEBSITE ↬ Media Smarts: Educational Games

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & admins

CONTENT ↬ all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I am always on the lookout for resources to help me teach digital citizenship in my classroom. This one is created and supported by the Canadian government. I'm directing you to the games portion of this site, but make sure you check out the rest of the site for additional resources beyond the games. It might also be something you want to share with your parents, too. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers find several games and activities to help reinforce learning about being a responsible digital citizen. 

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10 Internet Safety Tips for Parents

WEBSITE ↬ 10 Internet Safety Tips for Parents

AUDIENCE ↬ parents

CONTENT ↬ all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

This blog might be a few years old, but the content is still worthwhile. As a mom of 3 girls, these 10 tips are spot on for every family. Personally, I love #4 - create a family media agreement.

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers sharing this with your student's parents. It could a quick overview, or shared over several weeks. Feel free to share the article, too. 

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KQED Learn

WEBSITE ↬ KQED Learn: Discussions

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ ELA, history, current events, digital citizenship

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades 6 & up

This resource is definitely for older grades, but it is one that contains quite a bit of lesson starters. The discussions on KQED Learn are timely and impactful. Each discussion has a short video to lead the lesson, a lesson plan, and the ability to push it through Google Classroom. The Google Classroom integration is nice, but using these lessons certainly do NOT hinge on using it.

Topics can be filtered by grade level and content area. They state that they add new discussions each week. 

I would suggest being mindful of your community before launching into any of these - to the point I'd recommend having a conversation with your principal first.  

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this in an ELA class as a verbal discussion starter OR for written purposes. There are many topics that would be of high interest to older students in order to promote higher level thinking.

In a history class, this is a definite win because many of the topics deal with current events AND civic responsibilities. Any of these could be expanded as bigger research projects.

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Planet Nutshell: NetSafe

WEBSITE ↬ Planet Nutshell's NetSafe

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & students & parents

CONTENT ↬ digital citizenship

GRADE LEVELS ↬ K-12+

In my state, we are required to teach "something" to our students regarding digital citizenship. We all agree it's not "enough" ... as our students are faced with new challenges all the time. Whether it's a new app, a new tool, or a new device, we simply can't keep up with the pressures thrown their way.

Planet Nutshell's NetSafe has several lessons for all grades that focus on different areas of digital citizenship - from "What is the internet?" to "Protect your personal information" to "Public WiFi Network safety" and more. With a total of 18 short videos, all geared toward a specific grade level, you can pick and choose ones that best fit what is going on in your classroom at the moment.

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this to have additional conversations with their students. Students - of all ages - can't hear this message enough. With a total of 18 short videos, all geared toward a specific grade level, you can pick and choose ones that best fit what is going on in your classroom.

Working with your larger school community, using these videos to supplement the digital citizenship that is already happening, share these videos with your parents so they, too, can learn but also have the conversations at home, too. The more our students hear a solid message, the better chance they have at being GOOD digital citizens.

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Library of Congress Image Collection

WEBSITE ↬ Library of Congress Image Collection

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & students

CONTENT ↬ all content

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

Have you ever looked for good photos and struggled to find some? Then this is one to add to your bookmarks for sure! Richard Byrne - of Free Tech for Teachers - shared this out recently and I was very impressed!

I have been inside the Library of Congress and I had no idea they also had this digital collection! I spent some time looking at several of the collections - lighthouses, libraries, travel posters, and bridges. Wow! 

Social Media TestDrive Modules

WEBSITE ↬ Social Media TestDrive Modules

AUDIENCE ↬ students

CONTENT ↬ digital citizenship

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades 5ish & up (since most social media platforms require the age 13+ BUT ... discussions & training of younger students is never a bad idea)

Social media is not going away ... and like it or not, our students are using it. Some have parents at home who are talking with them, and some do not. Social media does not have to be a bad thing.

Social Media TestDrive Modules can provide the opportunity for teachers and students to have the conversations and practice scenarios. This is definitely a site to check out!

Supporting Wakelets:

Digital Citizenship Activities & Resources to BE a Google Digital Citizen

Parent & Educator Resources for Digital Health