Flat Classroom Teacher Certification Course – Module 3 – Citizenship Journal

‘What?’, ‘So what?’, ‘Now what?’ model

• ‘What?’ – describe the learning experience including factual information about new tools and resources discovered
• I never gave any thought to the fact that to be a digital citizen that we had to consider five areas, but after reading and thinking about the five areas it makes complete sense. Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay identify the five areas as
• Technical Access and Awareness
• Individual Awareness
• Social Awareness
• Cultural Awareness
• Global Awareness
• It is important to always remember that students do not come to us ready and equipped with the skill set to just jump on a computer and go. We must teach them the necessary skills. As educators it is time for us to step up to the plate and realize that we are responsible to teach the kids how to behave globally with others and even stepping back to teach them how to behave while online. We have a whole new “curriculum” that has unfolded on our laps and whether or not we want to admit it, it is our jobs to prepare them. The preparation is not being done at home to the level that is necessary for us to do our jobs.
• To teach students each of these five areas we must think about the following in each area
• Safety
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Fair Use
• Legal
• ‘So what?’ – Reflect critically on how this new learning has impacted on your life as an educator, share what you believe were the highlights and difficult aspects of the module
• This module has provided me with many more things to add to my teaching. I strive to incorporate some of these areas mentioned above, but I have more that I need to develop. It is almost a guarantee that many of us teachers have no problem teaching about copyright, but how many of us actually take time to include music, photos, and video? There are more things to consider than just the written word. As I continue to experiment with my classes on moving to the next level of connections online I am realizing that I need longer class periods. One period to teach the ideas above and another period to teach my content. It all goes back to my basic beliefs about education. It is time for a new education system where we focus on real world skill sets. Time to maybe do away with memorizing historical facts, but include the skills about how to function and think on your own two feet. Learn how to deal with people next to you, online, in another country, etc. Time to quite being so “standardized” and allowing kids to shine with the talents given to them.
• ‘Now what?’ – write about your ideas for taking this learning to the next level and what you are going to do with the new tools, new concepts and describe a possible path for development
• I have already started with my next level work with the wiki I am currently experimenting with my language arts extension. I have plans to make things even grander next time around, but will figure this part out first. My pen pal club has been an amazing part of my teaching this year. As we work with several countries we are constantly discussing the five areas above. I seriously believe that the students involved are slowly realizing that the day to day operations of our lives is not the same all over. We have had many discussions about each of these topics and what we can do to make sure we represent ourselves in a proper manner and show respect for our international friends.
• To see my work check out my wiki project: http://bmsfarewell2manz.wikispaces.com/
• To see my international work this year(all done this year for the first time): http://coffeechug.wikispaces.com/