This week there is no accompanying lecture or quiz. Instead, we direct you toward this very comprehensive article by Chontelle Bonfiglio titled: 8 Reasons Why Every Child Should Learn to Code
Resource for middle and high school: AI (Artificial Intelligence) is at the forefront of the news. Lessons about AI can provide a great entry point into computer science for middle and high school students. This article provides Tips and Resources for Introducing Students to Artificial Intelligence.
Why computer science the article CSTA standards will be important to you and your students.
The Iowa Department of Education adopted computer science standards in 2018 and emphasizes complete courses at the high school level.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced in 2018 an effort to launch innovative computer science projects in elementary schools: "Teaching computer science and other STEM-related courses is an essential component to any child’s education. That’s why Iowa is preparing our young people for success in cutting-edge careers with programs like this.”
In fact, with additional involvement from UNI, Iowa's public education system is taking steps to ensure that teachers at all levels can address computational thinking and thus equip students for success in a world where "65% of jobs of the future do not yet exist." (World Economic Forum, 2016).
Now you know that Safe, Savvy, and Social (S3) are the main guiding themes in digital citizenship.
Many educators argue that 3S is not enough. Digital citizenship should be followed up or go hand in hand with
digital leadership,
which involves using technology to improve the lives, well-being, and circumstances of others.
Websites like volunteermatch.org provide a national digital infrastructure to serve volunteers and nonprofit organization in America
Nonprofit organizations Donors Choose connect donors directly to public school classroom projects. See if there is a need in your community.
Organizations like WorldSavvy helps students develop 21st Century skills for Global Competency resources and opportunities for schools worldwide. Bookmark for future use!
To Read: Principle #V. of Model Code of Ethics - Responsible and Ethical Use of Technology by the National Association of State Directors and Teacher Education and Certification.
The links below provide the resources for you and your classroom organized around these four themes.
To do: Netiquette: Browse and bookmark these resources for later use. Resources are related to online communication's common do's and don'ts. http://www.albion.com/netiquette/. Never assume that your students know how to behave in an online environment!
To do: Play the Interland game from beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com, designed to help students gain digital citizenship skills- notice the "Be Internet Awesome" Curriculum available to download and also linked below.
Browse and bookmark for future use:http://www.aplatformforgood.org - A vision for a Platform for Good is to start a dialogue about what it means to participate responsibly in a digital world. While recognizing the potential risks, they celebrate technology as a vehicle for opportunity and social change.
To be a digital leader in a truly borderless world, one needs to possess certain global competencies. We discussed it a bit in previous RWLDs. This 1min video and this website explain the elements of Global Competency:
Browse and bookmark for late use the Be Internet Awesome curriculum, a program designed in collaboration between Google and the Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe.org), that teaches kids the skills they need to be safe and smart online.
Extra Credit Opportunity!!! Complete Google Digital Citizenship and Safety training, take a screenshot of the page with the information about the completion (make sure your name is visible on a screen shot), and submit it to the Extra Credit assignment dropbox.
Standard #1.2: Digital Citizen: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal, and ethical.
1.2.a Students cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.
1.2.b Students engage in positive, safe, legal, and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
1.2.c Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
1.2.d Students manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their navigation online.
Standard #1.3: Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.
Standard #1.7: Global Collaborator: Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.
1.7.a Students use digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.
1.7.b Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
1.7.c Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.
1.7.d Students explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.
Standard #2.3 Citizen: Educator as Citizen inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world
2.3.a Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.
2.3.b Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.
2.3.c Mentor students in safe, legal and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property.
2.3.d Model and promote management of personal data and digital identity and protect student data privacy.
Standard #2.4 Collaborator: Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.
2.4.c Use collaborative tools to expand students' authentic, real-world learning experiences by engaging virtually with experts, teams and students, locally and globally. 2.4 d: Educator as Collaborator demonstrates cultural competency when communicating with students, parents, and colleagues and interact with them as co-collaborators in student learning.
Using the Internet for the greater good: The World's Largest Lesson provides free and creative resources for educators to teach lessons, run projects, and stimulate action in support of Sustainable Development Goals. SDGs are the blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all humans. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice.
To ReadFive Myths About Young People and Social Media - Five Myths About Young People and Social Media - article based on Danah Boyd's book, "It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens."
Access to the Be Internet Awesome curriculum, a program designed in collaboration between Google and the Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe.org), teaches kids the skills they need to be safe and smart online.
thetrevorproject.org - The Trevor Project - The leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.
itgetsbetter.org - It Gets Better Project - a video website created to send the message and to inspire hope for young people facing harassment. It was created in response to several students taking their own lives after being bullied in school.
A Platform for Good - https://aplatformforgood.org/ - A Platform for Good is a website aimed at making the world a better place by providing resources and information for parents, teachers, and children.
Global Collaboration is an empowering opportunity for students and teachers to connect and engage in authentic, meaningful experiences. It is an opportunity for students to learn about people from different cultures and backgrounds. These connections don't need to be with learners in other countries. You will find people of different cultures and backgrounds in different states, cities, or even down the street.
What is Global Collaboration?
Global Collaboration involves using technology to connect learners in different parts of the city, state, nation, or world. These partnerships are made for the purpose of working and learning together to accomplish goals and learn/develop new things. When learners work with people from other locations, they can become aware of people and cultures outside their immediate surroundings.
Learning about the structure and content of global collaboration is important, but the real question is whether the students can learn anything from this experience. Students are looking for authentic learning events and this can provide them. Watch as 4th-grade students in Fairfax, Virginia, share their experiences through connecting with other 4th graders in Costa Rica.
What is Cultural Competence?
Learning about cultures other than our own is the first step towards achieving "Cultural Competence." Cultural Competence is the ability to understand and interact effectively with people from other cultures. These people may be from another country, state, or in your own classroom.
You won't have the opportunity to actually engage in a global collaboration project in this course, Ed Tech and Design, but learning about the various projects/strategies, resources, and digital tools will help prepare you for turning your students into global collaborators. It's the recognition of differences and the interest in learning about those differences to better communicate and work with others.
Professor Juanita Sherwood describes cultural competency in the video below. Pay careful attention to how she explains the importance of cultural competence in our lives. An interesting aspect is the need for understanding one's own culture as well as other cultures.
ISTE Standards
Global Collaboration and Cultural Competence are important parts of the ISTE Standards for Students and Educators. Global Collaborator is the 7th standard. "Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally." More specifically, 7a states that we should "Connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning."
As educators, we are expected to "Demonstrate Cultural Competency when communicating with students, parents, and colleagues and interact with them as co-collaborators in student learning." The world is a big place and it is our duty as educators to prepare our students (and ourselves) to recognize, communicate, and collaborate with people of a variety of backgrounds.
Global Collaboration Projects
Connecting with other classrooms requires organization and connections. The most efficient way to get involved in global collaboration is to join projects that are already organized. This is called Managed Global Collaboration. The managing organization has already created the activity and all that you need to do is join and get engaged. It is suggested that this is usually the best way to begin introducing Global Collaboration into your classroom. Here is a project that has connected thousands of learners around the world.
Global Read Aloud
The Global Read Aloud project involves students around the world reading one or more of a set of selected books during a 6-week period and then they try to connect with other students who have read the book so that they can share their ideas and thoughts.
Watch the What is the Global Read Aloud? video and then visit the official websitewhere they have identified a set of 10 books from which they can select their reading material. These books range from picture books to young adults. Envision how you could do something like this in your future classes.
Taxonomy of Global Collaboration
Starting a Global Collaboration Project
Global Collaboration projects can be life-changing experiences. They can bring a whole new meaning to topics that we can only read about in our books. Instead of reading about how the Chinese celebrate the Chinese New Year, you and your students can connect with students in Beijing to learn from the actual people who live this celebration.
Here is a brief overview of how to create a Global Collaboration project for your students. It doesn't identify the actual steps for making such a project happen, but it provides an overview of the stages you will go through and how to approach specific challenges. It also provides 4 exciting projects that you should explore (The Winter Around the World link doesn't work.)
Consider how you can enrich your students' learning opportunities through Global Collaboration. You are preparing your learners for living in a global society where it is important to connect with and understand other people.
Imagine extending your Thematic Unit to include global collaboration. What would YOU do?
